A BASKET OF PRIZES AND GIFT CERTIFICATES WORTH OVER $500!

Act now – the first 200 tickets sold to attend our 4^th annual Halos & Heroes will be given a raffle ticket for this incredible $500 basket of amazing gifts

PLUS

We are holding a Silent Auction with prizes available such as a Warbird plane ride, a helicopter ride, a ride in an Angel Flight plane among many other exciting items!

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets

]]> http://www.aircompassionforveterans.org/4th-annual-halos-and-heroes-celebration-saturday-october-2-2010/feed 0 http://www.aircompassionforveterans.org/gold-star-mothers-memorial-day-trip http://www.aircompassionforveterans.org/gold-star-mothers-memorial-day-trip#comments Wed, 23 Jun 2010 17:06:36 +0000 jsmith http://www.aircompassionforveterans.org/?p=600 Air Compassion for Veterans and American Airlines are honored to be able to provide free air transportation for Dianne Layfield and other Gold Star Mothers so they can commemorate their loved ones this Memorial Day 2010 in Washington D.C.

They will bind together to help heal their wounds of loss.

Today, May 26, 2010, is the birthday of Lance Corporal Travis James Layfield who would have been 26 years old if he hadn’t been killed in action in Iraq on April 6^th, 2004.

During this time of war against terrorism, we have become preoccupied with the stock market, financial condition of our country and ourselves and so much more. Many have lost sight of the fact that the most valuable thing we as Americans have is our FREEDOM. Freedom comes with the priceless cost of thousands of men and woman who laid their lives on the line for us, to protect us, to uphold all we hold so dear. With only 1% of our population serving in the military and providing our security, most of us are untouched by the reality that faces the lives of these servicemen and women and their families. We go about our business and are often pro-occupied with who is going to win “Dancing with the Stars”, while the lives of these courageous innocents become shattered, changed forever and riddled with suffering.

Each serviceman and woman is connected to many family members and friends. Each of them, in some degree or another, is affected by fear for their loved ones safety. They can at any time become caregivers for a returned injured loved one. They may have to deal with unspeakable sorrow when loved ones have given their ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Dianne Layfield, a Gold Star Mother, annually goes to Washington DC to Memorial Day Celebrations to commemorate her son’s life and share with the other Gold Star families. Her son Travis Layfield, of Fremont California, was a Lance Corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps. His lifetime dream was to serve his country and went directly to boot camp after graduating from high school.

Travis was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force. Three weeks after arriving in Iraq he died while serving his country on April 6, 2004, during an ambush in Al Anbar Province, which also took the lives of nine other marines and one navy medical corpsman. He was 19 years old and had just been promoted to radio operator.

On the morning of that day, the 6^th of April, Dianne awoke knowing something terrible had happened.  She attended an event with her daughter to take her mind off the feeling of tragedy that had come over her. It was if see knew she would meet with the three marines who were waiting at her door that afternoon. How does one take in the fact that their precious child is gone forever? No one really knows until they themselves experience that tragedy.

Through sorting out the details in her loss, Diane wrote a chapter about her son in Deborah Tarnish’s book “Parents of War – Surviving the Folded Flag”.  Her therapy has been writing and producing material about coming to grips with her loss.  Diane has come to the realization that Travis did not die in vain. He died doing what he wanted to do his whole life, in protecting our country in the armed forces. He died leaving a grieving mother transformed to reach out and commit the rest of her life in counseling and comforting other family members who have lost their loved ones.

A postlude to the Layfield story: Dianne found out four years ago that Travis had a son and that he is the spitting image of his dad. What a joy and miracle.

Air Compassion for Veterans and American Airlines are honored to be able to provide free air transportation for Dianne and other Gold Star Mothers so that they can commemorate this Memorial Day in Washington and bind together to help heal their wounds of loss.

# # #

ACV is a non-profit organization that is committed to the ongoing healing process of wounded warriors by providing hundreds of flights monthly to access programs that aid in the process.

Heidi Greer-Davis is Director of Public Outreach and Financial Development for Air Compassions for Veterans and Halos and Heroes Director – office 757-271-2289

Mercy Medical Airlift administers the Air Compassion for Veterans program.

