The Nexus

Anna Buckley
Robert Marshall (10) holds an F-14 Tomcat model plane, the largest plane in his collection. Marshall collects planes due to his passion for flying, and plans to be an Air Force pilot.

When Robert Marshall (10) was 8 years old, he looked up into the sky and saw the Blue Angels perform for the first time. He watched in amazement as they flew in perfect unison and darted across the sky.

“I thought that what the Blue Angels were doing was the coolest thing that the military could do and it became my life goal to be a fighter pilot,” Marshall said. “I remember looking up and watching them for 30 minutes in awe.”

Marshall has attended the Miramar Air Show since he was 11 and has attended all three days of the show every year since.

“I look forward to going because it’s like taking time off from my life,” Marshall said. “I find it entertaining because I’m not thinking about anything else but airplanes and that’s really my passion.”

Marshall says he loves seeing the Blue Angels perform. He admires the work that they do and he can learn from their maneuvers.

“I try to relate to what the pilots are doing,” Marshall said. “If he’s doing a sharp turn, I think about what he’s going through and what I would be feeling if I were in his shoes.”

While watching the Air Show, Marshall doesn’t just watch the tricks being performed for the entertainment.

“The showy maneuvers that the Blue Angels perform are based on real maneuvers they do in combat,” Marshall said. “The solos are really what real fighter pilots do.”

Having grown up in a military family, Marshall plans to continue the tradition because he wants to serve his country.

“I’m used to the military environment because I’ve lived in a military family my whole life,” he said. “My dad’s in the Army and my stepdad is in the Navy.”

To give himself a head start in becoming a fighter pilot, Marshall is currently enrolled in NJROTC, and plans to work hard in the class and achieve either a commanding or an executive position by his senior year.

“If I get a leadership position in NJROTC, then that’s a plus on my application to the Academy,” Marshall said.

To get into the Air Force Academy, Marshall will have to get a congressman to nominate him, have excellent grades and beat out the large number of other applicants.

“My plan is to go to the Air Force Academy,” Marshall said. “If I do well there, I can go to pilot school to become a pilot in the Air Force.”

Marshall plans to become a pilot to serve his country. He has a passion for flying, regardless of the challenges.

“My one dream is to fly the Raptor because it’s the best fighter jet on earth,” Marshall said.

Marshall says his favorite event of the Air Show is when the Blue Angels take flight and perform their synchronized moves.

“They use teamwork and they’re very precise,” Marshall said. “They show how excellent the military can be.”

Marshall had up-close experiences with the various flight teams during the years he has been attending the show.

“[This year] I was front row, and right behind me were the Canadian Snow Birds,” Marshall said. “The Blue Angels were in the back getting food. It was pretty awesome.”

Having these encounters helps expose Marshall to what he plans on doing in the future and helps him know what to expect.

He also had the privilege of meeting the commanding officer of the Blue Angels while attending the event this year.

Marshall has conversed with some of the commanding officers about the regulations and expectations for getting into flight school.

Until Marshall can fly himself, he simply enjoys watching the annual Air Show. While people around him often cover their ears to quiet the ear-splitting roar of the engines, Marshall listens to it with admiration.

“I like the sound of the engines,” he said. “It’s bursting your ears but you can feel it rumbling in your chest. It’s empowering.”