More than 175,000 people attended the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB MDL) Open House and Air Show on May 17-18 while another 200,000 viewers across 39 countries watched the event’s first-ever livestream.


photo: Airman Haeleigh Bayle/Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst

The air show opened with cadets from the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Wings of Blue parachuting to the ground carrying the American Flag.


photo: Staff Sgt. Devin Rumbaugh/Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst

JB MDL commander Colonel Anthony Smith said the event “allows us to connect with our local communities and showcase the exceptional mission sets our joint forces perform around the world every day.”


photo: Airman Haeleigh Bayle/Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst

Lt. Colonel Matthew Mattson, Open House and Air Show Director called the event a “huge team effort,” citing a core team of 89 people “who somehow managed to plan this entire thing for the past year on top of their regular jobs.”


photo: Airman Haeleigh Bayle/Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst

Groups that supported the Open House and Air Show included 400 onandoff-base police from local, state and federal agencies, paramedics from nine different squads, 15 nearby hospitals on call, and emergency management teams from two counties.