Boardman family tours Air Force One
By Doug Livingston
The NewsOutlet.org
VIENNA
A steel barrier seperates Joe and Judy Kordupel of Boardman, their son Joey, right, and nephew Noah Pecchia, left, from Air Force One along the tarmac at the Youngstown Air Reseve Station in Vienna. The family eagerly awaited a tour on the airplane that brought President Barak Obama to the region to discuss the economy and the V and M Star expansion. Photo by Doug Livingston.
Obama at V&M Star
Watch President Barack Obama's entire speech at V&M Star in Youngstown on Tuesday, May 18, 2010.
President Obama Visits V&M Star
Reaction To Obama's V&M Star Visit
Local reaction to President Barack Obama's speech at V&M Star in Youngstown, OH May 18, 2010
While President Barack Obama was at V&M Star on Tuesday, Boardman cousins Joey Kordupel and Noah Pecchia got their own presidential experience — a tour of Air Force One.
Judy Kordupel, Joey’s mom, has a college friend who is a navigator for Air Force One. Last week, after Tuesday’s trip was announced, the two friends connected and made plans for an exclusive tour while the plane sat at Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna Township.
“It’s so hard to put into words,” Judy said of the tour, which included her husband, Joe.
The family completed an application to partake in the tour and passed a rigorous background check by Sunday. That was in addition to getting the day off from work and getting the boys out of school.
The youngsters shivered in the cold as they waited for the tour to begin once the motorcade left the airport. With rain pattering the boys’ neatly combed hair, Judy pinned small silver stars to their collared dress shirts. The pins were given to the family by the Secret Service.
On board, the family was given a tour by the pilot. Inside the president’s quarters, where the first family gathers, the boys reveled in the fact that they now stood where Sasha and Malia Obama frequently play.
The switches and controls in the cockpit mesmerized the boys.
“This is the coolest thing I ever saw,” said Noah, according to Judy.
But the memorable trip could not be caught on film. For security reasons, pictures were not allowed, which worries Judy just a bit.
“I don’t know if they will remember,” she said.
The family said that the president’s staff was very accommodating and cordial. They spent more than an hour on board.
For the record, the Kordupels are registered Democrats and fully support Obama’s administration. But they feel the tour transcends politics.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or a Republican,” Judy said. “If you could be on that airplane to see the history and magnitude of what our country is about, …”
She paused.
“... You’re going to be proud.”
Tuesday night, hours after walking off the plane, the boys were still wearing their silver stars — pinning them to the dry clothes they changed into.