American Airlines has just announced a major partnership with Air Compassion for Veterans/Wounded Warriors and Mercy Medical Airlift today, March 24, 2010. This announcement was made on Capital Hill during the annual Mercy Medical Airlift Washington briefing, this year sponsored by The Boeing Company. 

Air Compassion for Veterans (ACV) is administered by Mercy Medical Airlift (MMA) and has provided over 14,500 free essential medical, counseling and rehabilitation-related airline flights for wounded warriors and their adversely affected family members in the past 40 months. American Airlines (AA), in response to its corporate commitment to veterans and the military, has partnered with ACV to make more flights available to our country’s extraordinary warriors who have sacrificed so much for our security and freedom.

ACV and AA have been working toward this announcement since last December and have already collaborated on 343 flights with a public benefit of approximately $106,968. On March 9, 2010 ACV and AA flew 38 Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs) to Washington, D.C. to be honored at a special Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony held on March 10, 2010.

ACV and AA flew wounded warrior Capt Christopher Ayres, USMC (Ret.) and his wife Renee to Washington from Texas for the Capital Hill event. Capt Ayres gave an emotional talk on his amazing career in the Marines and his combat injuries which included extensive physical wounds and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) issues. He then explained how essential ACV flights have been to him and his family. Flights for Capt Ayres were to and from various medical centers specializing in PTSD treatment and counseling as well as adaptive sports programs that promote and help restore confidence, an important component of the healing process.

Lt Gen Jack Catton, USAF (Ret.) is a Vice President for The Boeing Company and MMA board member, served as the Master of Ceremonies for the event. Gen Catton introduced Steve Amerson, known as America’s Tenor, who opened the event with an inspiring rendition of the National Anthem and a song he wrote, “Because of the Brave”.

Congressman Glenn Nye, who co-sponsored the event with Senator James Inhofe, expressed pride in the tremendous charitable medically related air transportation service of MMA and ACV. He stressed the essential role ACV has in making sure our countries wounded warriors access the specialized medical treatment they deserve.

Edward Boyer, the founder, CEO and President of MMA, gave the official briefing on the multiple programs administered by MMA. These programs including ACV have provided hundreds of thousands of charitable flights for hurting Americans for over 30 years.  MMA is the oldest and largest charitable air transportation program in the United States and has held the highest efficiency rating with Charity Navigator for the past Seven years.

Jim Palmersheim of AA then explained their deep commitment to America’s military and wounded. Other AA representatives took the stage and further illustrated the significance of this major new partnership. They then presented Ed Boyer and ACV with a $100,000 check for initial funding.

AA believes it is an honor, and is committed, to help ACV with these flights for our wounded warriors and their families so they can access the finest medical, counseling and diverse rehabilitation services available. There are many vetted non-profit Non-Government Organizations (NGO’s) that have been created to fill the tremendous needs of our wounded to help them heal and reenter a productive American life. AA realizes this critical need and with ACV they will make sure these men and women are able to access the help they deserve.

Over 150 attended and witnessed this new and exciting chapter of veteran and wounded warrior transportation accessibility.

Heidi Greer-Davis is Director of Public Outreach and Financial Development for Air Compassions for Veterans and is the Halos and Heroes Director – office 757-271-2289

Captain Christopher Ayres, USMC, (Ret.) was serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and was injured at the first assault at Fallujah in April 2004. His unit was conducting combat operations against enemy insurgents who had killed four U.S. contractors from Blackwater. His unit was ambushed and sustained intense small-arms fire, light machine gun fire, and rocket fire. One of the rockets pierced the side of the vehicle Chris was riding in and lodged in the engine compartment where his right leg was situated.

Chris was medically evacuated to Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas and spent 75 days in treatment. He left the hospital on a walker and with forearm crutches. It took 6 months for him to regain strength and learn to walk again.

Chris still has his right leg but the injury left him with complete loss of his right posterior thigh. He has sciatic and peroneal nerve damage in his leg and foot which causes chronic pain throughout his lower back, leg and foot. Chris also has 3rd degree burns on the right side of his body. He lost peripheral vision in his right eye and has 18 teeth cracked with calcific metamorphasis. Chris suffers from moderate TBI and has chronic PTSD.

Chris lives in Texas and has a tremendous support system with his wife Renee and three young daughters.

