Eight-year-old checks in for UTA

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Andrew Biscoe
  • 439th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE, Mass. --  "Let's go fly!"

     That's what Brandon Hanechak heard when he "joined" the ranks of the 439th Airlift Wing for a day in October, and took in a day-long tour, including a "flight" in the C-5 simulator.

     One of the first pilots to meet the young man was Lt. Col. Darcey Thureson, a 337th Airlift Squadron C-5 pilot, who provided him a mission briefing in the Base Hangar.

     The 8-year-old boy, and his mother, Deborah, and sister, Natalie, arrived at the base in VIP fashion - with a State Police escort, its sirens blaring as the entourage pulled up to the Base Hangar Oct. 2.

     Welcoming him there was Col. Robert Swain, 439th Airlift Wing commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Zigmund Skawski, wing command chief.

     Besides the simulator, Brandon visited the base fire station, and enjoyed a view from one of Hampden County's tallest points - Westover's 123-foot-high control tower. He also had the opportunity to work the controls of a sophisticated bomb-handling robot.

     "I got to drive the robot," Brandon said. Senior Master Sgt. Dean Peloquin, explosive ordinance disposal superintendant, and the team of EOD technicians, were among scores of people who hosted Brandon's visit.

     Brandon also highlighted the base fire station as one of his favorites, when Westover firefighters handed him a hose - and a challenge.

     "I got to spray the cone and try to knock it down," he said. "I did knock it down."

     Brandon, who has a bone deficiency and wears a prosthetic foot, was part of the "Pilot for a Day" program, which has become a community relations fixture at active-duty and reserve bases throughout the United States. The program invites children of all ages to be guests at military bases. It is designed to bring hope and cheer to a child who is undergoing serious medical issues.

     Saturday's event was a joint venture between the Shriners Hospital in Springfield, the 439th AW, the Air Force Association, and the Galaxy Community Council, a non-profit organization which supports major base events like the Great New England Air Show and Family Day.

     Senior Master Sgt. Heather Zackaricz, 439th Maintenance Squadron, was project officer for the day.

     Colonel Thureson and Sergeant Zackaricz benchmarked the idea of Pilot for a Day after they attended the Women In Aviation International Convention earlier this year.

     "I looked at what the (Joint Base Andrews AFB) 459th ARW did with their program," Sergeant Zackaricz said.

     They briefed the program to Westover's Human Resource Development Council, which Colonel Swain approved to proceed.

     "Then I sent out emails to points of contact across Westover. People were very quick to respond. Everyone loved the idea."

     The teamwork succeeded enough for another planned visit. Another Pilot for a Day child is scheduled for the December A UTA.

     "This project brought so much team and family spirit together here," said Chief Master Sergeant Kathy Wood, 439th AW HRDC co-chair. "I saw so many people with the wing excited to host this young man."

     Sergeant Zackaricz said the Oct. 2 tour was an opportunity for Westover Airmen to give back. 

     "It gave us a chance to do something for someone," she said. "This boy's visit brought us together. It was a feel-good moment."

     Brandon won't soon forget his special visit with the Patriot Wing.

     "The Air Force was big," he said, recounting his visit with scores of pilots, air traffic controllers, maintainers, firefighters, Colonel Swain, EOD, and a rousing end to the day - a standing ovation during Commander's Call held in the Base Hangar.

     Prolonged applause from more than 1,000 reservists gathered inside the hangar showed the big heart of the Patriot Wing as the young man took the stage with Colonel Swain.

     Brandon concluded his exclusive Westover tour eye-to-eye with the wing commander. 

     Colonel Swain crouched on the stage and returned a sharp salute from Brandon, who then smiled and walked from the stage in his custom flight jacket.

     "What an amazing opportunity you have made available to our patients," said Shriners spokeswoman Karen Motyka. "The program design had incredible attention to detail - even wanting to know Brandon's favorite snacks."
  
     To learn more about the Shriner's Hospital for Children, visit them at www.shrinershq.org.