HAI President Matt Zuccaro, Bell Helicopter CEO John Garrison, and a large number of active service, reserve, and veteran members of the military gathered on Tuesday for a special appreciation at the Helicopter Foundation International’s Heritage of Helicopters display at HELI-EXPO 2012.

The call went out throughout the morning for any current or former member of any military force in the world to gather in the Heritage of Helicopters area, sponsored by Bell Helicopter and the Business Jet Center, at 11:30.  More than a hundred heeded the call.

There, Zuccaro took a moment to recognize all of those gathered for their service to their countries. Then the group formed around a Bell UH-1E “Huey” owned by the Collings Foundation. This particular helicopter was flown in Vietnam by the only U.S. Marine aviator to win the Congressional Medal of Honor – on the mission that earned him the medal.

The mission of the Helicopter Foundation International is to preserve the history and heritage of helicopters, and to promote the next generation of pilots, technicians, and others in the helicopter industry through scholarships and education.