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The Missing Man salute: retired military aviators perform symbolic flyovers as final tributes to veterans and their families.

Publication: VFW Magazine
Publication Date: 01-SEP-02
Format: Online - approximately 1215 words
Delivery: Immediate Online Access

Article Excerpt
On a recent hot summer day, nearly a dozen members of the Missing Man Foundation (MMF) gather on the flight line at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, Calif., for a short flight in their matching T-34s, Korean War-era trainers.

All of the members, clad in their crisp, black flight stand...

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...suits, ramrod straight at attention by their planes while they are briefed on their mission: to honor a recently deceased Air Force flyer with a distinctive feat of precision flying--the `Missing Man' formation. As soon as the honoree's biography is read, the order is barked, and the pilots--all seasoned combat veterans--climb into their cockpits and strap themselves in, ready to fly.

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Don "Big Heart" Goodin, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, began the Foundation nearly five years ago. "We started as just a bunch of good American boys who love to fly and have a good time together," he explained. "We are all members of the March Aero Club, so we frequently fly together just for fun.

"Several years ago we started getting requests from friends...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



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