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Overcast Military teams take to the skies
Fleet Week New York helicopter landing held at Eisenhower Park
The skies over Eisenhower Park resembled an action scene from a summer blockbuster last Saturday, as Navy and Marine Corps units performed aviation demonstrations during a special Fleet Week New York event.
Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano said that the free event, billed as Raid New York, was the largest helicopter landing of its kind on Long Island. Beginning at 10 a.m., several different military groups conducted flyovers and more for more than 5,000 spectators from communities across Nassau in the East Meadow park.
The Navy’s parachute team, the Leap Frogs, performed a precision drop to open the event. Six special warfare Sailors, trailing banners, pennants, flags and colored smoke descended onto the grounds.
Soon after, an MH-60S Seahawk from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 2 made a high-speed pass, followed by a second Seahawk, which swooped into the park and quickly pulled into a hover. Minutes later, members of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Mobile Unit 12 from Virginia performed a fast-rope insertion, or a technique for descending a thick rope.
“We brought a two-bird formation into the park for Memorial Day and there absolutely isn’t a better way to spend the holiday than what we are doing here today,” Lt. Kaylee Grove, a MH-60 pilot, said. “It’s great to get the support from people, but to see the admiration they have for those who made the ultimate sacrifice is special, and that’s what Memorial Day is all about.”
After the helicopters landed and powered down, the crowd of onlookers took photos, toured the aircraft and met with the aviation team and EOD members. Children, many of whom were donned in patriotic garb, were especially excited to greet military men and women.
“I saw the helicopters land … it was spectacular,” said 12-year-old Lara Kilmetis. “The best part though, is getting a chance to speak to the Sailors and Marines because I respect what they do and it’s really interesting.”
Following the Navy aircrafts’ departures, Northwell SkyHealth hosted a special event at 10:30 a.m. An EC135 — a specially-equipped helicopter for emergency medical service that provides hospital-to-hospital transfers for patients in need of care for heart attack, stroke and other life-threatening brain injuries — landed on Kite Field. Northwell Health (formally North Shore-LIJ Health System) and Yale-New Haven Health support the SkyHealth program; the helicopter is based at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset.
Raid New York also featured a Marine landing at noon. CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters and AH-1W Cobras performed an area sweep and transported a Marine Raid Force to the landing zone. The Marines also performed an assault demonstration.
After the helicopters landed, they were available for public display, along with weapons typically used by a Marine Corps rifle platoon. County officials said the servicemen and women involved in this portion of the event are part of a Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force from the II Marine Expeditionary Force based at Camp LeJeune, N.C.
