|
|
Washington reported that McGuire and Fort Dix personnel have been working together on this massive event.
"Everybody has pitched in to make this happen," Washington said.
She also said the Open House offers visitors a chance to get a close-up look at World War I and World War II vintage airplanes, a B-52 from Louisiana, an A-10 Thunderbolt II from Missouri and a B-1B Lancer from Texas because those aircrafts (and more) would be on static display.
Capt. Michael Howard of the Open House Executive Committee said about 10 to 12 committee members have been dedicated to Open House preparations in the past six months, but the planning for this event has been going on for at least nine months.
"Since 9/11 we've been working at a high operations tempo to support conflicts," Howard said. "We've accepted the current pace and now we can have air shows and do other public events."
They arranged to fly most of their C-17s out of McGuire in preparation for the event. The KC-135 and KC-10 were temporarily relocated as well; the ramps had to be emptied to make room for the planes flying in for the event.
The purpose of this Open House and Air Show is to show the American people the military's war fighting capability, Howard said.
"We've dedicated this Air Show to the warriors; we're proud of what they've done and how they've kept us safe over the years," Howard said.
"We're showing what the American tax dollars are going to purchase and maintain, and how we use those airplanes in our defense of the nation," Howard added.
Security measures for the event are now tightly controlled; visitors go from designated parking areas to the entry control point, then through metal detectors.
Security officers with hand-held wands are stationed at the entrance to check visitors for weapons.
