Program gives girl a lift

The program is for children who live with a chronic or life-threatening illness.

By WILLIAM K. ALCORN

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

VIENNA — The smile on 9-year-old Darian Hammond’s face lighted up the briefing room at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station when she entered wearing an official flight suit with her name above the pocket.

Her smile grew even brighter as she received an honorary commission to second lieutenant in the Air Force Reserve, a shoulder patch and lieutenant’s bar to begin her day Tuesday as the 30th honorary Pilot For a Day at the 910th Airlift Wing.

The Youngstown Kirkmere Elementary School fourth-grader also received a model of a C-130 Hercules cargo plane from Fred Kubli, a representative of the Youngstown Air Reserve Station Base-Community Council, financial co-sponsor of the Pilot-For-a-Day program. The C-130 is the plane flown by the 910th.

Purpose

The program’s purpose is to reach out to the community by providing a tour and orientation to children who live with a chronic or life-threatening disease or illness, said Capt. Brent Davis, 910th public information officer.

Darian, the daughter of Shaquita Hammond, was diagnosed with leukemia Nov. 8, 2006, and is currently receiving treatment at the Akron Children’s Hospital annex at St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown.

Darian, in Kirkmere’s gifted program, has two older siblings — a sister, Daria, 12, and a brother, Darius, 11.

In addition to the honorary commission and the mementos, Darian received a tour of the base in a Marine humvee, a four-wheel drive military vehicle, and sat in the cockpit of a C-130 Hercules while it taxied around the runway, which she said was her favorite part of the day.

Darian “had a ball” and was still smiling when her tour as pilot for a day ended, although she fell asleep in the car going home, her mother said.

alcorn@vindy.com