Offutt hopes 'tattoo' gets under the skin


Vintage aircraft will buzz, parachutists will float and fireworks will burst Sunday at Offutt Air Force Base.

But don't call it an air show.

Officials expect 15,000 to turn out at the base for a military "tattoo" -- a traditional exercise of pageantry featuring a video and musical tour through the Air Force's history.

"This will give the community a chance to connect with us, to hear the history of the Air Force in a way they've never seen before," said Lt. Col. A: Phillip Waite, commander of Offutt's Heartland of America Band and the show's planner.

Routine runway repairs forced the base to cancel its annual air show this year, but Waite said the tattoo offers a different experience.

Titled "The Call of Freedom," the show will include several original musical pieces performed by the Heartland band, including a new march written in honor of Offutt's 55th Wing. The show also incorporates vintage uniforms, lights, historic video footage and a climactic fireworks display.

Aircraft including a vintage P-51, a B-52 and some of the 55th Wing's RC-135 and E-4B are scheduled to fly over the crowd.

"We've interwoven the history of the Air Force with the history of the 55th Wing in a way that will captivate people," Waite said. "They're going to walk away inspired and with a deeper sense of patriotism."

Offutt's gates will open to the public at 3 p.m. Sunday. Attendees will be directed through the base to parking areas and shuttled to the base's parade grounds. The show and parking are free.

Before the tattoo begins at 6:30 p.m., blues, jazz and country bands will entertain the crowd, and food vendors will be open for business. Kids can enjoy pony rides and inflatable rooms.

Lawn chairs and blankets are allowed, but those attending should not bring food and drinks or pets.

The show is scheduled to end by 8:30 p.m.

The tradition of military tattoos began with the English army, Waite said, when drummers would march through towns at curfew and command bars to close with the "tattoo" of their drums. Over time, it evolved into a ceremonial display of marching and music.