Shawnee residents will hear the unmistakable “thump” of rotors as four Vietnam War-era military helicopters fly into Shawnee Airport Sunday morning.
The three Bell UH-1 Iroquois, or “Hueys,” and one Bell OH-58 Kiowa are part of Flying Thunder Flight to the Wall, which is making its inaugural flight this month. The flight will serve as an airborne escort for this year’s Rolling Thunder, an annual motorcycle tour from California to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.
The flight’s fifth day schedule is a refueling stop in Shawnee from 10 a.m. till noon. David Boardman, commander of Shawnee’s Disabled American Veterans Chapter 54, said the public is invited to watch the flight and get a close-up look at the helicopters.
The helicopters flew during the Vietnam War, and have been completely refurbished and are combat certified, Boardman said. They are part of the Wings and Rotors Air Museum.
After the helicopters land at the airport, the public will be treated to music and a cook wagon serving hamburgers and hot dogs. Boardman said Golden Corral has supplied balloons for the crowd to release as the helicopters resume their flight, and each balloon bears the names of two veterans listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.
Proceeds from the cook wagon will go toward Shawnee’s Veterans Park, Boardman said. Boardman and other area veterans are ready for the proposed park to become a reality.
Sunday’s events are sponsored by the Shawnee American Legion, VFW, Disabled American Veterans chapter and the city, Boardman said.
“This came at the right time for us,” he said.
Boardman said the helicopters will be accompanied by part of the Rolling Thunder group, which ultimately consists of thousands of motorcyclists who ride from California to Washington, D.C., during Memorial Day week each year. According to Rolling Thunder’s Web site, the non-profit organization was incorporated in 1995 and has more than 80 charted chapters across the United States.
The organization’s membership is comprised of men and women, veterans and non-veterans. The organization is dedicated to educating the public and increasing awareness of the POW/MIA issue and “other injustices suffered by veterans from all wars,” the Web site said.
For the past 20 years, Rolling Thunder riders have arrived in Washington, D.C., every Memorial Day weekend.
“It’s been around for a while. A lot of people know about it,” Boardman said.
Boardman, a longtime Shawnee resident, served with the U.S. Army’s 5th Special Forces Group during the Vietnam War.
His tour of duty ran from 1968 to 1969, and he returned to the United States in 1970.
Boardman has been with the Shawnee DAV chapter since 2003 and said there is no Vietnam veterans group in Shawnee.
“There’s a lot of Vietnam veterans around,” Boardman said. “We are going to work on getting a Vietnam veterans group here in Shawnee. I want to concentrate on getting a group.”
Boardman said the members of this group would be able to “get together and talk.”
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Jason Smith may be reached at 214-3932 or william.j.smith@news-star.com.
