90-year-old World War II Air Force veteran to fly one last time Sept. 7
Posted By Brandon Reid On September 5, 2011 @ 12:11 pm In Happening Now, Local News | No Comments
Online Staff Report
POPLAR GROVE, Ill. — Leonard Ihrke has been many things in his 90 years of life: student, soldier, husband and mechanic. But no title meant quite as much to him as that of pilot.
Ihrke first got his wings with the Air Force in World War II. When his duty tour was over, he stayed faithful to his true love — airplanes — and spent most of his adult life as an aircraft mechanic.
Now, years after Ihrke wrote the last entry in his flight log, he’ll strap in for one more trip into the wild blue yonder.
“I’d just really like to go flying again,” Ihrke said. “That would mean a lot.”
Ihrke’s flight is organized by Passages Hospice Dreams, a non-profit organization dedicated to fulfilling unmet wishes and improving quality of life among hospice patients.
His flight will be at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 7, at Poplar Grove Air Motive, 11619 Route 76, Poplar Grove.
Passages Hospice Dreams was founded to fulfill unmet wishes and improve quality of life for hospice patients and their families. Passages Hospice Dreams is a non-profit organization and 501(c)(3) charitable group. Passages Hospice Dreams is supported by memorial donations and through partnerships with generous corporate sponsors.
For more about Passages Hospice Dreams, or to donate, visit www.passageshospice.com [1] and select “Passages Hospice Dreams.” The organization can be reached at (630) 549-5860.
Article printed from The Rock River Times: http://rockrivertimes.com
URL to article: http://rockrivertimes.com/2011/09/05/90-year-old-world-war-ii-air-force-veteran-to-fly-one-last-time-sept-7/
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[1] www.passageshospice.com: http://www.passageshospice.com
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