Essential worker in St. George moved to tears by Air Force flyover tribute; photo gallery

ST. GEORGE — A team of fighter jet pilots from Hill Air Force Base gave the state’s front-line pandemic workers a hearty salute from above during the “Utah Strong Flyover” Thursday afternoon.

Hill Air Force Base says the F-35 flyover was intended to provide a salute to all the health care professionals, front-line responders and essential personnel working to keep everyone safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as those staying at home to “flatten the curve” of the virus.

Glenda Andrews, one of Southern Utah’s many essential services workers, was among those honored by the flyover. Andrews expressed her profound appreciation for the tribute in the following email message to St. George News:

I am a cashier at Smith’s Marketplace in St. George. I have been working the entire time of this crazy pandemic. I was so very moved today to have this amazing team of our military honor us, the front-line workers. It is us who should be honoring them for what they do every day to keep our country safe. Instead they honored us.

I was standing out in front of our home when they flew directly over our home. Instantly I had tears streaming down my face, what an amazing honor. I’m so very blessed to live in a free country, but to be honored in such a way moved me to tears.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, not only to this team but to all of our military and to all the front-line workers who risk their lives each and every day. God bless us all.

See St. George News’ gallery below, featuring reader-submitted photos of the flyover as seen from Southern Utah.

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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