Izzy has day to remember

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Stephen Delgado
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Often we think of heroic figures as people who do an extraordinary deed that displays bravery such as saving someone from a burning house or a Soldier risking his life so his comrades can live. 

Yes, these are heroic acts, but there is another type of hero -- the person who has been given what seems like a bad break in life such as a crippling disease, but doesn't let that disease keep him from living life to the fullest. Their lives become a shining beacon that lends encouragement to all. 

The 56th Fighter Wing hosted such a person Aug. 26. Meet Israel 'Izzy' Lopez-Morton. He was the guest of the 308th Fighter Squadron as the pilot-for-a-day. 

Izzy, 13, suffers from spina bifida. A person born with spina bifida has an opening in the spine or a split spine. A healthy spine is closed to protect the spinal cord, which is a large collection of nerves that send messages back and forth between the brain and body. The messages tell the muscles to kick a football or pick up a pen. These messages also tell a person about sensations on the skin, so a person knows when to pull their hand away from a hot surface. 

Although Izzy is confined to a wheelchair, he possesses great navigational abilities. He treats his chair as a race car driver would their car, making hairpin turns and moving from place to place with great skill. 

Izzy, a seventh grader at Stapley Junior High School in Mesa, said his favorite subjects are earth science and biology and entertains the idea of becoming a medical doctor.
He was accompanied by his mother, Angela Renee Lopez. He has two sisters, Adorian, 23 and Mia, 11. His father German lives in Mexico. 

As soon as he arrived at Luke, Izzy wasted no time. He was placed into a security forces vehicle by Tech. Sgt. Francis Warren, 56th Security Forces Squadron kennel master, to view a military working dog demonstration and tour the kennels. Izzy wanted to know everything about the process and was very observant. 

He was like a reporter at a press conference. 

Furthermore, Sergeant Warren presented Izzy with a security forces badge and a sash.
Upon completion of these activities, it was on to visit Col. Hank Reed, 56th FW vice commander at his office. His office has a plethora of plaques, coins and pictures of aircraft. 

Izzy took it all in as a dry sponge absorbs water. He wanted to know what all the coins stood for and wanted information on each type of aircraft in the pictures. Colonel Reed answered his questions and presented him with the official Luke coin. 

Now it was time to get on with the main event -- a visit to the 308th FS, the home of the Emerald Knights. Maj. Chadwick Greer, 308th FS C-Flight commander was Izzy's guide.
Upon arriving, Izzy received his call sign, "Slash", which he was referred to for the rest of the day. 

It was time to get to the business at hand. Lt. Col. Bill Bowman, 308th FS director of operations, presented Slash with his own flight suit, name tag and helmet. 

Slash said the helmet was his favorite piece of flying equipment. 

Now that he had all the proper apparatus to fly, it was time to see his F-16. It was waiting for him and featured his nameplate. Airman 1st Class Justin Mullins, 308th FS crew chief, presented Slash with a lithograph of an F-16 signed by his fellow maintenance workers. 

After viewing the aircraft, it was back to the squadron for lunch. Slash had a surprise waiting for him. He was greeted by Lt. Col. Jeff Schroeder, 308th FS commander, who presented him with two more coins. One coin was the squadron coin and the other was the 56th Operations Group coin presented on behalf of Col. George Schaub, 56th OG commander. 

The crowning moment of the day for Slash was his trip to the simulator. He would have the opportunity to experience being in the cockpit and trying out his flying abilities. His 45 minutes there included take off, shooting missiles at enemy aircraft, dropping bombs and landing. 

This pilot-for-a-day was Major Greer's debut as a guide and said he thoroughly enjoyed it. 

"I volunteered to be a guide because I like children," he said. "I have a 3-year-old boy and another child due in December. Slash, through all of the challenges he's been dealt in life, maintains an incredibly great attitude. He is confident, independent and curious about everything. These qualities I admire in anyone. It is even more impressive seeing them in a 13-year old. He has a bright future, and I'm fortunate to have met him. The pilot-for-a-day program is a great opportunity for us and the children and families who participate in it. I love to see people overcome challenges." 

Slash summed his up his day in this manner. 

"I like my call sign, and I'm going to keep it. I have enjoyed the entire day. I really like airplanes, although I would probably be a little scared to fly in one. I would recommend this tour for everyone. I'd rather be here than in school."