Fighting PTSD with flying and fellowship

By JOANNA MANNING.

ROCKFORD, Illinois — When suicides among veterans both young and old began to increase in recent years, Vietnam veteran Nicholas “Blackjack Six” Parnello felt compelled to act.

As a pilot and former member of a military flight crew, he thought aviation would be the perfect avenue to build community with young veterans struggling with PTSD. He envisioned a program that would bring veterans of all ages together for a brief flight followed by an informal gathering in the hangar over coffee and donuts, led by a licensed counselor. This vision would become LZ Wings for Heroes.

“I needed to do something to connect with these young vets,” Parnello said. “They need help getting through some of these really dark places. And I know they are dark.”

Parnello is familiar with the invisible wounds of war. He served in the 4^th Infantry Division, 4^th Aviation as a UH-1 door gunner in Vietnam, an experience that, in some ways, has never left him. Having experienced PTSD himself, he knows that remaining connected to a community is vital to the healing process. 

“Aviation is a link to most all veterans,” he said. “When we were in the service, most of us flew around in a helicopter or fixed wing aircraft. It seemed like a good place to start.”

In early 2017, he partnered with the Cottonwood Airport (P52) in Rockford, Illinois, procured a Cessna 172 Skyhawk, which he christened “Angel Lady,” and hit up his veteran community for support. Soon he had volunteer pilots, licensed counselors, and — with the help of the local VA center — a roster of veterans eager to take to the skies. 

While the flying itself may be what draws participants in, the post-flight fellowship portion of the program is where Parnello really sees the opportunity to build community. The counselor who facilitates the informal gathering is also a veteran, which Parnello feels is invaluable. 

“There’s not a lot of war veteran counselors,” he said. “And that’s an issue, because there’s something special about talking to a person who has been where you’ve been. It’s easier to build trust. It’s really neat to sit with another vet over a cup of coffee and just share some things.” 

Veterans who participate in the program don’t have to fly regularly, though Parnello quipped that “when you get them flying, everybody’s high — the legal way.”

Many appreciate the opportunity to simply share their experiences in an informal setting. 

After seeing the positive impact that a single brush with aviation could have on young veterans, Parnello put together a program specifically for young people struggling with addiction, calling it LZ Wings for Serenity. He reached out to administrators at Rosecrance, a local drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility that caters to youth, and asked if any of the residents might benefit from the experience of flying a small aircraft. Their interest was piqued. 

The very next weekend, Parnello and his team of volunteers took 12 young people up in the plane, let them fly it, and sent them home with a certificate and a ribbon that had been tied to the wing that they could keep as mementos. The experience was meant to serve as a reminder for them to strive for higher things.

“We got great returns from Rosecrance,” Parnello said. “They couldn’t say enough good about it.”

Both programs were off to a promising start, but a string of weather-related events put a temporary halt to their operations. Once they were ready to resume flying, COVID-19 hit. 

“COVID really just threw water on our fire,” Parnello said, though he still has faith that the program will be able to continue once the pandemic is under control. For him, connecting veterans with one another — in the skies and on the ground — is a goal that’s too important to lose sight of.

“I always tell myself, ‘fly while you still have wings,’” Parnello said. “This is a program that we hope will save lives. That’s important — especially for the veterans that did so much for us.”

To learn more about LZ Wings for Heroes or LZ Wings for Serenity, contact Nick Parnello at 815-968-1040.