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The Beechcraft King Air 200 owned by Polaris usually carries company executives, managers, engineers and suppliers, all of whom play important roles in the creation of Polaris and Victory vehicles.
But on Wednesday, March 7, the Polaris aircraft carried two of its most special passengers ever: 5-year-old Elijah Edwards and his brother Broden, who is 4. They were traveling with their grandparents, Harold and Rita Glazebrook, from Flying Cloud Airport in suburban Minneapolis to Washington, D.C.
It was the boys’ third trip to the nation’s capital. Their previous trips had been on commercial jets, and while every trip they make to Washington is special, this one – on what Elijah called “the little plane” – was extra interesting.
The boys and their grandparents were making their nearly-monthly trip to Washington to visit the boys’ parents, Katie and John Kriesel. John is Minnesota National Guard Sgt. Kriesel, and he is in the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington to recover from severe injuries he suffered in December while serving in Iraq.
Sgt. Kriesel, 25, was riding in a Humvee on a patrol mission near Fallujah on December 2, 2006, when a bomb exploded under the vehicle. Two of John’s best friends and fellow Minnesota National Guard members were killed by the blast. John lost both legs from about the knees down, and he suffered severe injuries to his left arm.
After initially being treated in Iraq and Germany, John arrived at Walter Reed on December 8 to begin what the family hopes will be approximately a year in the army hospital.
“We’ve had all kinds of estimates on how long he’ll be there, everything from 12 months to 18 months, and we’re hoping he can leave by Christmas [2007],” Rita Glazebrook, Katie’s mother, told ESCAPE Online. “Christmas is our hope.”
At the bottom of this posting are several links to related articles or websites of interest.
The VAC Connection
Katie Kriesel flew to Germany to be with her husband, then went with him to Washington. She has been living ever since at the Water Reed complex with her husband as he undergoes necessary operations and various forms of therapy.
It was at Walter Reed where Katie met Walt Fricke, a Vietnam War veteran who founded the Veterans Airlift Command (VAC). The group’s aim is to “provide air transportation for medical and other compassionate purposes to wounded warriors, veterans and their families through a national network of volunteer aircraft owners and pilots.”
Fricke was wounded while aboard a helicopter in Vietnam, and was hospitalized 700 miles from his family when he returned to the States. According to his statement on the VAC website, “My healing began in earnest when my family was able to gather the resources to make a trip to visit me.”
Thus inspired, he founded the VAC in hopes of bringing families – especially those of injured military personnel – together.
Capt. Brian R. Barber, who pilots the Polaris aircraft along with Capt. Tim Howard, raised the idea of contributing flights through the VAC with Roger Wiker. Wiker owns Executive Aviation, which stores, maintains and fuels the Polaris aircraft in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
Wiker wanted to get involved, and Barber received whole-hearted approval from Polaris executives. So when Elijah, Broden and their grandparents flew to D.C. and back in March, Barber and Howard contributed their time to make the flights, and Polaris and Executive Aviation split the cost of fuel for the Polaris aircraft.
A Memorable Flight
Barber said that when the boys and the Glazebrooks boarded the plane on that snowy Wednesday in March, the boys were extremely polite and well-behaved. As the flight progressed, they warmed to the friendly pilots’ hospitality.
“The boys were quite enamored with Brian and Tim, and as the flight went on, the boys kept creeping closer and closer to the cockpit,” said Rita. “They ended up deep in discussion about sports and other things.”
Barber said the depth of the sports discussion stunned him.
“Here are these little guys, and they knew all kinds of details about sports you couldn’t believe. It was amazing for someone their age. They were remarkably sharp,” he said.
“That’s [their father] John’s influence,” Rita said of the boys’ keen interest in sports.
Barber said elements of their discussion with the boys “was so surreal. We were over Cleveland and the kids were standing in the cockpit, intrigued by the instrumentation, and we were talking about that, and they said they said we’re going to Washington ‘to get our Daddy’s new leg.’ It was kind of bittersweet.”
The plane seemed headed for a challenging landing amid rough winter weather in the Washington area, but then – well, the clouds parted.
“This was really bizarre,” Barber said. “We were landing at Washington Dulles International – and I’m not a superstitious guy – but there was bad weather down there and when we landed, it cleared up completely. Every other plane there had an inch or two of snow on them, and we were clean. It was like we were meant to be there.”
Families Appreciate the Support
When the boys and their grandparents flew to Washington for Christmas, the transportation was provided free of charge by Northwest Airlines, which, like Polaris, has its corporate headquarters in the Twin Cities. Every other time the four fly, though, it costs approximately $2,000 in airfare alone.
