Here’s a story to make you smile.  It began with a request from an employee with Veterans at the Haven, an assistance program of the VA in West Los Angeles. This is what she wrote: “Kevin came to us. He was homeless, unemployed, and needed to stabilize and prepare to return to work. We were able to put him through a residential program, and when he was ready, he enrolled in our Back to Work program. Through Vets First at a local Worksource, he was able to attend a six-week class in wind turbine technology and received multiple certifications. He is now ready to return to work.

“After interviewing with some companies, he was hired by Patterson UTI Drilling in Midland, Texas. They will pay for his housing when he arrives, but he is lacking any funds to get him there. Unfortunately, we do not have the funding to cover his transportation either. They want him to begin working on May 6. Is there any way you can help? I would love to see him working at something that will actually be a career, and it will help him to prevent another homeless episode.”

ACV was only too happy to provide Kevin with an airline ticket through our good partner, American Airlines. We appreciate the devoted efforts of those who work for Veterans at the Haven and the Back to Work program. I marvel to see the many human hands that came together to help one man find a new beginning.  I know Whose hand was behind it all.

Ranging in age from 7 to 16, they came from five states to display their talent onstage at the Naval Heritage Center of the U.S. Navy Memorial. It’s an annual event put on by a wonderful organization called Our Military Kids to recognize these five stars, who were “selected for their service to their families and communities during the deployment of their military parent, and their willingness to share their talent,” according to Executive Director Linda Davidson.

All of us in the audience (made up of military brass,  family members,  donors, and veteran support organizations) were dazzled by dances and wowed by musical performances including violin, flute and piano. As ACV representatives, Robin and I felt privileged to have contributed to such an inspiring afternoon by providing free flights for two of the youngsters.

Our Military Kids, in partnership with the Army National Guard and through charitable contributions from various sources, awards grants to help military children cope effectively during the absence of a parent by pursuing enriching activities. Some choose athletics:  ice skating, martial arts, and swimming, for example. Others are drawn to the arts, such as dance and music. Sometimes grant money is used to beef up academic achievement through tutoring.

What impressed me even more than the amazing talent of the kids on the stage was their heart and grit. The program for “Our Military Kids’ Star Power” celebration profiled each child.

Seven-year-old Anya Alexis Wilkie, from Brighton, Illinois, for example, made a commitment to practice her violin every day of her father’s deployment to Kuwait. This child prodigy played a beautiful classical piece for the audience. Besides violin, she plays flute and piano, and performs several times a month at a local nursing home. She’s also a volunteer violinist at her local symphony and chamber orchestra. Anya has skipped two grades, reads at post-high school level and studies chemistry, biology, physics, Latin, Greek and Spanish.

Ten-year-old Jonathan Harrell, of Charleston, West Virginia, played an impressively complex version of “Linus and Lucy,” the Charlie Brown theme song.  He uses his grant money to devote himself to piano lessons and the study of music theory. His father is serving in Afghanistan with the Army National Guard. At his school Jonathan works as an in-class tutor, serves as a safety patrol, collects donations for a local animal shelter and received the highest honor as a Cub Scout.

Decorda Owens, 13, from Starkville, Mississippi, did a very cool hip-hop routine wearing camo BDUs and dedicating the performance to his father, who is deployed in Afghanistan. His grant has gone toward hip-hop dance lessons. He practices his moves continually, even while doing household chores, and hopes someday to attend the Mississippi School of the Arts. In addition, Decorda “volunteers at his church and fills his father’s shoes as man of the house, helping his mother take care of his three younger sisters, handling all the yard work, and caring for the American flag, which is flown in his father’s honor.”

Baleigh Wheeler is 15 and gave a dance performance that creatively interpreted her feelings of honor for her father and his military service. Baleigh, who lives in Greenville, Virginia, used her grant to further develop as an artist during her dad’s deployment to Afghanistan. She takes 13 dance lessons every week and adds intensive workshops on weekends. During the summer, she serves as a counselor at a church camp. She also finds time to hold fundraisers for the American Heart Association. She herself suffered from a congenital heart defect that has since been cured.

