Thunderbirds put on show in Colorado skies

What’s good for Southern Nevada also plays in Colorado, especially when the Air Force’s Thunderbirds honor America’s latest frontline heroes.

As they did April 11 in its backyard, the air demonstration squadron based out of Nellis Air Force Base honored Colorado health care workers, first responders, military members and other essential personnel working on the front lines of the pandemic Saturday with a series of flyovers.

The squad was in the neighborhood to honor the graduates of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

“While the coronavirus pandemic has curtailed many of the celebrations that graduating cadets usually enjoy, we are proud to provide this one defining moment for these young Americans’ lives as they become officers in the world’s greatest Air Force,” Lt. Col. John Caldwell, Thunderbirds commander and leader, said before the event in a statement.

The team, featuring eight F-16 Flying Falcons, flew for about an hour over the communities of Boulder, Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, Denver, Fort Carson, Fort Collins, Greeley, Longmont, Loveland, Pueblo and Windsor.