“Plus, when we get there, we have [the costs of] a hotel and rental car, so the trip from Polaris was huge to us,” said Rita. “We are so grateful to the Veterans Airlift Command and to Executive Aviation and Polaris for the use of the plane and their pilots.
A Heartwarming Send-Off
After dropping their special passengers at Dulles on March 7, Barber and Howard turned the Polaris aircraft around and headed home.
“The reason we came back was that we had a Polaris flight on Thursday morning at 6 a.m.,” Barber said. “We got back to Minnesota, ran home to shower and clean up, then returned to the airport for our 6 o’clock flight. We went to Roseau and after landing, we went to a hotel and slept. Needless to say, it was a long day.”
The Polaris pilots returned to Washington to fly the boys and the Glazebrooks home on Sunday, March 11, and they had the privilege of meeting Sgt. Kriesel.
“It was probably the third time John had been out of the hospital,” said Rita. “He had gone out to dinner with Katie at a restaurant on Valentine’s Day, and he wasn’t sure if he was going to go with us to the airport [March 11], but he did. When we got to the airport, we saw Brian and Tim walking into the building and the boys were excited. John said ‘maybe I can get out to thank them,’ so he came into the airport. And when we said good-by, it was pretty emotional.”
Indeed, Barber recalled, “it was pretty gripping. We took a photo of everyone together inside, then Tim and I stepped out to give the family some privacy as they said good-by.”
John recalled the departure and the great weekend in his online journal (link provided below):
“Sunday we had to take my in-laws and the boys back to the airport. It is always hard sending the boys home, especially after only four days, which was by far the shortest visit we have had with them. It is hard on the boys too; I can see it on their faces. That is what hurts me the most. Katie and I have had the kids fly out once a month up to this point but the separation is becoming more difficult for the boys so we have now decided that we are going to try to get them out here twice a month. It is going to be expensive to do it, but it is worth it. We are very thankful this trip was donated to us by Veteran's Airlift Command. They were kind enough to arrange for the boys and my in-laws to travel on a private [aircraft], owned and operated by Polaris, from Minnesota to D.C. They are a wonderful organization that helps families in our situation.”
’New Legs’ Put to Good Use
Just as the boys said, their dad got “new legs,” and in fact he took his first steps in the prosthetic limbs on March 12, the day after the Polaris pilots flew the boys home.
It cannot be stated strongly enough how much John’s life was changed that December day in Iraq. When not serving in the Minnesota National Guard, he had been studying to become a paramedic. His focus now is on recovery and getting home to his family in Minnesota.
Among the changes in others’ lives are:
• Elijah – who is now in kindergarten – and Broden are living with their grandparents, the Glazebrooks. They hope to continue their trips to Washington, D.C., as frequently as possible. “For these young boys to be away from their mother for four weeks at a time is just an eternity,” said Rita.
• The Glazebrooks are “parents” again. Harold is retired and Rita teaches nursing at the St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. They have tried to schedule the trips to Washington when Rita is on break or when she can take vacation time.
• Katie is on paid extended leave from her job with Eagle Global Logistics, an international freight moving company that has been very supportive of Katie and John’s family. Even though Katie never studied nursing, “she has become John’s advocate and knows everything about his meds, his therapy schedule…” said Rita.
The Polaris pilots, Brian R. Barber and Tim Howard, are proud that they, Executive Aircraft and Polaris made a contribution to help bring Sgt. Kriesel, his wife and children together. Barber said that after meeting Sgt. Kriesel and getting an idea of the challenges that lie ahead for him, “I realize how good I have it. I don’t think I’ll be so quick to complain about the little things in life.”
ASSOCIATED LINKS
Veterans Airlift Command
Wounded Warriors: They’ve got heart. They need wings.
VAC
KARE-11 TV
This Minneapolis television station’s website has video and news articles about Sgt. Kriesel and his family, as well as John’s online journal.
KARE-11 TV
The White House
Here is a White House staff photo of President Bush presenting Sgt. John Kriesel and other servicemen and women with Purple Hearts.
The White House
’Eagle’ Flies to Military Family’s Aid
Here is an article about the outstanding support Katie’s employer, Eagle Global Logistics, has provided.
’Eagle Flies’
Sgt. John Kriesel: An Unshattered Spirit
Here is a link to an article about Sgt. Kriesel that originally appeared in the Minneapolis StarTribune.
’Unshattered Spirit’ Article
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