Page 10 - Aerotech News and Review 9-18-15
P. 10

Veteran’s News

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                        risk of many being hurt during the
Arlington National Cemetery, Va.
                                        frequent rocket attacks we endured
   Hundreds of Vietnam combat he-       ZKLOH RSHUDWLQJ IURP WKH DLUILHOG
licopter pilots, their guests and Gold
Star families planted a tree in Ar-     As bad luck had it, the very next
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to commemorate the 50th anniver-        day Carlos was killed instantly by a
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the tree dedication in the cemetery’s
Memorial Amphitheater to remem-            Pedrosa was buried at the cem-
ber the thousands of helicopter pilots
and crew members, who lost their        etery and his granite marker has a
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speakers within the amphitheater, in-
cluding a keynote address by retired    killed in action during the Vietnam
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                                        ers of war returned home alive from
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Army photograph by Nell King

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                                                                                                   Army photograph by Rachel Larue  U.S. Air Force Lt. Col.

Bob Hesselbein, left, president of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association,                                                       Jasem Fleming, with
and Christopher White, president of the Vietnam Helicopter Crew Members
Association, carry a wreath from the Memorial Amphitheater to the memorial                                                          the Rapid Capabilities
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                                                                                                                                    D.C., listens to a

                                                                                                                                    speech at Arlington

                                                                                                                                    National Cemetery

                                                                                                                                    during the Vietnam

                                                                                                                                    Helicopter Pilots

                                                                                                                                    Association’s living

                                                                                                                                    tree dedication, Aug.
                                                                                                                                    

86$UP\0DM*HQ&DUO+0F-         7KHUHDUHURXJKO\PLOOLRQOLYLQJ                                                       Army photograph by Nell King
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                                        Vietnam-era veterans, according to                                                                                                         Army photograph by Nell King
along as the wreath was carried to      WKH'HSDUWPHQWRI9HWHUDQV$IIDLUV
WKHWUHHIURPWKHDPSKLWKHDWHU                                                                                                             September 18, 2015
                                           A presidential proclamation
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                                        to honor the 50th anniversary of
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                                        the Vietnam War, which will span
the largest gathering of pilots at a    WKURXJK1RY

single commemoration event, with           -RLQW%DVH0\HU+HQGHUVRQ+DOO
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bein, president of the Vietnam He-      rative partner of the 50th anniversa-

licopter Pilots Association, which      ry Vietnam War Commemoration for

held a five-day meeting in Wash-        “supporting and honoring” Vietnam
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                                        War veterans last year during the
   Hesselbein said he met with the      MRLQWEDVH¶VDQQXDOUHWLUHHDSSUHFLD-
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talked about a picture he took of him      -%0++&RPPDQGHU&RO0LNH
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EHIRUHKLVGHDWK                       Henderson received a certificate

   ³%HWZHHQPLVVLRQV,IRXQG&DU-      signed by then-Defense Secretary
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los among our dispersed aircraft and
                                        Dempsey, chairman of the Joint
had him quickly pose for an individ-
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aircraft were dispersed to reduce the   sion

5LJKW Ethan Long, center, admires the wreath placed during the living tree
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was killed during the Vietnam War. Sudeck was an Army helicopter pilot and

served three tours of duty in Vietnam.

10                                                Aerotech News and Review

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