Reaching into his desk drawer, Lt. Col. Carson A. Hardesty, safety officer of the Milwaukee-based 128th Air Refueling Wing (ARW), placed a neat, laminated and unwrinkled image on his desk.
“Having this great opportunity to go on a military aircraft, not every child or family have that opportunity.”
A photo of a toddler with a big smile on her face as she steered the wheel of a KC-135 jet, and a young Capt. Hardesty with a beaming grin as he held the young girl in his lap, evoked a moment of silence as Hardesty reflected on the impact of serving children who are battling cancer and terminal illnesses. “It’s seeing the face of those kids,” said Hardesty, pointing to the photo as he struggled to hold back tears. “This is what we do it for.” This year, the 128th ARW participated in Flight to the North Pole (FTTNP), an event dedicated to providing a special holiday experience for families with children who are fighting illnesses, at Signature Flight Support MKE, General Mitchell International Airport, Milwaukee, Dec. 10. “The ‘Flight to the North Pole’ is an annual event for families that have a child or children currently fighting childhood cancer,” said Roberta Coker, officer of the FTTNP Milwaukee organization. “This journey to the ‘North Pole’ is to help these families forget about being in the hospital, being sick and to concentrate on having fun — if for only one day. The mission is to provide families a happy memory, relaxing time together and remove them from the day-to-day concerns they are dealing with.”
