SC beachgoers salute Armed Forces as 77th FS flies Published June 28, 2011 By Rob Sexton 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- This July 4th, beachgoers along the South Carolina coast will experience what organizers are calling "an exciting and memorable way to connect with our Armed Forces who protect the freedom we celebrate on this holiday." Starting near the North/South Carolina state line, and North Myrtle Beach at 1 p.m., four pilots and Vipers from the 77th Fighter Squadron, will fly south along the entire S.C. coast to the Georgia state line. The flight will cover every beach on the coast before concluding south of Hilton Head Island at about 1:15 p.m. Organizers hope up to a million people may line the beaches to cheer, wave flags and employ other creative methods to communicate support as the 20th Fighter Wing jets roar by. "The sound of an F-16 overhead has come to embody the sound of freedom for Americans - and on July 4th, we'll 'Let freedom roar' along the South Carolina coast," said John Michael Otis, president of the non-profit organization Salute from the Shore. The group is sponsoring the event with the assistance of the Town of Pawley's Island. Shaw's flight will be led by Lt. Col. Matt Cliver, 77th FS director of operations. Plans are for the jets to cruise south between 500 and 1,000 feet and at 300 knots. Salute from the Shore urges visitors to offer their own individual salute by wearing red, white and blue on the beaches during the flyover. The organization also encourages participants to tell their personal stories about why they love America by shooting their own video and images of the event for sharing on social networks to be seen by American Armed Forces deployed throughout the world. People who "like" Salute from the Shore on Facebook (www.facebook.com/SalutefromtheShore) can upload photos directly. They are also encouraged to follow on Twitter (http://twitter.com/saluteshore) and to use the hashtag #saluteshore on tweets and photo uploads. More information is available at www.salutefromtheshore.org. "This gives Americans a unique and united way to salute the men and women who preserve and protect our freedom. Hundreds of thousands participated in last year's flyover, and we hope for one million this year," Otis said. In certain areas, organizers are expected to have helicopters with videographers to capture the Salute from the air. Once complete, Salute from the Shore will edit the footage into a video tribute to the Armed Forces. The Salute from the Shore flyover can be seen at approximately the following times along the South Carolina coast: Myrtle Beach 1:01 PM Surfside 1:02 PM Pawley's Island 1:04 PM Sullivan's Island 1:08 PM Edisto 1:10 PM Beaufort 1:12 PM Hilton Head 1:15 PM