Latest news with #BlueAngels'
New York Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Cat mom accuses Blue Angels of terrorizing her dying 14-year-old cat with ‘sonic barrage' practices: ‘It terrified her so much'
A Seattle cat mom accused the US Navy's Blue Angels of robbing her elderly cat of a peaceful death after their annual practices for a summer fair flyover caused a frequent 'sonic barrage' that would terrify the feline she loved like 'a daughter,' according to a lawsuit. Lauren Ann Lombardi's 14-year-old cat Layla died on Aug. 11, 2024 following a battle with heart disease that was only worsened by the Blue Angels' frequent overhead flying, she alleged in a federal civil complaint filed this week. 5 Lauren Lombardi sued the Blue Angels, alleging it violated her First Amendment right by blocking her on Instagram after she complained the crew's flyovers were terrorizing her cat Layla. Ever Loved 'I just wanted to share what happened to her. I wanted people to know, and I wanted there to be some sort of accountability for that. That's the main thing I wanted to get across was Layla's story,' Lombardi told The Post. The lawsuit hinges on the Blue Angels' alleged blockage of her Instagram account, which she claims violated her First Amendment rights. Every year, the Blue Angels participate in the Boeing Seafair Air Show in Seattle during the summer Seafair Festival. The flight squadron practices and performs over Lake Washington, which is just a few miles away from Lombardi's home. The noise from the flyovers would last for several minutes up to three times a day, she said. 'It's like what I imagine being in a war zone sounds like. It's very terrifying, it actually shook our house when they would go by,' Lombardi said. The cat mom lobbed her first tirade at the air squad in August 2023, her first summer living in the area after moving from the East Coast. 5 Layla, Lombardi's 14-year-old cat, passed away in August 2024. U.S. District Court Western District Of Washington At Seattle 'Stop with your F—king bulls–t you are terrorizing my cat and all the other animals and wildlife. Nobody gives a f–k about your stupid little planes,' Lombardi wrote to the squadron via Instagram. By then, the show had already started. The Blue Angels' Instagram account allegedly blocked Lombardi shortly after. She tried to reach out to call them 'cowards' in a direct message two days later, but it was apparently never delivered 'due to the blocking,' according to the lawsuit. 5 The Blue Angels perform every year at the Boeing Seafair Air Show in Seattle. AP 'I wasn't even expecting to get a response, I was just really angry. I know my messages weren't very nice, but I was just overcome with rage because it terrified her so much,' Lombardi said of Layla. 'The Blue Angels are really cool. Obviously, it's really impressive, but the harm is real greater than the good, and I just want people to know so they can form their own opinions. By them blocking me, it prevented me from being able to communicate that to people who otherwise wouldn't know how harmful it is.' Lombardi claimed that the squad's 'sonic barrage' sent an already-feeble Layla with mere weeks left to live into a panic again the following year. To try and calm her frail feline, Lombardi barricaded all points of sound entry in the house and even used her hands to block the elderly cat's ears. 5 Lombardi said she treated Layla like her own 'daughter.' U.S. District Court Western District Of Washington At Seattle The dedicated cat mom was 'traumatized' by Layla's tragic passing and retired early to ensure her honorary 'daughter' was comfortable during her final months, she said. 'She was everything to me. Pet doesn't even sound right to me, I refer to her as my daughter,' she said. A week after the 2024 fair, Layla was humanely euthanized. She spent the bulk of her final days hiding under furniture around the house, according to the complaint. Lombardi noted that she 'respects and supports' the US military, but still asserted that her feline's sundowning was 'pockmarked by debilitating terror brought on by the actions of the United States Government,' according to the complaint. She doesn't blame the armed forces for Layla's death — though the lawsuit is riddled with complaints about the cat's torment. Instead, she's looking for the Blue Angels to unblock her Instagram account and repay her expenses, including 'reasonable attorneys' fees,' according to the complaint. 5 The Blue Angels are a flight demonstration squadron for the US Navy. AP The lawsuit itself was penned by attorney Nacim Bouchtia, Lombardi's husband and Layla's human father, according to the cat's obituary. Lombardi also seeks to require a refresher course for the Blue Angels on the 'fundamental importance of the First Amendment which the brave men and women of the U.S. Navy are sworn to protect,' according to the complaint. Her two new cat children, Ozzy and Ziggy, named after the late rockstars Ozzy Osbourne and David Bowie, will be experiencing the Blue Angels' practice for the first time in just a few days. In Lombardi's ideal world, the air show would be nixed and replaced with something like a laser light show, but she acknowledged that eliminating the seven-decade tradition would be unrealistic. The Post reached out to the United States Navy for comment. A representative for the Blue Angels could not be reached directly.
