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GA in action: Reuniting a wounded soldier with his family

By General Aviation News Staff · March 17, 2013 ·

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — Window World, Inc., a replacement window and home remodeling company, recently used its corporate jet to sponsor a mission through the Veterans Airlift Command (VAC) to bring injured Army SSG Oliver Hughes and his family from San Antonio, Texas, to Asheville, N.C.

Hughes has been recovering at the Center for the Intrepid on Fort Sam Houston after he was injured in Afghanistan. He and his wife and three children traveled to Hendersonville, N.C., to visit their extended family and participate in a veteran’s rehabilitation fishing tournament hosted by Heroes on the Water. The family will return to San Antonio March 17 via VAC.

Hughes, 37, was injured on April 11, 2011, when an IED detonated. As a result, he lost his left leg and his right leg was severely injured. Since then he has been in the long and painful process of recovering the use of his right leg.

Window World’s Chief Pilot, Johnny Johnston, flew the recent mission.

“As a retired Army and Vietnam veteran, the Veteran’s Airlift Command is very near and dear to my heart,” Johnston said. “Reuniting SSG Hughes and his family in my hometown makes this mission especially rewarding.”

The VAC is a non-profit organization that facilitates free air transportation to wounded veterans and their families for medical and other compassionate purposes through a national network of volunteer aircraft owners and pilots. To date, Window World has supported more than 35 missions for the VAC, logging 158.4 hours of flight time covering more than 71,000 miles.

For more information: WindowWorld.com, VeteransAirlift.org

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Comments

  1. Don Daly says

    March 19, 2013 at 1:57 pm

    What a positive news story. Paying it forward!

  2. John says

    March 19, 2013 at 12:26 pm

    Very good, indeed! Window World has been a true supporter of aviation from their sponsorship of Rob Holland to their past support for the Flying Musicians Association. We look forward to their continued support.

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