As Klamath County begins to open back up for “Phase 1” many large summer events have been canceled this year.
Large events planned for this summer are being canceled. One of the planned summer highlights was going to be Sentry Eagle 2020. Today, officials at Kingsley Field have announced they are unable to hold the event.
The 173rd Fighter Wing was forced to cancel the 17th Sentry Eagle air-to-air combat exercise scheduled for July as well as the accompanying Open House.
“I regret to inform you of this, as we all look forward to this outstanding event for Kingsley Field and the community,” said Col. Jeff Edwards, 173rd Fighter Wing commander.
The decision to cancel the exercise and Open House came after weeks of discussions primarily focused on COVID-19. Kingsley Field commanders and the Sentry Eagle project officer, Lt. Col. Adam Gaudinski, determined there were significant risks in hosting the public and other military units while adhering to Governor Brown’s Executive Orders and Department of Defense policy regarding COVID-19.
“Cancelling Sentry Eagle 2020 is not something that we wanted to do, but ultimately, the decision was made with the best interest of the 173rd Fighter Wing and our local community in mind,” said Gaudinski. “The unified resolve of Kingsley Field and Klamath Falls is unbreakable. I speak on behalf of all the men and women of the 173rd Fighter Wing when I say this, Kingsley Field resides in the greatest, most supportive community by far. Thank you.”
One of the Air National Guard’s largest air-to-air exercises, Sentry Eagle provides an arena for fighter pilots from the Air Force, Navy, Army and Marines to train to the demands of modern warfare—all of the armed services flying as one team in order to meet combat objectives. Sentry Eagle provides the rare opportunity to practice that integration.
“Sentry Eagle 2020 had 84 aircraft scheduled to participate with squadrons from the USAF, Navy, Army, and Marines, 18 units comprised of over 1,100 people, numerous special operations warriors, and an electronic warfare range to test our best combat aviators executing in a joint and integrated exercise,” said Guadinski of the exercise. He added that these plans will help lay the foundation for an expanded exercise tentatively scheduled for the summer of 2022.
Sentry Eagle is typically held every two years and was originally scheduled to take place in the summer of 2019. However, construction projects on the ramp, flight line, and across the base prevented it from happening, and will likely delay the event again until 2022.
“I am extremely grateful to all those who helped in planning for Sentry Eagle, including our community partners,” said Edwards. “Your efforts provide an outstanding foundation as we look forward to planning for Sentry Eagle in 2022.”
A partial list of local announcements so far:
Kruise of Klamath
Sentry Eagle 2020
Klamath Falls Memorial Day Parade
Klamath County Fair
There will likely be additional announcements made in the coming weeks for other events as well. As of posting time, The Tulelake-Butte Valley Fair says they intend to have the fair this September.
