Two F-15 Eagles from the 142nd Fighter Wing of the Oregon Air National Guard soar above the Capitol on Friday, May 8, to honor Salem health care workers and first responders. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter)
The perfect blue sky made for a dramatic backing for two F-15 Eagles that flew across Salem on Friday, May 8. The fighters, from the 142nd Wing of the Oregon Air National Guard out of Portland, crossed over the Capitol, Salem Hospital, the state Office of Emergency Management and the state Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, traveling at 400 mph above 1,500 above the ground.
The Salem appearance was part of a flying loop that took the pilots from Portland to the Oregon coast and then the Willamette Valley, done to honor health care workers, first responders and other essential workers.
“We are honored to pay tribute to everyone who has served on the frontlines during this pandemic,” said Brig. General Donna Prigmore, commander of the Oregon Air National Guard. “This is a small way of showing our gratitude for the big sacrifices that our healthcare workers, emergency responders, and so many others have made.”
“The goal is to unite all Oregonians during this time,” said Stephen Bomar, public affairs director for the Oregon Military Department.
Two F-15s from the 173nd Fighter Wing out of Klamath Falls flew a similar “thank you” mission over central and eastern Oregon.
The flights for what was called “OPERATION: AMERICAN RESOLVE” was done instead of regularly scheduled training.
Two F-15 Eagles from the 142nd Fighter Wing of the Oregon Air National Guard, with low-level support from a swallow, soar above the Capitol on Friday, May 8, to honor Salem health care workers and first responders. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter)
Noah Hutchison, 5, plays with his model plane on the grounds of the Capitol on Friday, May 8, while waiting for a flyover from two Oregon Air National Guard fighters. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter)
Two girls play on the grounds of the Capitol on Friday, May 8, while waiting for a flyover from two Oregon Air National Guard fighters. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter)
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Photographer Ron Cooper and his wife Penny moved to Salem in 1969 to take a job as photographer at the Oregon Statesman (later the Statesman Journal). Their three children, Monica, Kimberly, and Christopher, attended and graduated from Salem public schools. Cooper retired from the Statesman Journal in 2001 but, has continued his passion for photography in many ways, including as a photographer for the Salem Reporter.
