Thank a veteran

Veterans are ordinary people who have done something extraordinary. 

AMA is thankful for its many veterans and the sacrifices they have made for our freedom. This Veterans Day, November 11, 2022, make sure to thank and honor a veteran in your life. 

Among the veterans across the country is AMA member Rick Moreland. Rick served in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968 as a helicopter crew chief and door gunner. “I was drafted out of high school, [served] two years, and got out in June 1968,” he stated. 

When asked by the U.S. Army what he might be good at, Rick stated that he flew airplanes. He omitted the fact that they were model airplanes. 

After he finished basic training, Rick went to a full-scale aviation school. He believed that by serving on aircraft, he could avoid being placed in the infantry division. “What I didn’t know is the job was more dangerous than the infantry. I got shot down twice and a bullet grazed me under the right eye. I guess my good looks and charm saved me,” he said with a laugh.

Rick began flying model airplanes when he was approximately 6 years old and joined the AMA when he was 13 years old. He was active in the hobby until he served in Vietnam, and later participated in RC Pylon Racing for 30 years. Today he enjoys building and flying Giant-Scale aircraft, such as a Hellcat.

He appreciates all that AMA has done to preserve and grow the hobby. “People just have to be made aware of what AMA does and [must] keep it a vibrant and healthy organization,” Rick commented. He hopes to see AMA thrive in the years to come and he feels that one way to ensure that is by giving to the AMA Foundation, as he does.

This year, consider honoring a veteran in your life by purchasing him or her a brick in AMA’s Walk of Fame. The bricks are small in comparison to the sacrifices that our service men and women have made.

Now through November 30, in honor of Veterans Day, you can purchase a brick in the Walk of Fame at a 10% discount by using code VETBRICK. The Walk of Fame is located at AMA Headquarters in Muncie, Indiana, and many people visit it in the summer months.

Veterans have left a lasting impression on our lives. Honor them (https://amablog.modelaircraft.org/amafoundation/walk-of-fame-donation-ama-foundation/) in a way that will last for years to come.