Twentynine Palms Marines help present burial flags during Palm Springs Air Museum flyover ceremony

On this Memorial Day six warbirds took flight from the Palm Springs Air Museum for a special flyover to remember fallen soldiers.

“For about the last 20 years we’ve done the flower drop but with social distancing and the museum being closed with all the COVID issues we can’t do that,” vice president chairman of the Palm Springs Air Museum, Fred Bell told News Channel 3 during a small live-streamed ceremony.

At the ceremony, five burial flags from each period, World War I to present-day represented five soldiers who lost their lives in battle. The flags went inside the planes doing the flyover.

“When you look up, remember that there’s actually a soldier's spirit in each one of those airplanes,” Bell said.

A group of Marines from Twentynine Palms volunteered their time to do the presentation of flags.

Gunnery Sergeant Jeffrey Caraway not only presented a burial flag but also rode as a passenger in one of the warplanes. He shared what this day means to him.

“It means quite a bit to me because I have two grandfathers. One of my grandfathers served in the Marine Corps in Korea and the other was in Vietnam and so this day is especially awesome for me. Both of them came back from serving in war but definitely have a lot of family and friends that have made that ultimate sacrifice so this day is definitely important and special to me,” Caraway said.

Bell told us why this year especially, we need to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

“The most important thing about Memorial Day is to remember that the fallen service members all gave up their lives and their futures so that we could have freedom and we just have to remember that even now we have the freedom to debate this whole issue and we have the freedom to work through this as a country and we wouldn’t have that if it weren’t for these service members on battlefields all over the world who gave up their lives so we could enjoy ours,” Bell said.

The aircraft and honorees were:

• P-63 Kingcobra: Cpl. Joseph LaSalle, WWI USMC
• P-51 Mustang: Lt. Col. Robert Friend, WWII USAAF (Tuskegee Airman)
• T-33 Shooting Star: Col. Robert Gilliland, USAF Korean War
• C-47 Skytrain: Maj Gen. Kenneth Miles, USAF Vietnam War
• T-28 Trojan: Col. Ross Miles, USAF Lost Current Service Members

All of the planes in the flyover are on display at the air museum year-round.

No word yet on when the museum will reopen.