Aviation Nation: The US Holds Memorial Air Show In Las Vegas For Veterans

Vist The Aviation Nation Website

From the thunderous "whomp-whomp" of Huey helicopters racing to rescue downed pilots in a make-believe jungle to Ann-Margret onstage for a USO reunion, Saturday's Aviation Nation air show brought back memories of a war that ended 30 years ago.

There was a major difference, though, for the thousands of Vietnam War veterans who attended the air show at Nellis Air Force Base and Friday's Veterans Day parade in downtown Las Vegas: They finally got their "welcome home" and "thank yous" for serving their country.

"It's about time," said Ann-Margret, who as a starlet and Northwestern University freshman entertained troops in 1966 with a small band in places with names like Pleiku, Chu Lai and Da Nang.

She returned in 1968 with Bob Hope and a contingent of 80 performers.

Before taking the stage at Nellis, she spoke between roars from a hovering Harrier jet. She said she remembered "every single face" and how the soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen beamed while she tried to offer them some respite from fighting the enemy in rain-soaked jungles.

"This is from the bottom of my heart," said Ann-Margret, who on Saturday made her only appearance at the two-day air show. "They have my respect, my admiration and my loyalty. ... I will never forget them. God bless them and their families."

A short time later, after more accolades for Vietnam vets from Mayor Oscar Goodman and Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and an introduction from her Vietnam-tour drummer Mickey Jones, Ann-Margret stepped onstage with a bit of a jiggle and a quick dance step.

"Today I'm so proud to be a part of Operation Welcome Home," she said, flashing her Hollywood smile. "I went to Vietnam to perform and entertain, but what I received was far, far more than I could ever give.

"You were constantly facing the unknown," she told the throng who were sitting and standing near Nellis' north runway. "But you never hesitated, you never backed off, always moving forward."

Many in the crowd wore black "Vietnam Veteran" baseball caps, and many others sported commemorative, yellow, green and red Vietnam service ribbons. For those who were among the 2.7 million who served during the war, the crowd was reminiscent of those at USO shows.

Tears rolled down the face of one vet when Hank Brake performed "Thank You," the official theme song for Operation Welcome Home.

There was also plenty to cheer about, during thrilling, high-speed maneuvers by the F/A-22 Raptor, the nation's air-dominance fighter-attack jet, and from flawless flights by six red, white and blue F-16 Falcons from Nellis' own Thunderbirds air demonstration team.

Base officials estimated the combined crowd for Saturday and today's Aviation Nation show will surpass the estimated 125,000 that attended last year's show.

Highlighting Saturday's show was a Vietnam air power re-enactment that featured an AC-47 Spooky gunship and rescue of downed pilots by a trio of UH-1 Huey helicopters.

Retired Navy Capt. Ray Alcorn of Carson City remembered the danger and the "dream world" feeling of being one of the pilots who wasn't rescued before being held captive for 2,610 days as a prisoner of war.

"Unfortunately, not all of us were able to come home -- 58,000-plus," he said.

Alcorn said he missed lunch on the day he was shot down, Dec. 22, 1965, "and I remained hungry until I got back to the real world."

In a hangar across the tarmac, former Army aviator and Chief Warrant Officer Joseph G. Hansen received a Broken Wing lapel pin for safely landing a U-6 Beaver plane with pilot David Barber in a dry rice paddy in Vietnam on May 23, 1972.

With oil smearing their windshield from a damaged engine, the two landed the plane by navigating from side windows, avoiding crashing into a friendly convoy and, thanks to Hansen's fast foot on the brakes, stopping before slamming into a levy.

"The ground was getting so close," said Hansen, 56, of San Antonio. "We tried to keep it running."

At the north end of the ramp, Rocky Sickmann, who was one of dozens of American Embassy workers held hostage for 444 days beginning Jan. 16, 1979, in Tehran, Iran, encouraged Vietnam veterans and others to send videotaped messages to U.S. troops serving in 177 countries.

The project, financed by Anheuser-Busch Inc., is "to say thanks for serving our country. To get a personalized message, that's gold," Sickmann said.

"We need to understand what freedom is. If we didn't have somebody serving, we'd have roadside bombings. We wouldn't have air shows like we're seeing today. We cannot let our troops be forgotten."

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