Laughlin gets visit from Angel

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Joel Langton
  • 47th Flying Training Wing public affairs
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- --  Laughlin had a visit from an angel recently.

No, not the kind with wings and a halo but the kind with a twinkle in her eye and a priceless smile who needed a little help from man-made wings to get airborne. Help that Laughlin members were more than ready to give with the help of a simulator.

Nine-year-old Angel del Cielo Aguilar, (which means Angel from heaven in Spanish)who was born with two large holes in her heart and is diagnosed with Down syndrome, was made a Pilot for a Day here recently.

While Angel flew her T-1 around the skies over Laughlin, in the simulator, the family said they had a very simple goal for the day: "We just want to see a smile on Angel's face," said Maria Hernandez, Angel's mother.

Angel's brother, Alexander, is in the Army and serving in Iraq. During the day, whenever Angel saw someone in uniform, she'd light up and call out her brother's name.

To begin the day-long visit, a group photo was taken with Angel, her immediate family and her family for the day, 86th Flying Training Squadron members who were responsible for this visit, on the flightline.

After the photo was taken, squadron members headed back to their work stations in Anderson Hall, alongwith Angel who left her family for her new squadron buddies.

Her mother, Maria laughed later in the day. "This is the memory of a lifetime for her," she said. "It's been a real break from reality for her." By the time Angel was 6-months-old, she'd already experienced two open-heart surgeries.

After that, she had to battle Down's Syndrome.

Ms. Hernandez works three part-time jobs to ensure she's able to be home when Angel returns from school. "The biggest impact from the Down's is her learning ability," Ms. Hernandez said. "So we work on flash cards and whatever else we can to try and help her."

"Everyone in our family does everything we can for her," Ms. Hernandez said.

That was obvious by the entourage Angel brought along, an 18-year old sister, mom, aunt and grandmother, all of whom are intimately familiar with Angel and ready to quickly put a shepherding hand on her shoulder. Her 75-year-old grandfather, a former Air Force NCO, stayed home due to the walking required by the visit but was with them in spirit.

Although Angel has her family firmly behind her, she still has plenty of challenges.

"That's one of the reasons we picked Angel," said Ms. Sharlene Perez, Texas Department of State Health Services who helps coordinate the visits. "She doesn't have an easy time of it and we thought this would be a nice break."

Her break included getting up close and personal with the wing's aircraft, a unit photograph, becoming an honorary unit member, a stop at the fire department, visiting the air traffic control tower and getting to fly a T-1 in the simulator just before lunch at Silver Wings.

Each squadron in the 47th Operations Group sponsors one visit per year, so the base is able to have four children visit annually. To be selected for the program, children are terminally ill or have a serious illness.

The visit to the aircraft was her first-time ever in a plane, her mother said.

"It was a great day," said Ms. Hernandez. "The best part of the day though for all of us was just being around the military all day. I think we all felt a little closer to Alexander."

Another member of the family, 18-year-old Andrea, who is Angel's sister said she knew what she was doing at the end of the day. "I'm going to see the recruiter, I'm ready to join the Air Force," she said.