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Lyons Mayor Getty given tour of President’s helicopter, “Marine One”

Lyons Mayor Christopher Getty was given a tour of the President’s Helicopter Unit, Marine One at Midway Airport on Saturday (Oct. 26, 2019). The tour invited was extended to thank the Mayor for his strong support of the Military and its veterans.

“Mayor Getty was invited to tour the hangar where we keep the President’s helicopter because of his strong support for the military and for veterans,” said Marine Recruiter Marlin Grant.

Grant, who has been in the Marine Corps for nearly 12 years and served as a former White House Liaison Officer, explained that anytime the President travels, a special Marine Unit follows the president transporting several  aircraft including Marine One. The unit consists of two helicopters and three support planes, V22s, are flown to locations where the President is expected to travel.

The specially equipped Marine One helicopter was brought to Midway Airport as a part of President Trump’s planned visit to Chicago on Monday to address the International Association of Chiefs of Police in Chicago. Grant said the helicopters are Marine One is the same helicopter used since the administration of President Eisenhower in 1957. They are expected to be replaced next year.

“This is a real honor for me to be invited here,” Getty said following the tour. “I am proud to be a strong supporter of our veterans and the U.S. Military.”

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Ray Hanania

Ray Hanania is an award-winning opinion columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.  

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Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

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