As the United States’ federal government shutdown nears 40 days, making it the longest in American history, some University of Mississippi services and traditions have been impacted.
The B-2 Spirit Bomber that flew above Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Sept. 27 at the Ole Miss game against LSU wowed the crowd of Rebel fans, but the flyover planned for the Oct. 5 matchup against Washington State was canceled days before kickoff due to the federal government shutdown.
The sleek, bat-winged aircraft, one of the U.S. military’s most advanced bombers, is operated by the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base in Johnson County, Mo.
Jeremee Alexander, director of UM’s Office of Veteran and Military Services, said the call about the cancellation of the flight came Thursday Oct. 2 before the game, the day after the shutdown, which started on Oct. 1.
“We could assume that because the government shut down, everything that’s nonessential, non–mission critical was going to be shut down,” Alexander said. “We were hoping it didn’t happen, but it did.”
While the cancellation may have disappointed fans, Alexander, a veteran who served for more than 20 years, said that it is a routine part of military operations.
“Canceling that is really easy because they just say, ‘Hey, we’re not going to do it,’” Alexander said. “Missions get turned on and off all the time. It’s the coordination that’s the biggest effort.”
That coordination takes months of logistical planning, including route approvals, flight paths, pilot scheduling, weather considerations and support staff.
The Office of Veteran and Military Services plays a key role in helping connect the university with the military units that participate in flyovers and other game-day events.
“Because everything with a military connection tends to come through our office, it’s easy to reach out and say, ‘Can we make it happen?’” Alexander said. “It’s really about showcasing the military and giving service members a chance to do something on the civilian side.”
Still, Alexander said the flyover experience carries deep meaning for service members and fans.
“It’s pride — American pride,” Alexander said. “It’s awesome to showcase our brothers and sisters in the sky who defend your freedom. To feel that roar of the engines flying overhead, there’s something to be said about that.”
Ole Miss Athletics military liaison Jonathan Hudson helped coordinate the September flyover and said the excitement spread quickly once it was announced.
“We had a big Zoom meeting about two or three weeks prior. … Then, all of a sudden, there’s a poster that drops on Twitter … and it just exploded and spread like wildfire. The fans loved it,” Hudson said.
Hudson said that many fans do not realize that the university does not pay for these events — they are considered training exercises for the pilots.
“One of the common misconceptions is that Ole Miss calls a unit, or the university calls a unit, and they’re like, ‘Hey, we’ll give you a check to come fly over.’ … These pilots and these flight crews have to have flight hours,” Hudson said.
Hudson oversees coordination among pilots, athletic marketing and game-day operations, ensuring logistics like the flyover lining up perfectly with the National Anthem.
“First and foremost is seeing what the schedule is,” Hudson said. “You sit down with marketing and ask how many games we want to fly over for. Then, you set up a flight request. … You reach out to the Air Force, Navy, Army or Mississippi Army National Guard. A lot of it is just relationships with pilots who graduated from Ole Miss and want to come back.”
Beyond logistics, Hudson is also a military recruiter. He said the flyovers are important for inspiring future military personnel.
“People see the cool stuff and think, ‘I want to go do that.’ There’s probably a kid sitting in the stands thinking, ‘One day, I can do that,’” Hudson said.
Looking ahead, Hudson said Ole Miss Athletics is still planning future flyovers.
“We’ve got a couple of units that reached out. The flight crew we had for this game was the Mississippi Army National Guard. … We’ll lock in for next year once we know the schedule,” Hudson said.
For many fans, including freshman finance major Sophia Wilson, the precursor to the Ole Miss-LSU game was a moment that merged football with patriotism.
“It’s amazing to see. It’s a great experience because, especially where I’m from in Michigan, that’s not something that happens all the time,” Wilson said.
The flyover means more than entertainment for Wilson, who is the daughter of an Army veteran.
“I just think it’s to represent (veterans) and show all that they’ve been through. Obviously it’s not enough, but (it’s important to) represent them,” Wilson said.
Conner Shurden, a sophomore exercise science major from Olive Branch, Miss., said the flyover is important to the game-day experience.
“Ole Miss is one of the biggest football programs in the country, and having a flyover is really cool. It’s part of the experience. … Not having that would really take away from the game and the whole atmosphere,” Shurden said.
Kelly Enright, a junior Arabic major and member of Army ROTC, from Charleston, S.C., echoes this sentiment.
“I think it’s just different, and it just adds a bit of fire to everybody when they see wings in the air going over the game,” Enright said.
