Niles 10-year-old is Pilot for a Day at air base

VIENNA

Ethan Libert’s first thrill as an honorary Air Force Reserve 2nd Lt. and Pilot for a Day with the 910th Airlift Wing was a ride in a Marine Corps Hummer, an experience he described as “awesome.”

Following his ride around the base in the Hummer, driven by Marine Cpl. John DeSantis, a 2011 graduate of Struthers High School, Ethan, 10, a fifth grader at Niles Intermediate School, received his official uniform and was sworn in at Youngstown Air Reserve Station headquarters.

The purpose of the Pilot for a Day program is to reach out to the community by providing a fun-filled day of activities for children who live with a chronic or life threatening disease.

Ethan, the son of James and Kimberly Libert of Niles, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2011.

His father, a four-year Navy veteran, works at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Coitsville; and his mother is a medical assistant at ValleyCare Urgent Care in Austintown.

For the complete story, read Thursday's Vindicator or Vindy.com.