Hall of Fame Weekend

Josh ended up having an awesome weekend! I really am so happy he got to go on this trip... He met so many famous people I lost count. Troy Aikman, Jim Kelly, Jerry Jones (the owner of the Dallas Cowboys), all the new Hall of Fame inductees, other Hall of Famers, the singer of the halftime show... he can tell you more. He was texting me all weekend with updates on who he'd met, where he'd been, and what he'd done - laughing because he had no idea he'd be able to do all that. He actually got to watch the game from the field Sunday night, by the end zone on the Tennessee side.

He felt so privileged to be up there and it was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

He did 2 flyovers in his Blackhawk, along with a Chinook and an Apache. They did this once during the National Anthem before the Induction Ceremony, and once during the same time before the Hall of Fame Game on Sunday. We had our DVR's set so we wouldn't miss those....

Both ESPN and NBC did not air the flyovers. He thinks he may be able to get a copy of the flyover videos, which would be nice to have. They also didn't air the part when they announced each soldier on the middle of the field, including Josh, during the 3rd quarter... I so wish I had been there!

Josh and his guys did static displays too, where the public could come up to the helicopters and see them, ask questions, and meet the soldiers.

A Canton, Ohio reporter has already written an article about the three Army aircraft that were involved with this weekend, complete with interviews of the pilots, a picture of their flyover, and a space for comments about the article from readers.

Here's Josh's flyover. He's the first helicopter in the line.
And (he's going to kill me for this), but the following was the very first comment written in response to the article. I absolutely love my husband more everyday because of things like this. Keep reading to the end of the excerpt.

emerald5 12 hours ago

We live down the road from Fawcett/Don Scott and were over looking at the choppers at least 3 times a day since they landed.
Those men were so wonderful to our son (and daughter, who is one, but she didn't want much to do with it all until Sunday).
His favorite was the Black Hawk. He had met his 'Buddy' on Friday and every time we went back this wonderful young man took the time to show this little wide eyed 3 year old all the ins and outs of the Black Hawk. We were so appreciative that we sent the men some pizza and pop Sunday afternoon from Lindsey's Pizza.
From what I understand, they loved it. Enough, that when they landed after the fly-by at game time, when the gates were shut to the public, one of the men came over to my husband and took T.J. from him saying, 'Let's go see your buddy'. After being over with them one last time, his buddy Mr. Touchton gave T.J. one of their troop badges. I came home and framed it right away!
Again, this is our favorite part of HOF week!

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"For my family, this is the best part of the HOF week.
We have a 3 year old that adores these men and the helicopters that they fly. We live down the road from Fawcett/Don Scott and were over looking at the choppers at least 3 times a day since they landed.
Those men were so wonderful to our son (and daughter, who is one, but she didn't want much to do with it all until Sunday).
His favorite was the Black Hawk. He had met his 'Buddy' on Friday and every time we went back, this wonderful young man took the time to show this little wide-eyed 3 year old all the ins and outs of the Black Hawk. We were so appreciative that we sent the men some pizza and pop Sunday afternoon from Lindsey's Pizza.
From what I understand, they loved it. Enough, that when they landed after the fly-by at game time, when the gates were shut to the public, one of the men came over to my husband and took T.J. from him saying, 'Let's go see your buddy'.
After being over with them one last time, his buddy, Mr. Touchton, gave T.J. one of their troop badges. I came home and framed it right away!
Again, this is our favorite part of HOF week! "

My husband and his fellow soldiers inspire me. I'm so proud of him and of them. I guarantee that little boy will never forget Josh, and maybe one day he'll grow up to be an Army helicopter pilot or crew chief, just like him.

Josh, Kim & Abby