During 2008, Air Compassion for Veterans (ACV) provided Chris with three free flights for extensive PTSD counseling, therapy and treatment at the Pathway Home. In July 2009, ACV flew Chris, Renee and the girls to partake in a Wounded Warrior Family Support Disney vacation trip.

The most recent ACV flight was for Chris to be matched with a service dog at the Carolina Canines for Service program, just one of many service-dog programs that reach out to our wounded warriors. These remarkable dogs become an extension of their owners and bring security, freedom, independence and relief from social isolation.

Chris was matched with Titus, the seventh dog to be placed from the Carolina Canines for Veterans program. Titus came to Carolina Canines from Horry County Shelter in Myrtle Beach, SC and weighed a mere 46 pounds. Titus is now a healthy 71 pounds and was trained by the prisoners at Camp Lejeune.

Chris and Titus arrived in Texas on November 22, 2009. The Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays had a most special meaning for Chris and his family.

Chris began hand-cycling in June of 2007 through Achilles Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans. This year he will be representing Team Operation Rebound through the Challenged Athletes Foundation in upcoming races. It is proven that adaptive sports programs offer tremendous help in the healing of body, mind and spirit. ACV will be providing Chris with flights to those events.

ACV is instrumental in making sure every aspect of the wounded warrior is treated. These amazing servicemen, women and their families have earned and deserve whatever it takes to reestablish a normal and productive life. ACV bridges the gap by making sure they can access these services.

Thank you Chris for the sacrifice you made and continue to make for our country’s freedom. We will always be there for you.

Due to new FAA restrictions at the Virginia Beach Warbird Airport and Museum, we were not able to have our huge tents to accommodate the over 2000 guests we had last year. Therefore we entertained a wonderful group of 450 VIP ticket holders for our 3rd annual fundraiser.

The event started with an exciting Warbird air demonstration and delicious Bubba’s Virginia and North Carolina BBQ. ACV then honored wounded warriors with a special Honors Ceremony.

COL Joe Rodriguez, USA (Ret) the emcee for the ceremony introduced MG Robert Dees, USA (Ret) after the posting of the colors and national anthem, MG Dees spoke about the plight of our wounded warriors and introduced SGT Eric Edmundson, USA (Ret) who was injured in Iraq on October 2nd, 2005. Due to his injuries, Eric can only speak using the aid of his computer. He spoke of his ordeal that also left him bound to a wheelchair. Eric’s main message was how proud he was to serve his country and how grateful he is to his family for their care and support. He also expressed his gratitude and appreciation to Air Compassion for Veterans (ACV) for providing multiple flights for he and his family when he needed medical and rehabilitation services. He emphasized the problems and expense of travel most wounded warriors and their families experience and how ACV eliminates that stress and financial burden. Thank you Eric for your courage and commitment to help other wounded warriors and their families.

Young John Valentine and his sister Meghan presented ACV with over $2,000 in donations in memory of their father Navy Seal Tom Valentine. This is the 3rd year the young Valentines have raised funds for ACV.

Tuskegee airman Ezra Hill gave a history of the Tuskegee Airman and had everyone on their feet with an inspirational version of “I’m Proud to be an American”.

Halos and Heroes closed with a fantastic concert by country westerns famous band Shenandoah, and history making reunion with Marty Raybon.

This was an event that will be remembered for years to come.

Put October 2nd, 2010 on your calendars for our 4th annual Halos and Heroes with special surprises in store.

Two years ago The National Education for Assistance Dog Service, Inc. (NEADS) developed a unique program for wounded warriors called Canines for Combat Vets. NEADS is a non-profit organization located in Princeton, MA. Their mission is to train dogs to assist people who are deaf or disabled. They are the oldest and largest program of its kind in America and have trained over 1,000 assistance dog teams since 1976 at the approximate cost of $20,000 per dog. NEADS most generously waives this cost in the Canines for Combat Vets program.

Air transportation to and from the training facility in Massachusetts became a huge financial drain on their organization and the veterans who were accessing their services. John Moon, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for NEADS, learned about Air Compassion for Veterans through one of their recipients of an assist dog, veteran Chris Maddeford, who had also received air transportation services from Air Compassion for Veterans (ACV). In May 2009 a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by ACV and NEADS.

Twice each year NEADS holds a heartwarming and inspirational graduation ceremony. The graduation celebrates the successful completion of the six-month training cycle. These remarkable dogs become an extension of their owners and bring security, freedom, independence and relief from social isolation.

