MIKE LACIVITA Air show was a trip down memory lane

My good friend Karl Roach and I attended the Maps Air Museum Aero 2004 Expo, Defenders of Freedom Air Show in June at the Akron Fulton International Airport. Karl is a Vietnam veteran and World War II buff, while I'm a World War II veteran. We were both very moved by this event, since there were many memory-jogger planes from both wars on hand.
For me the awesome B-29 Superfortress rested majestically on the landing strip, like the ones that dropped the atom bomb and wreaked devastation on Japan with their incendiary bomb raids. Just after V-J Day, I saw a 20-mile stretch between Yokohama and Tokyo completely wiped out by these raids.
A famous B-17 Flying Fortress flew in, reminding me of my first airplane ride, as a guest of the U.S. Air Force in 1945 over the islands of Guam, Saipan, Tinian and Rota. A plane that also got my attention was the F4U Corsair, a gull wing fighter plane, which was produced by Goodyear in Akron. It jogged my memory of the April 1, 1945, D-Day invasion on Okinawa. I saw one of our Corsairs blast a Japanese Zero into oblivion during a dogfight. Karl was very impressed by the various helicopters on display, which reminded him of service in Vietnam.
Real surprise
The noise of the many different planes was deafening at times. Then we received a real surprise, because silently out of the clear blue sky something caught someone's eye and soon everyone was looking skyward.
It was the most remarkable plane I have ever seen. It was a B-2 Stealth bomber based in Missouri. It made several passes overhead. I heard no noise -- maybe that's why it is called Stealth.
The plane looked like a monstrous bat, and I snapped a picture of it in flight. I couldn't get any close-ups because it did not land. There is only one word to describe this incredible plane in our country's arsenal, awesome.
This air show made both Karl and I very proud to be veterans and Americans.
X Michael J. Lacivita is a Youngstown retiree and was among 19 Ohio veterans inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame Nov. 3.