European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 23, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 stars and p monday april 232007 Navy Blue Ange no 6 minutes before crashing during an air show at Marine corps air Sta Tion Beaufort in Beau fort so on saturday Mark Almond Birmingham am Blue by Bruce Smith the associated press Beaufort so Raymond Voegeli was backing out of a driveway when a Navy Blue Angel Jet suddenly came ripping through a Grove of Pine Trees and crashed showering his truck in flames and debris the Jet went Down saturday during an air show plunging into a neighbourhood of Small Homes and trailers and killing the Pilot witnesses said six Blue Angel jets were flying in formation at the Marine corps air station when one crashed sending up Clouds of smoke it was just a big fireball com ing at me said Voegeli a 37yearold plumber it was just taking Pine Trees and just clip Ping them a somber crowd watched Sun Day As six jets flew overhead in the missing Man formation the traditional Salute for a lost Mili tary aviator sundays air show at Marine corps air station Beaufort began with a tribute to the Navy Blue Angel Pilot whose aircraft plunged to the ground saturday As the elite aviators were coming together for their final formation the spirit of the Pilot is in the arms of a Loving god said Rob crash kills Reider a minister who was the announcer for the air show witnesses said saturday that Metal and plastic wreckage some of it on fire hit Homes in the neighbourhood located about 35 Miles Northwest of Hilton head Island William Winn the county emergency management director said several Homes were damaged eight people on the ground suffered injuries that were not life threatening said capt Sarah Kansteiner of Marine corps air station Beaufort an investigation has begun but Kansteiner said sunday that she could not say anything about the cause of the crash the crash took place in the final minutes of the air show said it cmdr Anthony Walley a Blue Angel Pilot the pilots were doing a Man Euver which involved All six planes joining from behind the crowd to form a Delta Trian Gle said it cmdr Garrett d Rasper spokesman for the Blue Angels one plane did not rejoin the formation the pilots name would not be released until sunday afternoon keeping with a policy of waiting 24 hours after the death Kansteiner said a Navy statement said the Pilot had been on the team for two it was Bis first As a demonstration Pilot our Squadron and the entire us Navy Are grieving the loss of a great american a great naval officer and a great Friend Walley said Kasper said All possible causes of the crash Are under investigation and it could take at least three weeks for an official cause to be released John Sauls who lives near the crash site said the planes were banking backhand Forth before one disappeared and a plume of smoke shot up if s one of those surreal moments when you go no i didst just see what i saw Sauls said the Blue Angels Fly hornets at High speeds in close formations and their pilots Are considered the navys elite they dont Wear the traditional suits that most Jet pilots use to avoid blacking put during Maneu vers the suite inflate around the lower body to keep blood in the brain but which could cause a Pilot to bump the control potentially deadly move when flying inches from other planes instead Blue Angels manage forces by tensing their abdominal Muscles the last Blue Angel crash that killed a Pilot took place in 1999 when a Pilot and cremate were killed White practising for air shows with the five other Blue an gels jets at a base in Georgia Bush defers comedy at reporters dinner by Kasie Hunt the associated press Washington president Bush deferring to the tragedy at Virginia tech passed up any at tempt to be funny at the White House correspondents association dinner saturday leaving those efforts to Impersonator Rich Little returning to the podium at the annual dinner after 23 years Little made Good on his Promise to be gentle Littles material was Safe if occasionally a Little Raunchy he dusted off his impersonations of six presidents from Nixon to the current occupant of the White House and avoided any refer ence to current political issues after one joke bombed he said and you thought Stephen col Bert was bad Best known for his impersonations of Richard Nixon and Johnny Carson Rich was the Fea tured act for the glitzy dinner with Bush Cabinet secretaries foreign dignitaries Hollywood celebrities and members of the press unlike previous comedians at the dinner he had no Competition from Bush who at times has shown a deft comedic touch him self in his annual monologue Bush said it was important for people in Washington to learn to laugh and that the ability for a nation to poke fun at its leaders is Good for democracy i was looking Forward to doing a Little poking myself but in Light of this tragedy at Virginia tech i decided not to be funny he said he noted that Many journalists in the room have had a Tough week reporting from Virginia tech and said this dinner comes at a Good time with that he introduced Little for the laughs Little had said in Advance that both republicans and democrats should expect nothing More than gentle jokes a their expense Dur ing the dinner an annual tradition started by president Calvin Coolidge the association presented a Check to the Virginia tech student paper to help its coverage in the aftermath of the massacre there last monday it meant a lot to the whole Stu Dent said Amie Steele Edi Tor of the collegiate times half the crowd chanted lets go and the other half changed Homes then they joined in a standing ovation the association was established in 1914 As a Bridge be tween the press corps and the White House the current presi Dent is Steve Scully of Span a High school holds first integrated prom each year White students raised Money for their own unofficial prom and Black students did the same to throw a separate party the private parties soon be came an annual ritual that divided Turner comity anew each Spring but a new tradition was born on saturday at the Start of the school year Turner county four senior class officers delivered a message to principal Chad Stone they wanted an official prom and they wanted everyone invited Ashburn gaas parents and teachers watched dozens of Turner county seniors circled a grading City auditorium that was transformed for a night into a tropical scene and for the first time the faces of the students were White and Black prom had officially returned to Turner county High school Black and White students at the Southern Georgia school have been partying separately for de Cades a form of ser imposed segregation that still lingered generations after the civil rights movement began from the associated press to sign up Send an email to per week delivered no additional charges apply stripes delivers anywhere in Europe to residents living in base housing German Italy 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