8 veterans from The Holmstad in Batavia honored for service
The first time Jim Crawford set foot in DuPage Airport in West Chicago, he knew he wanted to fly planes.
From an early age, Crawford had always loved aviation. He used to build model airplanes with his friends and fly them off railroad bridges.
At age 14, he visited the airport to see his cousin, who was a pilot in World War II. It was watching the planes take off from the runway that made him realize his dreams of flying.
Nearly 70 years later, Crawford, who served in the U.S. Air Force from 1953 to 1955, returned to DuPage Airport - this time to be honored for his service.
"This airport was the first time I was ever at an airport," he said. "This is kind of sentimental for me."
Crawford, 83, is one of eight veterans who live in The Holmstad, a retirement community in Batavia, who were honored at the airport Friday. Organized by the Ageless Aviation Dreams Foundation, a nonprofit organization that honors seniors and military veterans, the event allowed seniors a chance to look at and touch a 1940 Boeing Stearman biplane. The blue and yellow plane with an open cockpit was used in the 1940s to train military aviators.
Crawford, who was unable to become a pilot in the Air Force because of poor eyesight, said he was a passenger in a similar plane only once before.
"(That flight) was the most thrilling day of my life," he said, adding that seeing the plane is one of the most exciting experiences he has had in a long time.
The veterans were originally scheduled to fly as passengers in the plane. Poor weather conditions and low visibility made it unsafe to fly, said Mike Sommars, a pilot for the Ageless Aviation Dreams Foundation.
"But we'll be back," he said.
Lynn Sommars, of the Ageless Aviation Dreams Foundation, said just being near the Stearman brings many seniors and veterans "back in time to when they were heroes."
"It's a beautiful plane," said John Faust, U.S. Army veteran and member of The Holmstad Color Guard, which performed at the ceremony. "I'm just so sorry we didn't get to fly."
Ageless Aviation was founded in 2011 by Darryl Fisher, whose family had a love of aviation and owned senior health care centers. The foundation's three Stearman planes travel across the country to honor and give rides to seniors and veterans.
As part of the service, the veterans also received certificates, handed out by state Rep. Steve Andersson of Geneva. Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke thanked both the veterans and their families for their service.
"It's exciting to hear that there are organizations out there that provide this opportunity for seniors and for veterans," said Pierre Croissant, an 88-year-old Army veteran. "It's been just a wonderful day."