Blue Angels: Part 3

in california. this is a time to get all the new team members — and current crew — ready for all the difficult maneuvers the blue angels are known for. their 2017 performance schedule is already out — and it shows the blues will be returning to delmarva in mid-june — for the ocean city air show. a much anticipated event considering the impact they left on the area — the last time they were here. ocean city air show 2015. it’s an event the beach town won’t soon forget. thousands of spectators packed onto the beach — the u-s navy blue angels headlining the event for the first time. “when i saw them, i just felt so proud to be an american.” if you were out on the beach that weekend — and you heard the narration during the blue angels flight demonstration — you heard the voice of u-s marine corps captain jeff kuss. 2015 was his first year with the blue angels — and his job aside from narrating — was to take 3 lucky civilians up in the air — for a ride in a blue angels jet. “blue angels 7 is rolling with emily… nice.” during his plane side interview after our flight — he explained what he loved about his job. “it’s so fun to be able to share that experience and give them a taste, a small taste of what it means to be in the navy marine corps. kuss and his blue angels team — made many appearances in our area — taking pictures — and making lasting memories with fans. “you see them and they got a thumbs up and they’re happy to see you, it’s contagious and then you know, well, you know what? things aren’t too bad.” major mark montgomery currently flies the c-130 fat albert for the blues. we caught up with him at kenwood high school in baltimore — during maryland fleet week. he spoke for the team — admitting this 2016 season was painful for them — losing captain kuss in a crash during a practice run in tennessee. but support from the fans — like these r-o-t-c students at kenwood — helped the blues get back in the air. “i love all the tricks.i love how inspiring they are. they definitely get people involved.they definitely care about all their fans.” “i’m also on the civil air patrol, as well, so we’ve heard and worked at these air shows for a while, so it is an honor, just to see them today and shake a blue angel’s hand.” “this means a lot. without people that care about watching us and watching us fly, i’m going to be doing a different job. we wouldn’t be here.we wouldn’t be doing this” connecting with the community on so many levels… and it’s this connection that made their loss — our loss. in talking with the blue angels — they make it clear… “this is the honor. this is what we get to do.and this is one of the best parts of the job.” servicemen and women — allowed to wear the blue uniform for a few years — and touch lives in every city they visit. they hope captain kuss’ memory will live on — reminding everyone of the sacrifices the u-s military members make – every day. “you know there’s marines that are sleeping in the mud, and sailors that are away from their families, and because of them, we can come here and have air shows.” captain kuss himself expressed this same sentiment back in 2015. “this is who we are as an organization and a team and what we stand for and our values and hopefully impart that on everyone that we get to fly with.” the blue angels are headlining the 2017 ocean city air show on june 17th and 18th. we have a link to their full performance scheduled on our website — 47 abc dot com. and if you missed any part of this special report about the blue angels — make sure to find it online as well. all of our content — past and present — is shareable via social media. the sky