From the President

The mission of the Blue Angels Association (BAA) is to promote the general welfare of the United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, “Blue Angels,” and preserve the history, high standards, customs, and traditions of the organization and the camaraderie of the members thereof. Events at the end-of-season Homecoming Airshow weekend as well as 5-year anniversary reunions are organized by the BAA for the membership. The BAA also sponsors local events for the current squadron and their families as well as the “Graybeards” program that was established by the BAA and formalized by the Chief of Naval Aviation Training to enhance interaction between former Blue Angels officers and the current, active duty Blue Angels to foster mentorship and share lessons and traditions from years past. Members of the BAA are also traditionally invited by CNATRA to participate in the bi-annual commanding officer selection board.

The Blue Angels Foundation (BAF) is the 501c3 charity arm of the BAA. Its mission is to support and fund the Wounded Warrior Continuum of Care which includes transition housing, education, networking for employment, and treating Post Traumatic Stress (PTS). The veteran suicide rate has reached an unprecedented level of 22 per day on average, more than 8,000 per year. The BAF Board of Directors is on a mission to eradicate veteran suicide. A critical step is resolving PTS. The BAF has partnered with the Warrior Care Network which includes Emory Veteran’s Center, Massachusetts General’s Home Base, The Rush Medical Center, and the UCLA Medical Center. These evidenced-based, inpatient and outpatient programs are fully funded for the wounded veterans and have a 90% success rate in eliminating the PTS symptoms as presented. The BAF also continues its long-standing tradition of providing modest educational scholarships to family members of current and former officers and enlisted Blue Angels.