Andersen community makes a wish come true

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Ann Bennett
  • 36th Wing Public Affairs
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam (AFPN) --  The overcast, rainy afternoon did not dampen the spirits of Andersen Airmen and civilians as they rallied together to make a little boy's wish come true Dec. 5.

Andersen AFB officials teamed up to help the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Guam make one of Natsuki Takeda's wishes come true.

Five-year-old Natsuki, who was visiting Guam from Sendai, Japan, has a form of leukemia common among children and his original wish was to have an in-flight meal on a commercial aircraft. However, through conversations with Make-A-Wish sponsors after he and his family arrived on Guam late Dec. 1, it was discovered that he was very fond of airplanes and also wished to see a military aircraft.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Guam grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.

"We were informed late Friday that the family was coming in from Japan, and through the help of the Armed Forces Committee of the Guam Chamber of Commerce, we were able to coordinate this tour with the Andersen Public Affairs Office," said Monica Guzman, executive director of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Guam.

This is the first time the foundation has asked Andersen AFB to help make a wish come true for a child, Ms. Guzman said.

Members of the 506th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, 734th Air Mobility Squadron, 36th Expeditionary Operations Group, 36th Wing Public Affairs Office, 36th Operations Support Squadron, 36th Civil Engineers Squadron and 36th Security Forces Squadron all participated to make the day special for Natsuki.

"This is our 146th wish and we're very happy that Andersen has opened up its doors to make this child's wish extra special," she said. "This will certainly be an experience for Natsuki to remember as airplanes are his love."

Natsuki, along with his father Jun, mother Nobuko, and 3-year-old sister Momoko, toured a KC-135 Stratotanker and a C-17 Globemaster III on Andersen AFB's flightline.

At the first stop on the flightline, Maj. Jerry Malloy showed Natsuki and his family around the KC-135 refueling aircraft. Major Malloy is a KC-135 instructor pilot with the 506th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron who is deployed here with the aircraft from Tinker AFB, Okla. He was stationed at Kadena Air Base in Japan from 1996 to 1999 with two small boys at the time and said they really enjoyed their time in Japan. He said he was glad to have this opportunity to show Natsuki around.

Now the father of three boys, Major Malloy said, "It's a great to be able to participate in making Natsuki's wish come true." He added that it's nice to be able to show people an aircraft that they don't get to see every day.

The KC-135 crewmembers were eager to show Natsuki around and presented Natsuki with a patch and a coin. As the group was leaving, Major Malloy took his unit patch off his uniform, handed it to Natsuki and leaned in to say thank you in Japanese to him. Natsuki's face lit up and he proudly held out his little hand to offer the major a heartfelt handshake and a warm grin.

The group visited a C-17 next. The C-17 was from the 535th Airlift Squadron at Hickam AFB, Hawaii. Master Sgt. Michael Bruce, a production supervisor with the 734th AMS who was in charge of preparing the aircraft for departure, heard about the child's request and wanted to show him the aircraft. He and other 734th AMS members made Natsuki an honorary maintenance shark and presented him with a shark carving that had his name engraved on the base.

"It's awesome that we could do this for him," said Sergeant Bruce. "It's great that he wanted to come out to see what we do. This is the least we can do to fulfill his wish."

"It's an awesome experience to help him have a brighter day, and to be part of a great organization that can help make wishes come true," said 1st Lt. Mark Fischer, a C-17 co-pilot with the 535th AS at Hickam AFB, who showed Natsuki and his family the C-17 cockpit.

Natsuki was tired after his visit, but when asked what he thought of it all, he said "Saiko" over and over again in his response. Natsuki was expressing how "great" and "exciting" his visit truly was, said Minako Sasaki, a Japanese volunteer who was with the family.

As they were leaving, Natsuki's mom expressed her thanks. Then she picked up Natsuki to carry him to the waiting van and as she held him close, tears filled her eyes.
"God bless you all for all you did," said Barbara Flores, a coordinator with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Guam who brought the family to Andersen AFB. "Everyone on Andersen was so great in helping to grant Natsuki's wish."

Comment on this story (include name, location, and rank if applicable)