This SC non-profit organization helps veterans deal with PTSD, repair helicopters and teach children | Military Digest

WEST COLOMBIA – Sitting on the runway of a small hangar near Columbia Metropolitan Airport is a row of faded green military helicopters that at first glance appear to have been left for scrap.

There are three Bell AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters used in combat during Vietnam and Desert Storm, but without multiple propellers, rotors and engines. There is a small, dilapidated Cessna O-1 Bird Dog, widely used for spying after World War II, which was gutted. There is a bright yellow Beechcraft T-34 Mentor, which was once used to train Navy pilots, which is parked nearby.

There is also an almost immaculate Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter, also known as “Huey”, which transported soldiers in and out of combat during bloody jungle fighting in Vietnam.

None of them are used anymore by the military, but they found a new mission.

The Celebrate Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit organization based near the airport, takes old helicopters and military planes and gives them new life. A little more than 200 veteran volunteers, many of whom suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, renovate, paint, repair and repair the aircraft as a way to face their experiences during the war.

Once the helicopters are back up and running, the Celebrate Freedom Foundation transports or transports them to school trips in South Carolina. Sometimes they fly the equipment across the state to teach children about the military and possible engineering careers.

So far, the Celebrate Freedom Foundation has brought a Cobra helicopter and a Huey back to flight status. Many of the other aircraft are on the way to being restored, but are still dependent on donations to fully repair them.

Others, like a second Cobra helicopter painted with a bright orange Bengal tiger by high school students in Camden, are not pilotable. But the aircraft is still transported to schools in a trailer, giving children a chance to sit in the cabin and see what it looks like inside one of the military’s most prolific attack helicopters.

Lori Wicker runs the non-profit organization’s day-to-day operations. As executive vice president of the Celebrate Freedom Foundation, she helps recruit veterans for the program and said the hangar on Airport Boulevard has become a safe space for retired military personnel who are recovering from the mental and emotional wounds of war, especially during the pandemic. .

“Because of COVID, many places were closed and some of these veterans were returning to dark places,” said Wicker. “It gets them out of the house and around other service members and it’s a safe space for them.”

Working with these men is not always easy. Wicker remembered a Purple Heart recipient who resented not having served in the army, but had a role in the group, and pulled out a knife for her. She talked to him, told him that he was loved and that he ended up becoming one of the most diligent workers in nonprofit organizations, before moving to full-time work in the private sector.

Wicker never served, but his father was a veteran. At 17, his father was paralyzed during the Korean War. After seeing her struggles, she always felt called to honor America’s service members.

“It’s a calling,” said Wicker. “I always felt a deep love for our military and I wanted to give back.”

The Celebrate Freedom Foundation started in 1999 by a group of retired military personnel, primarily as a way of organizing a parade in honor of veterans in Columbia. But after some helicopters were donated to the nonprofit, the mission expanded.

In 2007, the program reached a handful of schools. In 2013, Battery Creek High School in Beaufort became the first landing pad for “Maggie”, one of the Cobra helicopters.

Advancing to 2021, there are already 131 requests from schools for veterans and their helicopters to appear.

The pandemic has cut donations, which are about $ 85,000 less than last year. At least 22 schools this school year have not signed up for helicopter visits, as they did in 2020. The reason is twofold: the move to home schooling by schools and the group charges $ 5,000 to show up.

Many companies, such as Dominion Energy and PPG Aerospace, and even the Army provided donations and subsidies to the group. But COVID-19 cut some of that funding from outside sources.

“It’s a struggle,” said Missy Robbins, the nonprofit’s administrative manager. “Many companies from which we received subsidies have also cut. But we remain optimistic.”

Even though the COVID-19 pandemic was difficult for donations, they are still trying to connect with as many school age groups as possible.

“Reaching students in the early years is critical to inspiring them to become what they want,” said council chairman John Lenti. “It is our job to put all potential opportunities ahead of you.”

Over the years, there have been other setbacks besides the pandemic.

In December 2019, a North Carolina driver hit “Annie”, one of the operational Cobra helicopters, early in the morning. He had survived combat travel in Vietnam and Desert Storm, but had to be permanently grounded due to the extensive damage the accident caused.

Since then, Wicker said the nonprofit had received other vehicles, including a gyrocopter and two Cessna O-1 Bird Dogs. They also received another Huey from a private owner in Virginia, who paid the foundation to restore it to its original condition.

Wicker is happy that veterans still have projects to work on during the pandemic. She knows how crucial the hangar has been for many of the former soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines this year.

“It gives many of them a reason to continue,” said Wicker. “They can be there drinking in the bars. But they are here helping young people and helping each other and that gives them a little peace of mind.”