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Five-Year-Old Boy Joins Support Squadron At McConnell
(December 19, 2010) |
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| | MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. (12/16/2010 - AFNS) -- While
most children are preoccupied with what presents Santa will
bring, 5-year-old Joey Bacon, is wondering if he'll have to
seek treatment during the holidays. |
Capt. Adam Kornitzer shows a map of the United States to 5-year-old Joey Bacon Dec. 10, 2010, while explaining the mission of the 22nd Operations Support Squadron at McConnell Air Force Base, Kan. Joey, who has been diagnosed with leukemia, was invited to the base by members of the 22nd OSS as part of the Pilot For a Day program, an Air Force program that allows medically-challenged youth a chance to visit an Air Force base and participate in base operations. Captain Kornitzer is a flight instructor with the 22nd OSS.
(U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Dallas Edwards) |
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Recently diagnosed with leukemia, the Wichita, Kan., native was
selected by members of the 22nd Operations
Support Squadron here to participate in their
"Pilot for a Day" program Dec. 10.
Pilot for a Day is an Air Force program that
enables medically-challenged youth a chance to
visit an Air Force base, becoming part of the
team in the process. The participants are
usually selected through a partnership with a
community hospital.
"(This program) gives us the opportunity to sit
back and reflect and see the hardships that
other people go through," said Maj. Travis
Edwards, the 22nd OSS director of staff. "We see
the sacrifices we as Airman make and sometimes
we get beside ourselves because of this, but
when you meet someone like Joey, who's fighting
cancer and still finds joy, it really gives us a
sense of humility and compassion."
Being part of the team at McConnell meant that
Joey, and five members of his family, were
invited by the Airmen in the |
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22nd OSS to "fly" one of McConnell's KC-135 Stratotanker simulators,
tour a KC-135 and climb the 95-foot base control tower. Joey also was
given a chance to ride in a base fire truck, operating the vehicle's
powerful water turret and visit the 22nd Security Forces Squadron
military working dog unit.
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Five-year-old Joey Bacon and his father, Jon Bacon, tour the cockpit of a KC-135 Stratotanker Dec. 10, 2010, at McConnell Air Force Base, Kan. Airmen from the 22nd Operations Support Squadron hosted Joey and his family as part of the Pilot For a Day program, an Air Force program that allows medically-challenged youth a chance to visit an Air Force base and become part of the Air Force team. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Dallas Edwards) |
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Joey's enthusiasm was echoed by his mother, Angie, particularly
when he toured one of McConnell's 63 KC-135s.
"(Joey) loves planes (and) every time he sees
one he points it out," she said. "Joey's been
hospitalized more than four times since Sept.
23; this is the best he's felt in a long time."
The day concluded with a ceremony where Joey was
presented with a 22nd OSS coin and a patch.
Joey's Pilot for a Day experience was one of
four that McConnell Airmen have held since the
program was reinstated in June 2010.
Major Edwards said the value of McConnell Airmen
participating in community programs like Pilot
for a Day is meaningful for the Airmen involved.
"This is a wonderful program because it gives
Team McConnell an opportunity to come together
and show the community what it really takes to
complete the mission," he said. "From the
flightline to security forces, everyone played a
big role that day because there's more to our
Air Force than flying planes. |
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By USAF Sr. Airman Abigail Klein
22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
Copyright 2010
Reprinted from
Air Force News
Service
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