Marine Corps Base Hawaii

Crew members with “Fat Albert,” a C-130 Hercules flown by the U.S. Navy Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, ran demonstrations and training exercises on the flight line at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Sept. 26 and 27, 2014  while serving as a support team for the Wings Over the Pacific air show 2014 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

The Blue Angels’ time aboard MCAS provided them a chance to give thanks to their fellow Marines on base, said Maj. Dusty Cook, one of the Marines piloting Fat Albert. He said that many people recognize the Marine Corps as an institution, but they don’t see what Marines actually do.

Cook said because they fly with a Navy squadron, the all-Marine crew, consisting of three officers and five enlisted personnel, is, for most people, the only portion of the Marine Corps they see.

“When we’re out, people thank us for the work we are doing,” said Cook, a native of East Bernard, Texas. “Everywhere we go, we have to explain the Marine Corps as (a whole) and then live up to (Corps standards). Being with Marines, we get to pass the thanks on to them and that’s our privilege.”

The Blue Angels provided an opportunity for the service members of Marine Corps Base Hawaii to ride in the C-130 during their flight demonstrations Sept. 26.

Capt. Katie Higgins, a member of the Blue Angels who is currently going through the initial training to pilot Fat Albert, said that all the service men and women who took the chance to fly were extremely professional and fired up to get that chance.

“Seeing Marines get excited like that was really great,” said Higgins, a native of Annapolis, Md. “We support Marines who are out there fighting the good fight. We exist for them.”

For the Blue Angels, giving the Marines of (MCB Hawaii) a chance to fly with them was the greatest part about coming out to the island, said Staff Sgt. Kevin Sanchez, the flight engineer for Fat Albert.

“We come out here about once a year, and when we do, it’s always awesome to actually get to fly with fellow Marines,” said Sanchez, a New Orleans native. “It’s a huge honor to be here and we hope that when we return next year, we’ll get to do it again.”

The feeling of sharing something with the Marines was common throughout all of Fat Albert’s crew. Each of them said that they cannot wait to return and show off the aircraft again.

“We’re in a Navy squadron, so we fly where there are minimal amounts of Marines,” Cook said. “Sure, you could have (more than) 5,000 people out at an air show and have it be a good time but give us the chance to fly with 500 Marines and it will always be amazing.”