An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

March joint-service team grants wish

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Desiree Economides
  • 452 AMW/Public Affairs
MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, Calif. --  Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen worked together here in April to grant a wish to a 6-year-old Riverside boy diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Andrew, enrolled in the Inland Empire chapter of the Make A Wish Foundation, wanted to become a member of the military for a day.

Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps units came together to give him as broad an experience as possible.

During the base tour, Andrew and his family visited many units from the Falconer to the fire station to welcoming Marines on their way to training facilities throughout California.

Andrew also saw F-16, KC-135 and C-17 aircraft, took the helm on a Navy boat on the other side of the base, received an up-close look at the Predator unmanned aerial vehicle and had a photo-op in the driver's seat of an Army HUMVEE.

"The entire tour was more than any of us could have expected," said Darla Brockus, a volunteer with Make A Wish. "Everyone truly went above and beyond to make Andrew's day special."

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, or DMD, is a genetic, degenerative disease. It is caused by an absence of the protein dystrophin, which keeps the body's muscles intact.

For more information about this disease, visit http://www.mda.org/disease/DMD.html.