Fox News
4 days ago
- Fox News
Seattle woman takes Navy's Blue Angels to court over social media censorship and 'acoustic torture' of cat
A Seattle woman is suing the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels, the military's most famous flight demonstration squadron, after she was blocked from commenting on its Instagram account to complain about the "state-sanctioned acoustic torture" from the group's aerial shows and practices, which she said terrorized her cat in her final days. Lauren Ann Lombardi filed a federal lawsuit July 21 accusing the Blue Angels of infringing on her First Amendment rights. The complaint names Navy Cdr. Adam Bryan; L. Ben Bushong, the public affairs officer for the Blue Angels; and an unnamed social media administrator for the squadron, as defendants. The lawsuit states that the Blue Angels perform shows in the Seattle area near Puget Sound every August using F/A-18E/F Super Hornet jets "with the subtlety of a military occupation" while reaching speeds of upwards of 700 mph, which produces extreme decibel levels. During the shows, Lombardi "engaged in a familiar American pastime of complaining to her government about her government's actions through her government's social media accounts" to advocate for her elderly cat Layla, who suffered from congestive heart disease, and calling for the demonstrations in August 2023 and 2024 to end, the lawsuit states. However, she was eventually blocked from commenting on the Blue Angels' Instagram page. "These thin-skinned bureaucrats blocked Lombardi from commenting any further, thereby muzzling an American citizen while simultaneously blinding the broader public from witnessing legitimate grievances against their government," the lawsuit said of the people running the Instagram account. Lombardi's messages appeared to show her displeasure and frustration with the noise levels from the performances. "Stop with your F------ b------- you are terrorizing my cat and all the other animals and wildlife," one message states. F--- off" and "Nobody gives a f--- about your stupid little planes." She also left multiple comments on the Blue Angels' Instagram posts or tagged their handle on other accounts' posts where she directed users to sign a petition, "We All Want to Feel Safe: No More Blue Angels Over Seattle." When she was blocked from the Blue Angels account Aug. 5, 2023, Lombardi sent the group a direct message calling them "cowards." The message was never delivered because she was blocked. Lombardi said her cat suffered in her final days because of the aerial performances. "Whatever bandwidth Layla's walnut-sized brain could previously gorge upon had been narrowed to a single overwhelming frequency: pure debilitating terror," the lawsuit states. "Every August was good until then, but no August would ever be the same again. Layla's condition continued to deteriorate and she left home again, for the final time. She spent her last week fighting for her life in a specialty hospital before being humanely euthanized on August 11, 2024, surrounded by her inconsolably grieving family. Layla's final days on Earth were marred by sadistic suffering — cowering in terror beneath furniture while her ailing heart struggled against the Blue Angels' relentless noise pollution. Layla died knowing only fear when she should have known only love." The lawsuit noted that Lombardi respects and supports the U.S. military and that her criticism of the Blue Angels was focused on the "environmental and Constitutional harms caused by their demonstration practices and subsequent censorship activities." She is asking a judge to force the Blue Angels to unblock her from the Instagram account, to order the defendants named in the lawsuit to take remedial First Amendment training and to award her the cost of attorney's fees. A spokesperson for the Blue Angels told Fox News Digital the squadron doesn't comment on pending litigation.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Clear skies make for clear views of the aerial displays, MCAS Beaufort Air Show comes to close