Sydney Schmidt, 15, fluted a splendid tune from the Lion King for her performance at yesterday’s event. She lives in Hayfield, Minnesota, and used her grant from Our Military Kids to travel with her high school band to Disney World during her father’s deployment to Kuwait. The trip was a big deal indeed as “her band was able to record a track from the Lion King and watch the Disney staffers incorporate it into the movie.” Besides band, Sydney is involved in many other activities, including serving as a student council representative, running with the cross country team, and working in the school’s theater program. She also volunteers at a nursing home and with Big Brothers Big Sisters, where she mentors an elementary school student. With the goal of studying medicine to become a surgeon, Sydney works hard to maintain a 4.0 GPA.

Linda Davidson voiced everyone’s admiration for these exceptional young people: “We are honored to recognize our littlest warriors for their heroism, character, courage, sacrifices, and continued resilience, and grateful to them for their enthusiasm to share the talent supported by the grant from Our Military Kids.”

Cpl. Hershel W. Williams was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions at Iwo Jima.

I just watched an extremely moving account on You Tube of Medal of Honor awardee, Hershel “Woody” Williams, who, with a flamethrower, destroyed eight pill boxes at Iwo Jima during a terrifying five-hour ordeal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Stl_YhYXyps

On March 10, ACV through its partner American Airlines is flying 12 Iwo Jima veterans to the Pacific islands, including Iwo Jima, for a Reunion of Honor, sponsored by the Greatest Generations Foundation. The average age of the veterans is 89.

According to a January 12 news release, “the men will return for the first time to these islands in the Pacific to commemorate the battles that claimed the lives of their comrades.

“Accompanying the veterans are military history students from the Ohio State University who will document and preserve the veterans’ stories of heroism and sacrifice. ‘The knowledge that the veterans possess is invaluable, and I believe that [this program] will allow the students to engage with the battlefields and learn about WWII in ways that no other source could provide,’ said OSU student Nick Brill.”

Twelve-thousand Americans lost their lives in those deadly battles in the Pacific. We wish these heroic survivors Godspeed on their historic trip to the site where our flag was raised to turn the tides of war.

President Bush commended Spc. Hardin for his brave service. Left is Kevin's father, Charles.

The war came close last week. We learned Kevin Hardin had died. It was a sorrowful day at Air Compassion for Veterans, for the former Army medic and our friend had fought hard to recover from combat wounds following two years of hospitalization at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. We provided many flights for his family so they could leave their home in Florida to be at Kevin’s bedside. He went through 32 surgeries and painful rehabilitation, then married the woman who’d cared for him during his recovery. He died on January 22 of war-related injuries. He was 25. He leaves behind his bride, Lillian; his parents, Charles and Terry, and three brothers, Kyle, Keith and Kenny.

In 2007 Spc. Hardin was on patrol in Samarra, Iraq, when his Humvee was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade. The blast sent 12 pieces of shrapnel into his skull and took fingers from both hands and flesh from his arms. His many bone and skin grafts earned him the nickname “Patches.” He received a Purple Heart. When people would ask him if he had any regrets, he would say, “What is there to regret, if you’re doing it for your country? I would do it ten times over.”

Cass Phillips, RM1c, traveled to Makapu'u in search of the site of a VP-11crash in 1942 that killed all members of his crew (Phillips was not on that fateful flight). This is his own personal memorial. (Photo courtesy of PearlHarborHonorFlight.com and Rusty Buggy).

Holly Shelton, founder and organizer of Pearl Harbor Initiative, and Lt Col William (Bill) Phillips, co-organizer, arranged for six veterans from Florida’s Pensacola area to travel to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii to join over 100 other survivors in events commemorating the heroes who lost their lives in the Japanese attack.

Air Compassion for Veterans with its partner American Airlines provided 18 plane tickets for the survivors from Pensacola and their guardians, caregivers, medical personnel and other crew. Here are poignant glimpses from that historic trip as recorded by Phillips and Shelton:

“We were able to get George Mills onto the 1010 Dock in Pearl Harbor where, in 1941 he witnessed the attack from his ship the USS Argonne.  He reflected on the sight of the USS Arizona Memorial a few hundred yards away and bid farewell to the men who died there and are still entombed there.

“I helped Bill Braddock, SgtMaj, USMC, retired, find the exact spot where he, as a young “Buck Private” Marine, stood on the steps of his barracks on Ford Island and watched as a Japanese torpedo plane flew by him, then dropped a torpedo, probably against the USS California.  He also described seeing the frantic efforts to cut through the hull of a capsized battleship to save sailors trapped belowdecks. The capsized ship was the Oklahoma.  Bill’s daughter, Carol Brediger, had the experience of making the trip with her Dad and reliving his memories with him.

