WWII Veteran, Woodlands resident to see his 70-year dream take flight

THE WOODLANDS, Texas — With the 4th of July holiday quickly approaching, everywhere you look you see red, white and blue and we are all filled with a renewed sense of patriotic pride in our great Nation.

As we enjoy a fun filled weekend with our families, the smell of food on the grill and watching the sky burst to life with colorful fireworks, it is officially summer in Texas! One thing we often don't think about during the July 4th Holiday are the men and women who have protected the freedoms that make America great, but one organization out of Burnet, Texas has made it their mission to honor those veterans by giving them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Freedom Flyers is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that provides Hero Flights to our Nations Veterans in the P-51 Mustang named “Pecos Bill”. Only an estimated 150 of these aircraft still exist in the US and even fewer are flight worthy. The chance to not only ride in this WW2 Fighter but to also take the controls and fly it, is truly a Once in a Lifetime honor. What makes this organization that much more incredible is that they are able to provide the flights 100% free-of-charge to the veterans.

Donald Sizemore, now 95 years old, says his earliest memories of his love of flight started when he was just 6 years old. He recalls saying a prayer that Charles Lindbergh would make it across the Atlantic safely. He grew up watching aviation spread it's wings and truly begin to take flight.

As WWII approached, his friends one by one began to enlist in the Army Air Corp (the Air Force was not yet a service branch). At the end of his first year of college he decided to also join the Air Corp. He knew that he wanted to fly and he wanted to fly the newest and hottest fighter available. At 5’8” he was too small to handle a bomber, but the P-51 was his dream, and he was the perfect fit for the cockpit. His service began with learning to fly the AT-6, the aircraft used to train pilots at the time, and after that he would be sent to train in the P-40 and would then learn to fly the P-51. For Donald, who had always dreamed of this moment, the timing was not in his favor. A flight instructor, who had just returned after an 18 month tour, was given Donald’s place at the P-40 / P-51 flight school and Donald was assigned as the new AT-6 instructor. Although disappointed, he quickly discovered he enjoyed training others.

Later in life, Donald crossed paths with the instructor that had taken his place in the P-51 cockpit. On his first flight his airplane was shot down and he spent the remainder of the war as a German P.O.W. Donald was once asked if he ever felt guilty getting a state-side assignment and never being deployed to the battle field.

“There were real dangers in working with untrained pilots especially on night and instrument flights,” Donald said.

Less than two years ago, Donald's son, John, took him to Galveston to once again fly in an AT-6.

“Other than the day I married my wife, flying the AT-6 again was the happiest day of my life,” he said.

But flying the, the P51 Mustang, the plane that to him represented the finest American Fighter of the war, and a real triumph of America and its Allies seemed like it would always be nothing more than a dream.

That’s when Donald’s son contacted Freedom Flyers. He shared his fathers story through a message to the organization on Facebook. A few days later John received a phone call from one of the Freedom Flyers team members. John hung up the phone and could not wait to tell his father to big news.

At 4:30 p.m. on July 3, 2016, Donald will finally experience what it is like to sit in the cockpit of his beloved P-51 and hear that powerful Merlin Engine roar to life. His 70-year dream will take flight at the Georgetown Regional Airport (KGTU), and Donald will fly through the Texas skies in one of the most powerful and iconic pieces of WWII American aviation history.

The Freedom Flyers team is honored to have the opportunity to say “Thank You” to our nations veterans through their “Hero Flights” program.

“I have met some amazing people and heard some of the most incredible stories," Cowden Ward, Freedom Flyers Founder and Pilot of “Pecos Bill,” said. "There is nothing better than seeing the smiles on the faces of these men and women when they first get into the cockpit, and the expressions on their faces when we land back on the ground is something you just can not find the words to describe. It is truly an honor to be able to share the experience of flying 'Pecos Bill' with them.”

To see photos of Donald's Flight and learn more about Freedom Flyers visit: www.PecosBill.org or their Facebook page /P51PecosBillfreedomflyers