Blue Angels surprise DCPS students

OWENSBORO, Ky. (WEHT) — The Blue Angels will take to the skies this weekend for the Owensboro Airshow. While they love putting on a good show in the air, they also make it their mission to inspire the next generation. The U.S. Navy squadron surprised students of all ages across the city.

The Blue Angels are making their way around the city with a couple pit stops to speak with young minds.

At Sorgho Elementary they talked about the various roles in the U.S. Navy flight demonstration squadron, a pilot spoke about his South American roots, and the importance of chasing your dreams no matter what.

Fifth grader India Manley says she was most inspired by their decision to bring more women into the fleet. They shared the Blue Angels first female fighter jet pilot Lieutenant Commander Amanda Lee will join the show.

Manley says she has dreams of owning a restaurant or being a nurse one day, and she’s using their bravery to push forward.

“They do something really dangerous, and I said [I’ll be] risking my life on helping people and stuff like that,” says Manley.

Students competed in an airplane decorating contest. The prize? A V.I.P. meet and greet with the pilots on Sunday.

Victoria Jones, a fourth grader at Sorgho Elementary, was one of 5 winners.

“I was gonna ask my dad if we can go. I felt really good and I felt really happy cause I knew something good was gonna happen,” says Jones.

They also stopped at Apollo high school and the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps program at Daviess County High School got to rattle off their questions at MidAmerica Jet.

One student is already enlisted and is set to leave in May.

He says the extra experience has only strengthened his desire to fight for his country.

“Everybody sees the pilots. They see the service members in their uniforms, but they don’t see how many people it takes to carry out these operations and really how much of a team it is,” says Wyatt Miller, a senior at DCHS.

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