Smyrna Announces Million-Dollar Memorial To Fallen Blue Angel

SMYRNA, TN — The Town of Smyrna will honor Marine Corps Capt. Jeff Kuss, the Blue Angels pilot who died in a crash during a rehearsal ahead of 2016's Great Tennessee Air Show in Smyrna, with a $1 million memorial, which will include an F/A-18 Hornet loaned by Pensacola, Fla.'s Naval Aviation Museum.

Smyrna Mayor Esther Reed said around half of the funds needed have already been raised for the project, which will be located on the greenway in Lee Victory Park.

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The Hornet will leave the flight line in Pensacola May 25 and travel to Tennessee, where it will be escorted by law enforcement personnel. Typically, approval for acquiring a retired aircraft for display takes up to five years; the Navy approved Smyrna's request in less than a year. Final approval of the memorial's design came from Kuss' widow, Christina, according to Reed, who said the two shed tears when discussing the plan.

The memorial will sit on a raised embankment alongside Sam Ridley Boulevard and will be visible from the park and the road. The greenway itself will go through the memorial. The display will also include a biographical plaque about Capt. Kuss' life and military service, along with the flags of the United States, Tennessee, Smyrna, the Navy and the Marine Corps.

Image via Town of Smyrna