Last May, Ames M. Peters became the first wounded warrior that ACV flew to NEADS to be matched with his service dog, “Cowboy”. Ames and Cowboy then underwent two weeks of training before we flew them home. ACV will fly them back to NEADS sometime in June for refresher sessions and graduation! Ames served as an E4 Navy Medic and sustained injuries to his back, legs and feet during a humvee incident in Iraq in 2005. Ames has undergone intense physical therapy but he continues to have problems with balance. Cowboy will be assisting him in his day-to-day mobility functions and will assist in retrieving objects for Ames.

NEADS opened its first Prison PUP Partnership in December, 1998 at North Central Correctional Center in Gardner, MA and now has fourteen additional prison programs. Many of the dogs at NEADS are trained by inmates. Cowboy was one of the dogs that received his training in the prison program. It is a special way for an inmate to repay society and is a rewarding accomplishment for the inmate. Ames realized the bond of love that is created between a dog and his human handler so he took Cowboy to visit the inmate who loved and trained him.

ACV has already flown another wounded warrior to NEADS in May to be matched with a canine companion. We are acutely aware of the tremendous benefit service dogs provide many wounded warriors who suffer from combat disabilities. The dogs also provide comfort, companionship and emotional healing.

ACV has now formed a new program called Air Compassion for Canines to help draw attention to this need and to provide free air transportation to qualified injured veterans for canine matching and training.

Kevin was on patrol in Samarra, Iraq, on September 30, 2007, when the explosion hit his Humvee. The blast sent 12 pieces of shrapnel into his skull and took fingers from both hands and flesh from his arms. He has no feeling in his hands except for in his right

To date, he’s undergone 18 surgeries, including bone and skin grafts that have earned him the nickname “Patches.” He faces many more operations and “still has a long way to go,” his mother, Terry Hardin, says.

She says that as a medic, the hardest thing for him is to be dependent on help from others.

Kevin’s father, Charles, has been by his side since day one, giving up his job as a security guard in order to do so.

His mom, Terry, works as a legal secretary for a law firm in Palm Beach County, Florida. She has two other sons at home in Jupiter–Kyle and Keith–and an older son, Kenny, who lives in Massachusetts with his wife and daughter.

Kyle, 16, and Keith, 14, had to withdraw from school due to the family’s recurrent trips to Walter Reed. They are enrolled in a public “virtual” school. It’s a lot for Terry to manage. Therefore, when she found Air Compassion for Veterans (ACV) on the Internet and learned of the free flights available to her family, she felt enormously relieved.

“Without the assistance of Air Compassion for Veterans, it would have been virtually impossible for us to travel to D.C. to be at Kevin’s bedside during this very difficult time,” she said. Jim Smith, ACV executive director, said it is “an honor to serve this heroic family in their time of need.”

Kevin, who received a Purple Heart decoration, remains upbeat. People often ask him if he has any regrets. “What is there to regret, if you’re doing it for your country? I would do it ten times over,” he said.

Steven K. wanted to get home to Mauldin, South Carolina to be with his wife and children following an extensive operation to repair his injured right ankle.

The leading petty officer of a team conducting medical screenings of thousands of sailors deploying and redeploying, Steven was working in Norfolk, Virginia at the Navy Moblization Processing Site.

But the situation was complicated by another medical crisis: his father-in-law had undergone an operation for pancreatic cancer on the same day as Steven’s surgery. Charisma, Steven’s wife, had traveled to Maryland to be with her father at Johns Hopkins Medical Center, as the procedure was considered life-threatening.

With his family out of town, Steven resigned himself to staying in Virginia during his recovery. But then he talked to an official with Fleet and Family Support Center who told him about Air Compassion for Veterans.

The Virginia Beach-based charity, which provides free medical air transportation for veterans and active military service members and their families, arranged a flight home to South Carolina where Steven was met by friends who cared for him in his home until Charisma and the couple’s three children returned from Maryland.

“Air Compassion for Veterans’ gift made an immeasurable impact on my life,” Steven said. “I was able to support my wife in her time of need and she in mine. My family was brought closer together after a nearly two-year separation.”

