Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 12124 members on Monday recognized local first responders for their assistance in returning the RF-4C Phantom Jet to Meridian.

Richard Lancaster, Judge Advocate for District 4 and Post 12124, said the VFW wanted to thank the law enforcement, fire and other emergency responders that helped move the 40-year-old jet from an airplane graveyard in Tuscon, Arizona to Key Field in Meridian.

The RF-4C Phantom, which was previously flown from Key Field from Sept. 21, 1979 to Sept. 9, 1991, was erected on a pedestal along Hwy 11 at the site of the East Mississippi Veterans Memorial Park on June 20.

The aircraft will serve as both a static display at the entrance to the park and a tribute to past, present and future military service members.

Lancaster and other VFW members presented Meridian Police Department, Meridian Fire Department and Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department officials with certificates thanking them for their roles in helping the jet make the long journey safely.

“It is our honor and priviledge to present these certificates of appreciation to our sheriff’s Department, our firefighters and our police department for their participation in helping us bring our F4 Phantom jet into Meridian, into its home where it belongs, where it once flew here,” Lancaster said.

VFW Post 12124 Quartermaster Danny Smith also thanked first responders for the assistance moving the jet.

“We appreciate everything you all did,” he said. “It means a lot.”

The RF-4C Phantom is the first of several planned phases for the East Mississippi Veterans Memorial Park. Future plans for the park include a Wall of Remembrance, Freedom Parkway and Pentagon Plaza, as well as landscaping and possibly a walking path.

For more information about the Veterans Memorial Park, visit emsvp.org.