“We took Cass Phillips, LCDR, USN, retired, back to NAS Kaneohe where he was the honored guest at their Kaneohe Klipper Ceremony.  He walked through the historic hangar there that was bombed while he took shelter in it.  A friend from his squadron was killed a few feet away from him in that blast.

“Jim Landis, SCPO, USN, retired, got to see the still-visible scars in the concrete of the seaplane ramp on Ford Island where the first bomb of the attack fell.  Jim was nearby and was wounded when he climbed into his plane, a Dauntless dive bomber, and used its rear cockpit machine guns to fire back at the attacking planes.

“Jay Carraway, SCPO, USN, retired, made the trip accompanied by his daughter, Tina Sutton, and was able to show her where his ship, the USS Hulbert, was docked and where he helped man a five inch gun that was credited with shooting down a Japanese plane.

“Frank Emond, CWO4, USN, retired, was a musician, a French Horn player, in the band of the USS Pennsylvania, a battleship in Drydock #1 across the harbor from Battleship Row.  He watched the attack from there and saw the huge explosion when the USS Arizona blew up, killing every member of its band.  Frank visited the Arizona Memorial, looked for and found each of the names of the 22 band members among the 1177 names on the Commemoration Wall that lists all the men killed on the Arizona.”

These recorded moments are sober reminders of the horrors of war and the high deeds of heroism enacted by the Greatest Generation—those who survived and those who gave their lives for our liberty.

For all the men and women in uniform sailing on vast oceans, marching on rocky soil or desert sands, or flying in lonely skies, we want you to know our thoughts and prayers and good wishes are with you this Christmas season, and above all, our gratitude for your selfless service. Be blessed, be safe, and come home soon.

For all the wounded veterans lying in hospital beds, learning to walk on prosthetic legs, battling depression, and longing to be home, we say thank you, knowing it’s too small a phrase for your enormous sacrifices but still, we must somehow try to convey our appreciation for the heavy price you’ve paid to defend and protect us.

For the brave military families who will go through the motions of the holidays because someone’s missing—a father or mother, son, daughter, brother, sister—we offer our support and admiration, because you too have paid and continue to pay the high cost of freedom. May you find strength and brighter days ahead, keeping in mind these wise words of Douglas MacArthur: “Life is a lively process of becoming.”

You are all heroes, and we are honored to serve you by providing medically-related transportation whenever you need it.

May God grant you a safe and blessed holiday season.

Smiles replace tears at the Snowball Express.

Some such scene of happy holiday commotion will happen at Norfolk International Airport (ORF) on December 9 at 8:00 a.m. It’s called the Snowball Express, and it’s American Airlines’ (AA) Christmas present to children of fallen military heroes.

The plane is one of several in AA’s fleet chartered especially for the purpose of picking up families to take them to Dallas for four days of fun, including a visit to Six Flags, a rodeo, “button busting” (lamb round-ups), celebrity concerts, and many other activities guaranteed to create “hope and new memories,” as Snowball describes its mission.

Forty-eight children and parents from Hampton Roads and outlying areas are expected to fly out of Norfolk. All totaled, some 1,700 families from throughout the nation will be traveling to Dallas, with nearly 300 of the non-charted flights on commercial AA airliners being coordinated by Air Compassion for Veterans (ACV).  Several ACV staff members sporting the charity’s red logo wear, along with city officials, military supporters and other well-wishers, will be at the gate to send the children off with fanfare.

“It’s a four-day party,” says Neil Raaz, an AA pilot and member of the Snowball Express board of directors. “The best thing about Snowball is the relationships that are built with other families. They understand that they are not alone.”

The annual holiday program began in 2006 to help military children facing the loss of parents who have died since 9/11 while serving on active duty. According to SnowballExpress.org, “It was a totally volunteer effort which came together in just a few months to create the largest all-expense-paid gathering” for these families of fallen warriors. The event, hosted for three consecutive years in a given city, with Dallas in its third year, is supported by an impressive list of volunteers and donors. These include companies like American Airlines (billed as “the Official Airlines of Snowball Express”) and Neiman Marcus, to nonprofit groups like Fisher House and ACV, to celebrities like actor Gary Sinise with his Lt. Dan Band, and Las Vegas ventriloquist Terry Fator.

