I am watching the Blue Angels fly right in front of my house.

[TomInTib]

It is Fleet Week in San Francisco and the Angels are putting on a helluva show.

They just flew by in an incredibly tight formation at eye-level to me, maybe 200 yards in front of my veranda.
I could see the pilots' faces.

I am sadly reminded of times when one could be stirred to the marrow by events such as this.

When it was still possible to love this country because it was such a great place to live and to love.

When, as a young man, I was so proud to take up arms in what turned out to be youthful naivete and trust in our government. I may have been sorely mistaken at the time, but I was so profoundly proud to be an American.

[Fridays Child]

1. Yes, I know. Still...

...the Blue Angels are awesome! What a front porch show!

[babylonsister]

2. Boy, how times have changed, Tom.

I can relate to your feelings as I had them, too. We'd go to the airshow yearly and 'work them'. The Blue Angels were awesome and just being in that environment made one proud. Now? Not so much...
Hopefully one day we'll return to feeling some kind of national pride.

[Justice Is Comin]

3. I've had that same experience.

I used to live on the 36th floor at Outer Drive East in Chicago and they put on their air show right over the harbor. Amazing stuff.

And loud.

[TomInTib]

6. Their approach to the Bay is directly over my house.

I live at the top of the hill in Old Town Tiburon.

The first year that I lived here, I had no idea they were coming.

They came over a couple of hundred feet directly over my house and I almost fainted.

They are loud.

[BootinUp]

4. Oh, Wish I could see that.

I am always impressed by the skill and bravery of our servicemen and women. Sounds like you are trying to deny your own feelings a little. There is nothing wrong with preparing to defend or investing in our own country's defense. Further I never blame the soldier for the political decision.

[TomInTib]

Come on out next year.

I never deny my own feelings.

I thought I was defending our country but we were just killing Vietnamese people.

That, I profoundly regret.

[BootinUp]

11. Well I accept your

statement on your feelings of course.

The Vietnam war was a horrific episode in our history and war is terrible. Have you seen the movie "The Fog of War" ? I am always looking for good reviews of history like that from important events that occurred when I was too young to know about.

[Pastiche423]

5. When I lived in the Marina district of the city

I hated when the Blue Angels would practice for days. My PTSD would hit a 10 on the Richter Scale.

What a waste of fuel and for what?

[Dem2theMax]

7. And you didn't invite Calif. DU'ers over to watch the show with you?

We would have brought our own pretzels and beer. And even cleaned up after ourselves!

[TomInTib]

8. I am going to do that next year.

Funny, I never even thought about it.

Thanks. We are going to rebuild our parking deck and I will have it designed with that party in mind.

See you then, D2tM.

[Dem2theMax]

10. OK, I'm bookmarking this thread. LOL!

[leveymg]

9. It'll be that way again. Just ask the Germans.

We've all been doing what we can. We're not the problem - we're the solution.

You can still enjoy your guilty pleasures, like air shows.

I saw that pilot's face at Annapolis, just a couple years ago.

[MoseyWalker]

12. The Canadien Snowbirds

were supposed to fly at the air show here the middle of last week, but the first plane up was a guy from Tulsa who was doing a loop, crashed, and didn't make it.

The rest of the show was cancelled.

[MoseyWalker]

14. I remember the Thunderbirds

when I was a kid, and was just so impressed.

(here's the local air show story - figured I shouldn't mention it without the story of the man's life and friend)

http://www.qcsunonline.com/engine.pl?station=quay&templ...

[ewoden]

13. impressive no doubt . . .

I wonder how it feels when you're a little kid in Iraq watching those same F-18's buzzing your town loaded down with nape, willie pete, and 1000 pound smart bombs or cluster munitions. Now that probably leaves a lasting impression.

I remember when the thuds, shyraiders, F-100s and Phantoms flew above my unit decades ago. I loved it then, the shock and awe of it all, Uncle Sky Pilot looking out for my ass. That is until the wind would blow our way and the post toasties ould fill the air with that heavy sweet smell.

The military's toys are cool, as long as your're not on the receiving end.

[RebelOne]

15. They are so totally awesome.

My job is directly across the street from Dobbins Air Reserve base here in Georgia. And just about every year there is an air show at the base and the Naval Air Station. So for two days I am able to stand out in the parking lot and watch them practicing. Just breathtaking!! I only wish that I was up there with one of the pilots. It would be the thrill of my life.

[DemoTex]

16. I see Tom's house!

[BrotherBuzz]

17. Cripes, the Blue Angels scared me to near death 25 years ago

I was working construction in Ghirardelli Square on scaffold twenty five feet up inside a skylight when their Wednesday practice began along the waterfront. Bam, out of nowhere they buzzed me and executed a Fleur de Leis. I watched the center jet all but disappear directly above me. One moment it has a wingspan of about hundred miles wide, the next moment it was nothing but a speck in the sky directly above me. I looked at my pocket watch, determined it was lunch, and went outside to watch the rest of the practice. They do put on a good show.

[elocs]

18. I watched them from my house last year

during the Deke Slayton airfest here in La Crosse. I only live a couple of miles from the airport, so they were screaming over my house for days. As a kid I used to remember the local tv station signing off for the night with this poem by John Gillespie Magee Jr.:

“High Flight”

“Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds – and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of – wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunset silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager aircraft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew.
And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.”

[Bigmack]

19. Z-O-O-O-O-O-OM!!! V-V-W-W-O-O-O-OM!!!

The "sounds of freedom", according to a big sign at the gate of a nearby Naval Air Station.

It symbolizes power for the people who like to shout "USA, USA!!" a lot, and who show their patriotism with a ribbon magnet on their SUV.

I mostly outgrew ZOOM noises when I hit puberty, and totally got over loud noises when some of those loud noises killed people around me.

[Beausoir]

20. I just saw the T-Birds. I grew up on the Angels and T-Birds. They revolt

me now.

Firstly, their show is much shorter than it used to be. (Not weather related.)

And, they inducted 10 children into the Air Force right before the Birds flew.
Big public swearing-in ceremony over the loudspeakers. Paraded these poor children all around and locked them into George W. Bush's meat grinder.

Then, the last 5 minutes of the T-Birds show, they flew to Lee Greenwood's puke inducing "Proud To Be An American".

We were completely revolted.

These aerial teams are being used to lure kids into service. Like big cigarette companies marketing to kids. Both ways...the kids get killed.

[Captain Hilts]

21. I won't permit Bush to ruin my love of the navy. nt

[shanti]

22. awesome!

sounds like they were very close! there was an airshow in my town a few months ago and they did a maneuver right over my house. it was so exciting!