FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) — F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets from the Indiana Air National Guard are scheduled to fly over 10 Indiana high school football games Friday night as part of a statewide commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The 122nd Fighter Wing said the flyovers will take place at approximately 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, following a moment of silence.
The tribute will involve Indiana Air National Guard personnel and students, athletes, staff and spectators at 10 high schools across northeast Indiana.
The scheduled locations are:
- Adams Central High School in Monroe
- Bellmont High School in Decatur
- Bishop Dwenger High School in Fort Wayne
- Bishop Luers High School in Fort Wayne
- Columbia City High School in Columbia City
- Concordia Lutheran High School in Fort Wayne
- Heritage High School in Monroeville
- New Haven High School in New Haven
- Northrop High School in Fort Wayne
- Wayne High School in Fort Wayne
The 122nd Fighter Wing said the moment of silence and F-16 flyovers are intended to honor the nearly 3,000 people who died during the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, including civilians, first responders and military personnel.
The attacks targeted the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C. A fourth hijacked plane, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
For the Indiana National Guard, the anniversary also represents a remembrance of the Hoosier service members who died during military operations in the years following the attacks.
The Guard said the events of Sept. 11, 2001, changed its mission and responsibilities, with Indiana Guard members subsequently responding to overseas military deployments as well as missions supporting communities at home.
“In the 25 years following that morning, the men and women of the Hoosier Guard answered the call without hesitation,” the Indiana National Guard said in its announcement.
The Guard also said it remembers Indiana service members who made the ultimate sacrifice during the wars that followed the attacks.
The F-16 flyovers are scheduled to take place before the evening football games get underway or during the pregame period, with the aircraft expected over the 10 participating schools at approximately 7 p.m.
The 122nd Fighter Wing is based at Baer Field Air National Guard Base in Fort Wayne.
The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft used by the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard for air defense and other missions.
The Indiana Air National Guard said Friday’s events are being conducted in cooperation with local high schools as a solemn remembrance rather than as a military demonstration.
The tribute comes 25 years after the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people and led to major changes in U.S. military, homeland security and emergency response operations.
The Indiana National Guard said its members continue to serve both overseas and within Indiana, noting that the Guard has a unique role that allows its personnel, training and equipment to support federal military missions as well as state and local authorities during domestic emergencies.
For football fans attending Friday night’s games, the planned flyover will provide a visible moment of remembrance before the competition begins.
The 122nd Fighter Wing is advising the public that the timing is approximately 7 p.m. and could vary depending on operational circumstances.
The events will conclude with the aircraft flyovers, but the Guard said the larger purpose is to remember those who died on Sept. 11, 2001, the families who continue to live with those losses and the Hoosier service members who died in the conflicts that followed.
