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Pilot for a day

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Brian Butkus
  • 375th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
10/26/2006 --  For many children, flying planes is a common dream, and one child was able to get an up-close look at both aircraft and their crews during his visit to Scott Air Force Base for the "Pilot for a Day" program Friday. 

Josh Staley a 6-year-old from Chesterfield, Missouri was given this opportunity when the Midwest organization "Wings of Hope" flew him in to Scott to the 375th Operations Group red carpet, where he was greeted by the his "tour guides" and new co-workers for the day. 

Not only did Josh get to bring his family along, but his best friend, Jake, was able to accompany him on his journey throughout the day. 

"This program is a great opportunity to bring joy into the life of a child," said 1st Lt. Shawn Mosher, Pilot for a Day chairman. "I hope to take this program to new levels and make sure we try and give this chance to as many children as possible."
The first stop for Josh on his journey was the air traffic control tower.
His trek through the tower included stops at various stations where he learned about each operation in that area. 

Before Josh could begin the next part of his journey, he was awarded a plaque with his air traffic controller certification and his very own skill badge. 

When his tour was complete, Josh donned a flight suit and made his way to the KC-135 simulator where he had a chance to see what its like to be a pilot.
After Josh's tower visit, he was treated to military "chow." 

When lunch was finished, he began the next step in his journey and headed to a Pilot for a Day favorite, the C-21, where Josh got a hands-on explanation on how to fly the aircraft.
Josh couldn't keep the opportunity all to himself so he gestured for Jake to join him and the two hoped in the cockpit with Lietenant Mosher and waved to everyone outside. 

To round-out the days events, a fire truck from the 375th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department picked up Josh and Jake and took them on a ride while demonstrating the sparying power of the truck. 

Josh was just a little over three pounds when he was born. Upon his early and scary arrival, his parents found out in the first hours of his life that he had a hole in his heart, his kidneys were flowing backwards, he had a hole in his mouth and he wasn't able to breath without help. 

Seven days later, they learned that he had been diagnosis with a disorder called 49 XXXXY. 

After a little research, his father and mother discovered that Josh had three extra "X" chromosomes, which is a variant of Klinfelger's Syndrome, that could have a very severe impact on his mental development.
 
In addition to these problems, they also discovered that most children with the diagnosis have incredibly suppressed immune systems. Josh was in and out of the hospital about every six weeks with pneumonia the first two years of his life. Sometime during one or more of those bouts, he contracted a blood infection that spread to his brain, leaving scar tissue, and then he started to have seizures when he was about three years old. 
The first few years of Josh's life were just a blur of medical tests, hospitals and more tests. 

But somehow through all of the illnesses Josh stayed tough and overcame adversity. He is currently in kindergarten, and although he has a pretty significant speech impairment, his IQ is within normal ranges and he has "loads of friends." 

Throughout the day Josh proved that no matter how many problems are thrown at you, you can overcome anything. 

"What did I think of Pilot for a Day," said Holly Staley, Josh's mother. "I think Lietenant Mosher and the rest of Team Scott gave my son the best day of his life. And for Shawn (Josh's father) and I, we got what we were expecting the day Josh was born," she said. 
"When Josh was born all we had around us were doctors with frowns and scared looking nurses when we were hoping for a happy little party. So what we received six years later - an entire day to just float on air, celebrate his beautiful life and forget all that horrible stuff the doctors told us in the beginning."