FAIRLEA, WV (WVNS)– Military Appreciation Day at the State Fair of West Virginia celebrates all members and branches of the military, past and present.
Members of the West Virginia National Guard, Marine Corps, and Air Force were at the State Fair with different activities and military experiences for kids of all ages to enjoy. The West Virginia National Guard was their showing off their tanks and other military vehicles.
Members of National Guard took our 59News crews for a spin in their gunner tank, giving us a 360 degree view of what it is like going into battle.
“It’s the best feeling and honestly thank you for your service but just to get to interact with them and sometimes you get to hear their stories as well so that’s my favorite part,” said Sgt. Andrea Gump with the WV National Guard.
On the other side of the fairgrounds, the Air Force had a special trailer allowing fairgoers to join in on the action through a virtual reality special forces mission.
“This events been awesome, we’ve had a ton of people come through. Yesterday we had about 240 people come through,” said SSGT. Tyler Symoens with the US Air Force. “Our busiest day was Saturday with about 341. Everyone is liking it, we get positive feedback, and this national asset travels all over the world.”
You can catch all these activities over by the animal barns at the State Fair of WV!