Salute From the Shore:Update

MISSION: To Salute and Honor America’s Armed Forces and their families on the 4th of July. VISION: To create an accessible opportunity for South Carolina beachgoers to honor our armed forces by organizing a “Salute from the Shore” of a military flyover of the entire South Carolina coast each Independence Day. Our vision is to unite participants in a synchronized Salute to our troops that will be shared across the nation and around the world. WHO WE ARE: We are a 501(c)3, non-profit group of patriotic South Carolinians who simply want to honor our armed forces. Working in partnership with the Town of Pawley’s Island, we recognize it is because of their service and sacrifice that we are able to celebrate our freedom from the very shores they endlessly strive to protect. HISTORY: On July 4th, 2010, the first “Salute from the Shore” was witnessed by hundreds of thousands of people. The inaugural flyover - assisted by a C-17 from Charleston AFB - resulted in an overwhelming outpouring of personal messages, stories and support from those who participated. Touched by the emotional reaction to the event, the organization resolved to grow the event for 2011 and beyond. WHAT IS THE SALUTE? The Salute from the Shore is a unique opportunity for individuals, friends, and families to salute our armed forces while celebrating Independence Day on South Carolina beaches. Our role, in partnership with the Town of Pawley’s Island, is to organize and promote a flyover of four F-16s on the 4th of July that will stretch the entire length of South Carolina’s coast. In 2011, four members of the 77th Fighter Squadron “The Gamblers” of the 20th Fighter Wing based at Shaw AFB are proudly providing the flyover. We will capture as much footage of the flyover as possible from the air and from the ground for inclusion in a video that will be posted for all to see. WHEN IS THE SALUTE FROM THE SHORE ? The Flyover starts July 4th at 1:00 PM. WHERE IS THE SALUTE? The Salute will be visible from every beach in South Carolina. It will start at the NC state line at 1:00 and fly south, ending at Hilton Head Island at 1:20. However, be sure to arrive early to prepare your Salute so we can capture you on video from the Air! Helicopters will be filming certain beaches starting as early as noon.
WE NEED YOUR HELP! Participants on the shore will be encouraged to Salute the flyover by wearing and waving red, white, and blue. We’re asking participants to capture themselves “Saluting” the Flyover and our troops in images and videos and to share their stories at www.SalutefromtheShore.org and elsewhere. Our final 2011 video “Salute” will include selected pictures and videos from participants. For more information, visit www.SalutefromtheShore.org.
GOALS:
1. Enhance existing 4th of July celebrations and activities of communities on the South Carolina coast while uniting them in a free and public Salute in honor of our armed forces and their families.
2. Share the personal stories, videos and images of participants in the Salute with our armed forces around the world.
3. Create a sustainable event with 1 Million people on SC beaches Saluting our Armed Forces and their families on Independence Day.