WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. -- Emil “Batman” Conley and his family toured Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, on July 19, 2019, as part of the Pilot for a Day program.
The program is a collaboration between members of Whiteman AFB and the staff of St Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The partnership gives children who are suffering from a variety of diseases and disorders the once in a lifetime opportunity to tour Whiteman AFB and step in the shoes of a B-2 Spirit pilot.
Emil has medulloblastoma, which is the most common malignant brain tumor for children, and accounts for about 20 percent of all childhood brain tumors.
The Batman-themed tour included a variety of activities for the family, which included a ride in the B-2 simulator, a visit with the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team and to the firehouse, as well as a military working dog demonstration.
The program hasn't been around long, however it has already afforded two families the opportunity to tour Whiteman AFB. It is primarily led by Capt. Zachery Ziegler, a B-2 instructor pilot assigned to the 393rd Bomb Squadron, his wife Lily, along with Senior Airman Corale Griffith, an aviation resource management journeyman, assigned to the 393rd BS. They collaborate with organizations with units throughout the base to make tours like this possible.