Airmen bring airpower to Central American air shows

  • Published
  • By Capt. Esmeralda Silvestre
  • U.S. Southern Command Air Forces
ILOPANGO AIR BASE, El Salvador (AFPN) --  Approximately 150 Airmen and 14 Air Force aircraft brought airpower to Central America Oct. 23 to 30 to participate in two international air shows, as part of U.S. Southern Command’s cooperation efforts with Guatemala and El Salvador. 

Under the direction of U.S. Southern Command Air Forces personnel, two of the Air Force’s most popular demonstration teams -- Air Combat Command's F-15 West Coast Demonstration Team and the U.S. Air Force demonstration team, the Thunderbirds -- headlined the “Guatemala International Air Show 2005,” at La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City, Guatemala, Oct. 26. 

Among the 20,000 Guatemalan air show attendees was the President of Guatemala,  Oscar Berger, who took advantage of the festivities to publicly express his appreciation to the servicemembers of Joint Task Force -- Bravo stationed in Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, for their support in the relief efforts after Hurricane Stan struck several towns in Guatemala. 

The Airmen also took the show to El Salvador, an ally in the Global War on Terrorism. 

But Airmen prepared for the two-day show in El Salvador, they were shaken by a 5.8 magnitude earthquake that was centered 35 miles southwest of San Salvador, were the Airmen were lodged. But that did not shake the performances at all. The “Ilopango 2005 Air Show,” took place as planned at the Salvadorian Air Base Ilopango in San Salvador, El Salvador, Oct. 29-30. 

The 40,000 spectators in El Salvador expressed their appreciation again and again to every U.S. military member they encountered during the show. Many Salvadorians described the performances as a “once in a lifetime experience,” because the last U.S. Air Force demonstration team visit to El Salvador was in 1961. 

Among the many air show followers was the Vice President of El Salvador, Ana Vilma de Escobar, who watched as both of the teams performed.  

U.S. participation in air shows like these is part of the many activities U.S. SOUTHCOM is involved with, in more than 30 countries in its area of responsibility, which includes the Caribbean, Central and South America.