Raaz went on to say that 30 volunteer counselors from TAPS and SOS would be available on the spot if needed.  (TAPS stands for Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. SOS is short for Military Significant Other and Spouse Support.)

To bring a smile to a hurting child’s face is a priceless gift. Snowball Express and supporters like American Airlines and its partner, Air Compassion for Veterans, are honored to uplift the children of military heroes at this special time of year.

]]> http://aircompassionforveterans.org/president-george-w-bush-public-service-announcement/feed/ 0 http://aircompassionforveterans.org/commemorate/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=commemorate http://aircompassionforveterans.org/commemorate/#comments Thu, 08 Sep 2011 09:53:06 +0000 admin http://aircompassionforveterans.org/?p=39 Despite the passage of time, Bruce and Dolores Bordelon’s loss remains a fresh and present sorrow. Their son, 1^st Sgt. Michael J. Bordelon, 37, died from injuries due to a roadside bombing in Mosul, Iraq, on May 10, 2005. First Sgt. Bordelon was from St. Mary’s Parish, Louisiana, and the father of three children. He was a member of the Stryker Brigade Combat Team. “He made it back to Brooke Army Medical Center (in San Antonio) and lived for two weeks. He had third degree burns,” his father said.

The couple wanted to visit their son’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery on his birthday, November 2, and contacted Air Compassion for Veterans. Mission coordinator Robin Cron arranged a round-flight from their home in Louisiana to Washington, D.C. “You don’t know how much we appreciate it,” said Bordelon.

One of the strengths of Air Compassion for Veterans is its ability to respond to calls like the Bordelons’ request with sensitivity and flexibility. The mission staff can step into almost any adverse situation concerning a military family that requires distant travel and arrange a charitable flight when the federal government, bound by bureaucratic constraints, cannot provide.

The ACV family extends its heartfelt sympathy to the Bordelons and is honored to provide a flight for so worthy a cause as remembering a brave son and soldier who gave his life for all Americans.

Leroy T., a captain in the Army Reserves for 21 years, returned home to Robstown, Texas, in 2008 after spending a year overseas. Within the first 30 days of his deployment to Camp Anaconda, Iraq, he complained of sinus problems and flu-like symptoms that continued until he went back home. “I was getting upper respiratory infections frequently. I had to start going to the doctor. I ended up in the emergency room…the week after I got back,” Leroy said. The 38-year-old worked as a highway patrolman—his dream career since childhood—but had to hang up his uniform because of debilitating illness.

The burn pits “are a constant presence,” Leroy said, and burn waste 24 hours a day. They are an expedient solution in combat zones for disposal of anything and everything: batteries, chemicals, plastics, medicine, animal carcasses. The pile is soaked with jet fuel and ignited. A New York Times article from Aug. 6, 2010 notes that hundreds of veterans have complained of “illnesses that they believe were caused by exposure to the pits, forcing the Pentagon to restrict their use and the Department of Veterans Affairs to begin an investigation.”

The Defense Department shut down most open-air burn pits in Iraq in 2010 and is beginning to make respirators and gas masks available to troops working near the toxic sites. Leroy’s wife, Rosie, has vigorously lobbied federal legislators to develop a national burn pit registry and says the bill has been drafted and is moving forward. Further information can be obtained at a site she developed,  www.burnpits360.org.

After two years of unsatisfactory diagnosis and treatment under federal medical agencies, Leroy and his wife, Rosie, sought specialized medical care at their own expense from doctors at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Tennessee. “After an exhausting 24 months seeking answers, in less than one week, doctors at Vanderbilt were able to test and confirm a diagnosis of Constrictive Bronchiolitis due to toxic inhalation from the burn pit,” Rosie wrote in a blog posted on Nov. 23, 2010. Constrictive bronchiolitis causes the lung’s smallest airways to narrow and is irreversible.

To date, the couple has spent over $50,000 on medical bills.

Rosie, who works for the Veterans Administration, learned about ACV online. To date, the charity, through partner American Airlines, has provided 24 medical flights for Leroy, Rosie, and their three teenaged children. “The service has been amazing,” she said. “It exceeded our expectations. It’s less stress for us and process is so easy. I thank God for organizations like ACV.”