Rhode Island National Guard Open House Air Show welcomes public to learn about their military

Photo By Master Sgt. Jason Long | U.S. Navy Lt. Tyler Davies, lead solo pilot for the Navy Blue Angels, waves to a crowd of spectators June 9, 2018, Quonset Air National Guard Base, North Kingstown, R.I. Davies and his team performed for the 2018 Rhode Island National Guard Open House Air Show.  

NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI, UNITED STATES

06.10.2018

Story by 2nd Lt. Melissa Heintz 

143d Airlift Wing

QUONSET AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, North Kingstown, R.I. (June 10, 2018) -- If you’ve ever been in Rhode Island and seen a military aircraft flying overhead, you may wonder why it’s there. You may have seen a Humvee parked on the side of the road, or a service member in uniform responding to a snowstorm. The Rhode Island National Guard opened their gates to everyone for the Rhode Island National Guard Open House Air Show, giving the public a glimpse into what the National Guard does for their state and country. In addition to welcoming the public to see flying acts and static displays on base during the Air Show, the RING and supporting agencies held an educational event for local students, and visited a local Veterans hospital the week prior.
For the second year, RING partnered with Southeastern New England Defense Industry Alliance to develop a curriculum for high school students based on design thinking. Members of RING travelled to high schools across the state to provide training workshops on the curriculum, and presented students with local career opportunities available to them in the defense industry. These workshops culminated Friday June 8, 2018, when more than 200 local high school students participated in the second annual RIse with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) event at Quonset Air National Guard Base. During the event, students collaborated with each other to develop a plan for a STEAM school of the future. Their ideas were presented to representatives from the defense industry, academia and government officials.
“What we’re bringing to the community is another opportunity for us to engage with high schoolers. Some students may not know what we do, so this breaks down that barrier of seeing a service member in uniform and not wanting to approach them,” said Army Lt. Col. Mike Grzybowski, chief of Legislative Affairs, RING. “It gets us out into the community to interact with the students and show them what’s available to them within the RING.”
Flying demonstrations are another way for the community to learn what their military is doing. In 1946, the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Chester Nimitz, had a vision to create a flight exhibition team in order to raise the public's interest in naval aviation and boost Navy morale. Since then, the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, commonly known as the Blue Angels, have been visiting communities around the United States and around the world showcasing the pride and professionalism of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
Navy Lt. Tyler Davies, lead solo pilot for the Blue Angels, enjoys traveling around the world and talking to the public about what it takes to be a fighter pilot in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. “We are simply representatives of what the Navy and Marine Corps are doing right now out of sight and out of mind on aircraft carries, on forward deployed land, in foreign countries,” said Davies.
Additionally, he enjoys coming together with all branches from the United States Armed Forces to tell the military story. “We’ve got DoD here, we’ve got Coast Guard, we’ve got Navy, Marines, Army, Air Force, all of them. Everybody that’s involved that gets the opportunity to spend just a small piece of time in the air show industry bringing that back to the public and saying ‘look, we are America, and we actually do mean business. And look how well we can do this,’” said Davies.
An estimated 11 million spectators view the Blue Angels during air shows each year. Additionally, the Blue Angels visit more than 50,000 people each show season (March through November) during school and hospital visits.
This year marks the first time the F-35A Heritage Flight Team makes its rounds on the air show circuit. Not only did members of the public get a chance to see the Air Force’s premier fighter aircraft during their flying performance at the air show, but members of the F-35 team visited the Providence VA Medical Center and got the chance to share military stories that spanned generations.
“We volunteer as much of our time as we can. We wanted to come out and show love, show support for the local community,” said Air Force Staff Sgt. John Baker, crew chief with the F-35A Heritage Flight Team. “I visit the VA in Phoenix. I’ve got family members that attend it, so it’s important to me to stop by and see people because I know they appreciate it.”
For Baker, the outreach spans all age groups, allowing new generations to learn about the Air Force and giving veterans the chance to reminisce about their time in the military. “It’s important for me because I like seeing the youth want to come in, and then I like seeing the veterans enjoy what we do,” he said. “When our jet flies over and everybody stares up, in a world where everybody looks down at a phone, it just amazes me.”
Since 1992, the Rhode Island National Guard Open House Air Show, designed especially for the American people and citizens of Rhode Island, has brought the U.S. military to the public’s front door. To learn more about RING, visit www.rinationalguard.com.

• Date Taken: 06.10.2018
• Date Posted: 09.26.2018 14:11
• Story ID: 292861
• Location: NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI, US