Boy with leukemia earns his pilot wings in a day
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JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - U.S. Air Force pilots work for years to earn their wings. But for one special local boy, all it took was a single day.
Eleven-year-old Carl Hornbeak-Hess is a kid with a wish.
"I wanted to do something unique that no one has chosen before," he says.
He's also a history buff and an old soul at heart. So when the Make-A-Wish Foundation said he could do anything - be anyone - he knew exactly what to say.
"Be a World War II pilot who's stationed in Pearl Harbor, who is shot down and has to survive with only the things of a World War II pilot," says Carl's stepfather, James Sullivan.
It won't be easy training - but nothing's impossible when you've got guts.
"Carl was diagnosed in June 2011. With ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukemia)," says Sullivan.
Carl has 2½ years of treatment down - with two years still to go. But on Sunday it wasn't about cancer - it's about a mission. His Objective A - co-pilot a c-17 Air Force jet simulator over Hawaii.
He deals with all the ups and downs - even makes an emergency landing when he loses power in the engines.
"I made it go upside down. Without permission - just sphhh," says Carl.
Objective B was to complete parachute training, then brave the elements.
"I'm going to go out in the woods over there and survive," he says.
He makes a fort, builds a fire, even gets some rest after a long hard day.
"It's not that bad," he says.
So what's next for Carl?
"Well, it's a big secret. I can't say," he demurs.
But KOMO News will declassify the info for you - Carl headed to Hawaii to see Pearl Harbor himself and fulfill his dream of coming face-to-face with history.
Eleven-year-old Carl Hornbeak-Hess is a kid with a wish.
"I wanted to do something unique that no one has chosen before," he says.
He's also a history buff and an old soul at heart. So when the Make-A-Wish Foundation said he could do anything - be anyone - he knew exactly what to say.
"Be a World War II pilot who's stationed in Pearl Harbor, who is shot down and has to survive with only the things of a World War II pilot," says Carl's stepfather, James Sullivan.
It won't be easy training - but nothing's impossible when you've got guts.
"Carl was diagnosed in June 2011. With ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukemia)," says Sullivan.
Carl has 2½ years of treatment down - with two years still to go. But on Sunday it wasn't about cancer - it's about a mission. His Objective A - co-pilot a c-17 Air Force jet simulator over Hawaii.
He deals with all the ups and downs - even makes an emergency landing when he loses power in the engines.
"I made it go upside down. Without permission - just sphhh," says Carl.
Objective B was to complete parachute training, then brave the elements.
"I'm going to go out in the woods over there and survive," he says.
He makes a fort, builds a fire, even gets some rest after a long hard day.
"It's not that bad," he says.
So what's next for Carl?
"Well, it's a big secret. I can't say," he demurs.
But KOMO News will declassify the info for you - Carl headed to Hawaii to see Pearl Harbor himself and fulfill his dream of coming face-to-face with history.
@makeawish ff back
It's great to see someone so young who is actually interested in our history. Seems like more & more kids his age don't care about anything except their electronic gee-gaws and their video games.Â
I hope he enjoys Hawaii, and gets to the Arizona Memoriasl - it is a truly moving place to be, to absorb all that happened, to see where it happened. It's amazing.
I hope he earns a clean bill of health soon too! Go keep us safe in Hawaii, Carl!
I love make a wish --- one program I donate to.
very nice
So awesome! I am hoping maybe he'll actually get to "fly" a military aircraft in Hawaii. When we lived in Hawaii in 2004, we took a MAC flight(I think it may have been a C5 but not sure) to Guam to meet my husband who was pulling in to port for 3 days. It was me and 4 kids(youngest was 15 months old) on a cargo plane and we loved it even though it was an 8 hour flight. After we were up for about an hour, one of the flight crew came over and asked my oldest son who was 10 years old if he wanted to fly the plane. My son's eyes almost bulged out of his sockets with excitement and disbelief. They took him up in the cockpit and he was up there for about half an hour just learning all the stuff and "flying". It's a wonderful memory for him. Let's all hope that the AF will offer him the opportunity to "fly" a real AF aircraft. God Bless You Carl and I pray for you to get healthy and pursue your dreams.
What a cool choice!Â
Best wishes for a full recovery Carl!
thank you to all those who contributed to making this young mans wish come true... may his treatments be sucessfull
I suspect that pilot sitting in the simulator with him had an absolute blast!
Thank you Make a Wish for letting this precious little boys dream come true. You are my hero Carl. I hope I grow up with half as much courage that you hold within your heart. Some of us adults arent as brave as you. Good luck on your trip. May you receive your hearts desire little hero
Cool kid, what a fun thing to do! Best wishes to him and his family. Â
Thank you for this uplifting story.
Wishing Carl a full recovery and a long and healthy life.
This is great and exactly why I choseMake-A-Wish Foundation to donate my car to. Best wishes to you Carl.
@Beam_Me_Up God bless you for what you've done. You have a very kind heart.