BEAUFORT, S.C. (WSAV) – Thousands of people packed onto Marine Corp Air Station Beaufort's air track to watch as planes put on an aerial show. Today was the closing day of the show. The announcer came on the radio to let everyone know that clear skies would make for the perfect end to the two-day event. One first-timer at the show said they weren't expecting to be so amazed by the aerial displays. 'It's amazing. It's so cool. And I'm so, like, fascinated with how they do these tricks. It's so cool.' Several folks said they make sure to arrive early in the morning to witness all the tricks – from prop planes, military helicopters, fighter jets, parachuters, and simulated explosions. 'I like looking at all the static displays,' said one young viewer. 'And I like watching the parachute from the airplane.' Another young viewer said they loved that the planes made art in the sky. 'I was excited to see when they made a heart.' Many folks who traveled to Beaufort were witnessing the displays for the very first time. Others said they come every chance they get to carry on their family tradition. 'Since I was little, I would see them. Oh, we'd go to the air shows all the time. We've loved it as a family,' said one viewer. Whether a rookie or a veteran to the show, the biggest crowd drawn was for the headliner of the show. 'I'm really excited to see the Blue Angels,' said a viewer. 'I like their tricks. I like the designs of their planes,' another viewer added. The Blue Angels' F/A-18 Super Hornet Jets closed out the show. 'I love them,' another viewer boasted as they showed off their newly purchased Blue Angel t-shirt. Folks said attending the show not only brought the community together to support the military, but it also inspired so many young and aspiring combat and fighter pilots. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Blue Angels aim to inspire excellence at SUN ‘n FUN in Lakeland
LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) — The Blue Angels soared into Lakeland Thursday with a mission of inspiring excellence in the people who watch their gravity-defying skills. 'We just want whatever folks choose to do with their lives to do it really well and to do it with focus and excellence,' Lt. Connor O'Donnell said. Lakeland man caught hosting illegal poker games, trying to hide $800K: deputies O'Donnell said he was first moved by the Blue Angels as a kid in Maine. 'That's when I saw them first when I was about 10 years old, and that will stick with you as a kid, and that's really what we're hoping to do here,' he said. He now flies Blue Angel #6 all over the country and, this weekend, at SUN 'n FUN in Lakeland. 'I've heard it's huge, and there's tents,' O'Donnell said. 'I've been looking for them. I've heard people camp out here on the fields.' Flying at speeds over 500 miles per hour in tight formations requires months of practice and intense focus during the demonstration. 'You're just focused on what you're doing at that moment. Not really worried about the next thing, stay in the moment, trust the training,' O'Donnell said. 'This is not a place you want to have a bad day. We're all about not only practicing the demo itself but preparing our bodies so good rest, good hydration.' At certain times in the demonstration, the F/A-18 jets come close to 18 inches from each other. The planes are unique in that they can fly at high speeds while also maintaining maneuverability. 'You see the high speed stuff, that's what excites us. But I think a lot of the aviation people around here understand that one of these planes can fly as slow as some of the prop aircraft around here,' said Cdr. Adam Bryan, commanding officer and flight leader for the Blue Angels. This is Bryan's first visit to SUN 'n FUN. 'With an air show that's essentially already begun, it makes it quite a unique place to come into. Seeing all the aircraft on the ground excited me a lot when I came in to land,' he said. Bryan said his favorite move is the 'Diamond 360,' which is the quintessential, tight maneuver that kicks off the Blue Angels' demonstration. Training begins in Pensacola, Florida, in November and then the teams spend 2.5 months in El Centro, California, practicing over the desert. 'We practice by doing a lot, a lot of repetition. You can think about it like being in the gym. It's a lot of reps and sets over and over again,' Bryan said. It's all an effort to display excellence. 'Our job is to inspire those that are watching us to kind of reach for their highest potential,' he said. The Blue Angels' demonstrations are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday during the daily air shows. To see the schedule, visit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
