Happy Birthday America!

July 4, 2024

It was a day of celebration for Our Country’s Birthday.  The Army Aviation Heritage Foundation, The Georgia Chapter of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association, and The Georgia Vietnam Veterans Alliance were in the thick of it!  I never thought I would see Marietta Square this close to the ground through the windscreen of a Huey, but we did.  I am sure I speak for all who rode in this Iconic Bird down Roswell St. and then onto the Square at Cherokee that we are convinced Patriotism is alive and well in Georgia!  At every meter we were continually greeted with standing ovations and salutes!  The cheers became roars at times, and I don’t believe there was a dry eye onboard.  At times, we became quiet in retrospection but quickly recovered to wave and thank the crowds for their salutations.  We thought the crowd size far exceeded the numbers drawn at the Atlanta Veterans Day Parade, which takes place in November each year.

When we arrived back at our staging area to offload and remove our decorations, no one left early.  As a group, we all shook hands, slapped backs, and beamed about what we had just experienced.  There were several comments about this event going far to heal some old wounds. 

Very special thanks to Bill McRae for arranging our participation with the City of Marietta.  And thanks to the City of Marietta’s Emily Zillweger for their gracious invitation.  We hope to see them again next year for the Country’s 250^th Celebration.