Army Staff Sgt. Michael Montange, 28, was with his regiment about 15 miles from Baghdad when an improvised explosive device detonated on August 22, 2007, sending a projectile through his buttock and out the opposite hip.

After flat-lining several times and undergoing 38 surgeries, Montange pulled through, though not without losing nearly half of his intestines. Recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., he will have to wear a colostomy bag for the rest of his life.

As Christmas neared, his father, Ron Montange, tried to figure out a way to get his son home to Chelsea, Michigan, for the holidays. It had been 10 years since Michael had seen his hometown. Ron decided to rent a van and drive to Washington and back, then do it all over again after Christmas to return his son to Walter Reed.

Meanwhile, a friend, Frederic Leeman, was looking on the Internet for better options. He discovered Air Compassion for Veterans and put Ron in touch with the organization. Missions director MJ Sablan contacted pilot Chuck Van Nostrand, who agreed to take the mission. Mike Pearson signed up as co-pilot.

Van Nostrand is a co-owner of the Beechcraft Bonanza based in Manassas that has been used to fly patient missions since it was first purchased in 1977. Equipped with a LifePort stretcher system, the aircraft is well-suited for accommodating non-ambulatory patients like Montange who do not need medical assistance while on board.

The flight was delayed for two days because of high winds, but on Christmas Eve, the pilots safely brought Sgt. Montange to Jackson County Airport where he was greeted by a crowd of family members, firefighters, and Army Reserve members. Later he was joined by his wife Amber and two young children who had traveled from Missouri.

In an article appearing in the Jackson Citizen Patriot, Michael’s dad was quoted as saying, “This is very meaningful all the way around. This is the best Christmas present ever.”

Michael flew back to Walter Reed in the Bonanza on January 3. “We were all proud to do it,” Van Nostrand said.

Doctors projected that the soldier’s recovery would take around 14 months, but report that he’s doing much better than expected.

Important Update

Michael’s father spoke with ACV on December 8, 2008 to give an update on his son’s condition. He said Mike is making progress but will be at Walter Reed for another eight to ten months. In September, he underwent surgery to remove his left leg. “They’re engineering an artificial leg for him,” Ron said. He spent four days with his son during Thanksgiving. “We went to see the Washington Wizards play the Atlanta Hawks.” He added that “ever since Mike woke up at Walter Reed [after he was first transported there], he’s had his head on straight. He has a strong will and a determined spirit.”

Alex, whose father Jason is a sergeant in the U.S. Marines recently home from Iraq, had been hospitalized in Lubbock for severe injuries police said were due to abuse. The child’s mother and a man she met through the Internet were arrested and charged with injury to a child. They are being held in a Lemasa, Texas, jail.

Alex’s paternal grandparents traveled to Texas from their home in Melbourne, Florida.

“We went to the hospital in Lubbock and said a prayer over him,” said Bill, the boy’s grandfather, whose wife Sherry was there too. “His body began to tremble. Ever since that time, he’s been getting better.” Bill said the doctors “broke out crying” when they saw the little boy’s increased brain activity on the monitor. “They call it a miracle.”

The couple worked through legal channels to win their son’s custody of Alex even as they tried to find a way to transport the boy to Florida.

“We heard about Mercy Medical Airlift through my mom’s church,” Bill said.

His sister contacted Jim Smith, vice president of operations for Mercy Medical Airlift, which oversees the new air transport service for troops, veterans and their families affected by military deployment in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

Bill, Sherry, and Alex flew “high and fast” in a Learjet to Orlando with the trip taking only 2 ½ hours. “It was a very good flight,” said Bill, who used to fly on Air Force planes as part of an air crew.

Jason was granted a temporary 90-day assignment in Florida to be with his son, whose remarkable improvement continued daily at the Arnold Palmer Hospital. On Nov. 30, the boy was discharged and admitted into a rehabilitation program at the University of Florida Brooks Center. His grandmother is staying with him for the two weeks of rehab.

“He’s doing very well,” Bill noted. “He smiles and continues to make progress toward standing and walking. He can count to ten and pull himself up into a sitting position.”

Though Jason has to return to California to handle more legal issues, the family hopes to be together at home for “a big Christmas”. Ashleigh, Alex’s sister, is doing very well also and is now a normal 10-month-old baby girl.”

The first flight of the veterans air transport program will be remembered for a long time by his family and all those touched by the miracle of Alex.