Media are welcome to get photos/video of the following activity as a preview of Marquette’s July 4th parade. Northern Michigan University’s aviation maintenance technology program will load a Vietnam War-era 1965 UH-1H Huey helicopter (a “Slick”) onto a trailer outside the Jacobetti Complex on Friday, July 3. The helicopter will be part of the veterans' procession in the parade the following afternoon. Assistant Professor Mark Matteson will receive help from Oberstar and Clossner in lifting the helicopter off the ground and onto a trailer between 8-9 a.m. Friday.

The idea to feature it in the parade for the first time surfaced this winter in a conversation Matteson had with a representative of the local Vietnam Veterans chapter. NMU uses the Huey in its training program each fall and Matteson suggested it would be nice to give more people an opportunity to see it beyond the Jacobetti Complex. With support from individuals and businesses, the idea became reality. 

The “Slick” was one of three Huey models used in Vietnam. It featured door gunners and carried soldiers and equipment. For more information, contact Matteson at 250-3595.