435th FTS gives back with Operation Sara Smiles Published May 16, 2007 By Megan Orton 12th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Members of the 435th Fighter Training Squadron visited San Antonio Methodist Hospital's Pediatric Oncology and Hematology unit recently, kicking off a new squadron community service project called Operation Sara Smiles. Small groups of pilots from the squadron will visit the hospital once every month to talk with the children and participate in arts and crafts projects and other activities, according to Capt. Penn Brown, Operation Sara Smiles project officer. Operation Sara Smiles is named for a 16-year-old girl who was diagnosed with cancer at the hospital where Captain Brown's wife, Leslee, formerly worked in Kentucky. Sara worked with the hospital there to enhance patient rooms by adding TVs and DVD players, which had a big impact on the quality of life. Sara passed away one year ago and naming the project after her is a way to honor the work she did for her fellow patients, Captain Brown said. "We want to bring some fun and distraction to the daily difficulties these amazing kids face, and hopefully make each patient's day a little bit better than it might otherwise have been," he said. Most of the kids at the hospital are recurring chemotherapy patients or visit the hospital unit from time to time for other various treatments. "After seeing how San Antonio really supports the military, and how our squadron has been welcomed here, we felt that the squadron should give something back to the community," Captain Brown said. The 435th FTS mission focuses on introducing students to flying like fighter pilots, but also includes teaching them how to live like fighter pilots, Captain Brown said. Emphasis is placed on the fighter pilot's attitude, discipline and warrior mentality. "Part of that mentality is to always remember to give back to the community that supports us," Captain Brown said. For each visit, Captain Brown picks at least one volunteer from each of the four flights in the squadron, for a total of six to eight volunteers. "Pretty much everyone volunteers," he said. "This is a project that our guys are excited to get involved in." On the group's last visit to the hospital, the pilots distributed stickers and patches, and talked to the kids about the life of a fighter pilot. "It is amazing to see how happy these kids were to have fighter pilots come talk to them," Captain Brown said. "We're just normal people who go out and do our job every day. Sometimes we take for granted the lives we have. To these kids, our job seems pretty cool." Captain Brown was particularly touched by one of the patients. A 10-year-old girl, the self-professed drama queen of the hospital unit, is an artist at heart. She had decorated a hospital ceiling tile above her bed, similar to those that the 435th FTS has in their building. She and Captain Brown came up with the spur-of-the-moment idea to swap ceiling tiles and decorate them for each other's organization. The 435th FTS hopes to continue the tradition of swapping tiles, so the patients will have a daily reminder of the fighter pilots that come each month to visit, and the 435th FTS pilots a reminder of the hospital patients who admire their jobs so much. "For these kids, their very best day is far worse than any of us can imagine," Captain Brown said. "Hopefully, we'll be able to continue doing this far into the future."