There it was, the official timetable of the flyovers in Washington, DC and the three bomber flyover was scheduled for 6:02 PM Eastern time. Knowing that this B-52H had flown from Minot AFB made the event a “must see” for me, and I am thinking hundreds of others in Minot. I quickly went to the program area of my remote and set the record function to begin at 4:00 PM, and just continue because if there were, for some reason, a delay I still wanted to be sure that I captured that moment when not only our B-52, but hopefully our 5th Bomb Wing Commander, Col Jesse Lamarand, overflew the America 250 celebration.

Let me go back and make something clear, recording the three bomber flyover was just a backup to my original plan of being stationed in front of my TV, watching intently and keeping close track of the time.
When the clock hit 5:02 there was a glimpse of the three bombers approaching the celebration. Suddenly we were sent back to a video of a speech by JD Vance (just a clarification- I was watching FOX News), and my heart sunk. Certainly, they weren’t going to miss the three bomber flyover? I was ready to start channel surfing when the video of the three jets once again appeared.

The flyover was perfect, well perfect from our perspective. The B-52H, the B1-B and the B-2 were in their now famous delta formation. The only disappointment, and maybe it’s just from my years of being a journalist, was how unprepared the announcer was for the event. In my opinion, he did a “less than” job of describing the event. He did not know the aircraft involved, only that they were bombers. I guess I would have been much more satisfied with a description of the planes, right to left, and how the entire mall, which according to my friend who was there, stopped to watch the flyover take place.

In the midst of continuous flyovers and demonstrations above the National Mall on July 4th, we know that once again the B-52H was one of the stars of the show. Over the years I have been fortunate to see many flyovers and demonstrations that involved the B-52. If I hear the roar of the jets when I am on base I automatically look towards the runway hoping to catch a glimpse as another jet takes to the sky. It’s an awesome site, it’s an awesome sound, and it never gets old.

George “The” Masters
We lined up for the 4th of July parade sponsored by the Minot Shrine Club in a 65 Pontiac GTO courtesy of George Masters. We were representing the Air & Space Forces Association Gen David Jones Chapter 135. It was a bit of a dream come true to get to actually drive, and not just view, a 65 GTO. When it was our turn we proudly pulled the GTO onto the parade route right behind the Minot AFB Fire Department Hazmat unit.
As we (my wife Sue and I) drove down 4th Avenue in parade formation I can’t tell you the number of folks who waved and said, “nice car”, to which I would answer “Thank you.” For the moment I shared the pride that George Masters has in every car in his collection.

Mr. Masters was stationed at Minot AFB and when he retired he worked at the base in civil service. George not only provided a car for the AFA, but at the front of the parade was a 67 GTO that was an escort vehicle for Col Jimmy Schlabach from the 91st Missile Wing and Col Thomas Taylor, Deputy Commander of the 5th Bomb Wing.
At an after parade lunch event George lined up all but 4 of his cars at his shop in Southeast Minot. It was quite a site. People would drive by slowly to look and admire George’s classic car collection.
First, thank you George for your continued support of the Minot Air Force Base and the Air and Space Forces association. Second, if you ever need someone to drive one of your classic cars in a parade again, you have my phone number.

Wanderin’ Around
I know that I mention this every year, but now is the time to get out and photograph one of those beautiful canola fields that are in full bloom all over central North Dakota. Soon, they will turn back to green and be replaced by the many fields of waving grain. Not to be forgotten? Those blue flowered flax fields that will soon be in full bloom. Maybe not as common as canola fields, but worth a Sunday afternoon drive to locate and photograph.

Today’s Chuckle
Everyone should have two pets in order to maintain perspective: a dog who will always think you’re the greatest, and a cat who will always hold you in disdain.