President Obama Delayed Thunderbirds Air Show Following Air Force Academy Graduation- Fiction!

President Obama Delayed Thunderbirds Air Show Following Air Force Academy Graduation- Fiction!

Summary of the eRumor:
This is a forwarded email about the 2012 graduation ceremony at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO on May 23rd. At the end of every graduation ceremony there is a traditional fly over by the United States Air Force Thunderbirds that is followed by an air show. The fly over is a precision maneuver where the Thunderbirds fly over the graduates at the same moment that the future U.S. Air Force Officers toss their combination caps in the air. Following the fly over the Thunderbirds perform an air show for the assembled crowd. The email says that President Obama had to leave after the Thunderbirds conducted their flyover, which resulted in a costly delay of the scheduled performance of the precision flying team.

The Truth:
There was a delay between the Thunderbird flyover and the scheduled air show that followed the graduation ceremony according to a May 23, 2012 article in the Colorado Springs Gazette, but the delay happens every year.

A Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs told TruthOrFiction.com that the delay was normal and had nothing to do with the President's departure from the area.

This portion of the Air Force Academy graduation was something to see. At the very end of the graduation ceremony the Master of Ceremonies announced that the Class of 2012 was dismissed. At that moment the graduates tossed their combination caps in the air and the Thunderbirds perform their flyover. Once the caps are in the air children from the audience are released into the graduate area to retrieve the tossed caps and are allowed to keep them as a souvenir. The children are then escorted to an area where their parents can meet up with them to return them to their seats.

An information page showing the scheduled events involving the graduation is posted on the Academy web site, which shows the air show beginning approximately thirty minutes after the close of the graduation ceremony. Click here for scheduled.

Video of the cap toss found on YouTube:

updated 06/18/12

A real example of the eRumor as it has appeared on the Internet:

From an Academy grad - 204 missions over North Vietnam in an F-4
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I just wanted to pass on a little info in case some of you were not aware of this. Yesterday was the Air force Academy graduation ceremony. My friend from Texas had just arrived and we drove down the road to watch the Thunderbirds air show after the ceremony was finished. Most of you know Pres. Obama spoke at the ceremony and handed out the diploma's. When this finished it was time for the Thunderbirds to fly. There was one maneuver then they disappeared.

A man standing by me called a friend at Peterson Field and found out that the air show was halted because Obama wanted to leave. A helicopter soon appeared and flew around in a circular pattern above where we were - basically doing reconnaissance as Obama's motor-cade was exiting the Air Force Academy. He was going to Denver to do some more campaigning since Colorado is a swing state. After he left the Thunderbirds came back and continued the show for the graduates.

Think about this . Obama comes to a graduation, speaks etc. then decides to leave before the Thunderbirds can complete their air show. They had to fly around, & waste fuel. Thousands of people - the graduating cadets, parents, friends, observers in the vicinity parked in lots waiting to see them fly, inconvenienced , so Obama - his "highness' could leave to go campaign in Denver! How disrespectful of EVERYONE in attendance.

It would have taken only about 20-30 minutes more time to stay until the fly-over was finished thereby honoring the graduates, Thunderbirds and the military in general. However, this narcissistic disgrace of a 'Commander -in-Chief" had to inconvenience everyone and leave interrupting the ceremony fly-over because everything is about him. I was disgusted by this and so was everyone else standing around near us. I hope this info gets passed on so others can learn how disrespectful this Pres. is toward the military. Not too many who witnessed this will be voting for him.