by Tech. Sgt. Jefferson Thompson
173rd Fighter Wing
4/15/2014 - KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. -- The
exploits of a local "superhero" continued when Miles Scott, call sign
"Batkid," reported for duty at the 173rd Fighter Wing here April 10 as
part of the Pilot for a Day program.
He donned the uniform of an F-15 pilot to include helmet, mask, and at
one point even night vision goggles in preparation for the events of the
day.
Instructor pilot Maj. Richard Giampietri escorted he and his family to
watch take-offs up-close and personal, sat Batkid in the cockpit of a
jet, and introduced him to crew chief Tech. Sgt. Cliff Rutledge and
other maintenance personnel.
Miles, a Tulelake native, earned his call sign Nov. 15, 2013, on an
historic day for the City of San Francisco and a young boy from the
Klamath Basin. That was the day a new superhero emerged ... Batkid, the
sidekick to the older Batman.
The day was a special one for him and his parents Nick and Natalie in
large part because Miles was there on behalf of the Make-A-Wish
Foundation. He became Batkid that day, but for his parents the special
part was simply having Miles there at all after battling leukemia for
several years.
At eighteen months he was diagnosed with the blood cancer, and in June
2013 he received his last chemo treatment; now doctors have pronounced
him in remission.
Giampetri commissioned Batkid to serve a mission fit for a superhero;
namely, to thwart a plan by super-villains The Riddler and Joker, who
planned to use stolen Russian MiGs to wreak havoc on the world at large.
After his training across places like the parachute shop and Aircrew
Flight Equipment, Miles was ready to face the villains and stepped into
the 173rd Fighter Wing F-15 Simulator for his mission. He emerged
victorious and with a wide smile
The 114th Fighter Squadron at Kingsley Field hosts the Fighter Pilot for
a Day program, which brings children to the base to experience
"a-day-in-the-life" of a Kingsley pilot. The Squadron began a new
outreach in late 2009.
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