Kareem Bennett didn’t expect so much attention from the 3rd Aircraft Squadron, nor did his mom.
The teenager and his family visited Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on March 16 as part of the Air Force’s Pilot for a Day program. The program “aims to support community children who receive long-term medical care by fostering a professional relationship and welcoming them into their military family,” according to an Air Force article.
The squadron has a standing partnership with both the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware, and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to find children who could benefit from programs like Pilot for a Day.
Bennet has a “chronic disease that is inherited from both parents, and, from time to time, he has to be admitted [to duPont Hospital], especially in the winter months,” his mom said.
But when he was invited to be a Pilot for a Day, Bennett thought it was an occassion for a group of children like him, not just for him.
“I would think that there were other kids that were coming, but I showed up and I was the only one,” Bennett said. “That’s how I knew this is actually a day for me. I was like, wow!”
“He’s been through a lot,” his mother said. “It’s really hard on his body. It affects his limbs, causing him a lot of pain and making it hard for him to concentrate. It’s nice to have someone else who can relieve some of that stress from him.”
