Casey Rupley (webmaster)

ASM Model Display at the 2024 Folds of Honor Patriot Dinner
By Mike Blohm

ASM conducted a model display at the 2024 Folds of Honor 9th Annual Patriot Dinner that took place on Friday, Sep 6th at Isleta Casino Isleta Resort and Casino’s Convention Center in Albuquerque. The display went really well and was enjoyed by all the attendees. This was ASM’s fifth display at a Folds of Honor (FoH) event. We started supporting FoH in 2017 and we have been invited back since then. The theme of the display was “Models of Aircraft, Ships and Military Vehicles Used by the U.S. Services.”

For our set-up we had three large tables in one row near one of the doors into the ballroom section. The tables were really wide (deep) and we were able to display 114 models, which was a record number for the event. Per our usual set-up we had models representing all the Services starting with the Korean War at the left end and then went chronologically through the Vietnam War and the Cold War to modern aircraft from Desert Storm through Afghanistan. The right end had experimental aircraft, helicopters, and military vehicles. We had mostly aircraft, helicopters and missiles with a shortfall in the modern military vehicles area. Request that you ASM armor-modeling dudes get busy building for our 2025 display.

The event had one ballroom set-up for silent auctions and one ballroom for the dinner and live auctions. Outside the ballrooms there were colors (flags) of all the Services and small plaques with information on the New Mexicans who had fallen, including both military and first responders. There were two place settings for the military and first responders who were no longer with us-an old tradition. To open the event there were colors presentations by both the USAF and the Albuquerque Fire Department, who were carrying silver axes instead of rifles-which I had not seen before-and was very moving. Pictures are posted below that show the event spaces and our model display. Set-up in pics 1-6, event spaces in pics 7-11, models in pics 12-22, and discussions with attendees in pics 23-26.
The display was set-up and manned by Matt and Mike Blohm and Don Gatewood. Frank Randall dropped off his tubs of models and assisted with the set-up before he had to leave to attend the ASM meeting, which unfortunately was on the same date as this event.

Models were provided for the display by Frank Randall, Don Gatewood, Victor Maestas, and Matt and Mike Blohm; and also by Josh Pals and Jack Garriss who permanently donated models for the club’s displays.
The President of the Folds of Honor New Mexico, Col Jim Quick, thanked us for putting on the display. Thanks to all who participated and loaned models, and thanks to Hobby Proz for letting us stage the model tubs at the shop.
We had a great time and successfully promoted ASM and the hobby of scale modeling and provided service to the community.