PILOTS WILL BRING FLAGS, PRAYERS TO N.Y.Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
Norman Schwartz and John Martins get a little misty-eyed talking about the historic flight they're starting this week, back to ground zero in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . You can't blame them. We'd all be misty-eyed, too. Next Sunday, the two local private pilots will be part of a 50-plane armada - one from each state - flying in parade formation over the Hudson River Hudson River River, New York, U.S. Originating in the Adirondack Mountains and flowing for about 315 mi (507 km) to New York City, it was named for Henry Hudson, who explored it in 1609. Dutch settlement of the Hudson valley began in 1629. , past the Statue of Liberty Statue of Liberty great symbolic structure in New York harbor. [Am. Hist.: Jameson, 284] See : America Statue of Liberty perhaps the most famous monument to independence. [Am. Hist.: Jameson, 284] See : Freedom and the former site of the World Trade Center. Afterward, aboard the USS Intrepid berthed in the Hudson River, each pilot will present their state flag as a gift to the people of New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. , commemorating the first anniversary of 9-11. Martins, who lives in Moorpark, will be presenting the California state flag given to him in a ceremony Wednesday by representatives of Gov. Gray Davis. Schwartz, a Calabasas attorney and grandfather, will be presenting the state flag of Hawaii Ka Hae Hawaiʻi, or the Flag of Hawaiʻi, is the official standard symbolizing Hawaiʻ , which was given to the parents of his daughter-in-law, Maria Lippi Schwartz, a native Hawaiian, in a ceremony last month aboard the USS Arizona Memorial USS Arizona Memorial: see National Parks and Monuments (table). . The emotional flag presentation will be the culmination of the Flight Across America, with the pilots from each state also stopping for memorial services in Shanksville, Pa., where United Flight 93 crashed, as well as at the Pentagon. It's the people along the way whom Schwartz and Martins are really looking forward to meeting - the families who have been calling, writing and e-mailing the pilots with offers to put them up for the night, feed them, and maybe share some heart-to-heart talks after dinner so the men can carry more than their own thoughts and prayers with them to ground zero. The outpouring of public support they've received since they were chosen over thousands of other pilots who applied for this honor has been absolutely incredible, the men say. ``It started as an aviation thing, a way for private pilots from across the country to express their support for the people of New York on the anniversary of 9-11,'' said Schwartz, who was born in the Bronx and raised in Brooklyn. ``But it's grown far beyond that,'' he said. ``After reading the e-mails and letters all the pilots have gotten from across the country, it's a people thing now, not a pilot thing.'' Martins, 43, a New Jersey native who proposed to his wife, Rose, 17 years ago in Windows on the World For the theme park in Shenzhen, China, see Window of the World. For the novel by Frederic Beigbeder, see Windows on the World (novel). Windows on the World was an elegant restaurant and adjoining bar that operated between 1976 and September 11, 2001 in New York City - the restaurant at the top of the World Trade Center - agrees. ``Ever since 9-11, I think everyone has been looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a personal way to show their support and feelings for what happened that day, and Norm and I are so fortunate now to be getting that opportunity,'' said Martins, who will be accompanied on the cross-country trip by another local pilot, Ken Coolidge. Martins' three sons will meet their father in New York and fly home with him. And, yeah, they're really proud of their dad. Schwartz, who has kindly asked me to fly along with him on this historic trip, will be accompanied by his daughter-in-law, Maria, who grew up on the island of Oahu, and now lives in North Carolina North Carolina, state in the SE United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (E), South Carolina and Georgia (S), Tennessee (W), and Virginia (N). Facts and Figures Area, 52,586 sq mi (136,198 sq km). Pop. with Schwartz's son and the couple's four children. And, yeah, they're proud of their grandpa. ``I've flown around the world and to the North Pole, but this trip is by far the highlight of my flying career,'' Schwartz said. The same with him, adds Martins, and that's saying a lot. The vice president of quality assurance for Power-ONE in Camarillo volunteers his time and airplane for Angel flights - flying kids undergoing chemotherapy treatments and transplants to hospitals. He knows all about emotion. But flying past the Statue of Liberty and ground zero next Sunday, carrying the flag of California The flag of California was first flown during the Bear Flag Revolt as the flag of the California Republic, and a modified version was then adopted by the California State Legislature and signed into law by Governor Hiram Johnson in 1911 as the official state flag. to the people of New York, well, you'd have to have a heart of stone not to take a big gulp on that one. Norman Schwartz and Jim Martins, a couple of great guys with big hearts, carrying the thoughts and prayers of the people of California and Hawaii with them back to ground zero. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Pilots Norm Schwartz, left, and John Martins will fly to New York next Sunday, part of a 50-plane armada - one from each state - flying in parade formation over the Hudson River, past the Statue of Liberty and the former site of the World Trade Center. Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer |
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