‘Can’t beat that kind of history lesson.’ Bald Eagle Area opens Veterans Day event to community
For the first time since his injury and medical evacuation in 2003, Aaron King sat in a VX-1 helicopter — the same model that flew him out of Iraq — on the Bald Eagle Area High School’s soccer field. His twin daughters, Layla Blair-King and Leah Blair-King, stood by his side, comforting their dad as the memories rushed through him.
“I could hear the pings of the small arms fire that we were taking before I went unconscious,” said King, a Bellefonte native whose daughters attend Port Matilda Elementary. “... just looking at it right now. I could still see the six of us that were on there being medevaced out.”
The naval helicopters were part of a districtwide Veterans Day assembly Thursday at Bald Eagle Area High School, but it wasn’t just for students. Veterans and community members were also invited to tour the two helicopters and speak with their crews. Neale McPheron, a naval senior chief petty officer and Bald Eagle Area alum, helped organize the event.
“This community has such a strong veteran presence, that the fact that we can provide this service to them as well, so that they can come and see stuff — maybe bring back some memories,” McPheron said. “The opportunity for my guys to sit and talk with local veterans and get some stories ... you can’t beat that kind of history lesson.”
King saw the Veterans Day assembly as a way to find closure after his injury and a chance to explain to his daughters what happened to him while in Iraq.
“Before the helicopters landed was the first time that I told them about what happened with this helicopter,” King said. “... but this was the first time that I told them about how daddy was blown up, what the significance of this type of helicopter was to me, about this small arms fire and how I was strapped down to a gurney and all that.”
King and his daughters were among 210 veterans and families in attendance for the assembly, which included a reading of President Joe Biden’s proclamation, student speeches and the playing of taps. McPheron and high school principal Jack Tobias have been planning the event since the district’s Memorial Day celebration.
“It’s just one of my favorite events out of high school year besides graduation,” Tobias said. “So I think it’s a small token that we can, you know, show appreciation for them, to go in and assemble like this is nothing compared to what they sacrifice for our country.”
The community is invited to stop by the high school from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday for a chance to see and tour both helicopters.
