Hazen Unveils SR-71 Sculpture on Oct. 23 Honoring Maj. Gen. Joersz, 'the World's Fastest Man'
On the afternoon of Oct. 23, the small North Dakota city of Hazen unveiled an SR-71 “Blackbird” reconnaissance aircraft sculpture honoring hometown hero and retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Eldon Joersz, with U.S. Sen. John Hoeven attending and speaking. On July 28, 1976, Joersz, then a captain, and Maj. George Morgan flew an SR-71 to a world flight speed record of 2,193 miles per hour, about Mach 3.3, which has stood unbroken for 50 years, and the SR-71 remains the world's fastest jet aircraft. Joersz graduated from Hazen High School and joined the Air Force through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps while attending North Dakota State University. He flew 158 combat missions during the Vietnam War and later commanded multiple Air Force units, including the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, retiring in 1997 after a 30-year military career. The sculpture and monument cost about $180,000 in total and were advanced jointly by the Hazen Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of Hazen, the Hazen Community Development agency, and Joersz's family and friends, and were built by a Bismarck sheet-metal specialty company together with Hazen Welding and Meissner Contracting. Hoeven said in his remarks that welcoming General Joersz home today was a tribute to his dedication and courage.
Source: GSM News
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 北达科他州议会大厦（俾斯麦）。图片经 Wikimedia Commons。North Dakota State Capitol in Bismarck. Via Wikimedia Commons.
