Thunderbirds celebrate 50 years as Air Force ambassadors

Thunderbirds celebrate 50 years as Air Force ambassadors

(EXCERPT), by Jace Radke ASSOCIATED PRESS

4:05 p.m. November 14, 2003

LAS VEGAS – A dry lake bed in an uninhabited stretch of desert
northwest of town would normally be disturbed only by skittering
reptiles and the wind blowing through the sagebrush and yucca.

But for almost half a century the scream of jet engines has rolled
over a stretch known as Thunderbird Lake.

The Air Force's supersonic ambassadors have called southern Nevada and
Nellis Air Force Base home for 47 of their 50 years, becoming the Air
Force's premier recruiting tool and a Nevada institution.

The Thunderbirds have flown more than 4,500 shows for more than 300
million spectators across the globe, and will celebrate the team's
golden anniversary this weekend with a performance at Nellis' Aviation
Nation air show.

"The first time I saw the Thunderbirds... I was completely...

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---------------------------
Otis Willie
Associate Librarian
The American War Library
http://www.americanwarlibrary.com