FORT EUSTIS, Va. –
Thanks to social media and one Soldiers' thoughtfulness, one little boy's dream came true Monday at Fort Eustis.
Sgt. Daniel Kallmeyer, traffic investigator assigned to the 221st Military Police Detachment, received a Facebook message from one his friends at Fort Campbell, Ky., notifying Kallmeyer that there was a child in the area with Neuroblastoma cancer whose dream was to be a military pilot when he grew up. That's when Kallmeyer got involved in trying to make that child's dream come true for at least one day.
That child is Wes Pak, 5, of Yorktown. Wes has always dreamed of becoming a military pilot, according to Krista Pak, Wes' mother.
"Wes has completed the 'Call of Duty' game and loves anything relating to the military, especially Army helicopters," said Krista.
Through Facebook, Kallmeyer sent instant messages back and forth with the Pak family to coordinate a trip to Fort Eustis although, until Monday, Kallmeyer never met the members of the Pak family.
"I was just trying to do something to give him a day that he will remember," said Kallmeyer. "Hopefully, this is something that he can look back on and say, 'This was my day.' I wanted to give him a day that was just for him."
This is not the first time that Kallmeyer has given back to the community. He said that he has been involved in a lot of charities to include the Special Olympics and the "Camp We Can" program for children with special needs at Fort Campbell.
"The biggest thing that has pushed me into doing this is the fact that I have two kids of my own, ages 1 and 3. So it (cancer) is something that I can't imagine going through with my children. I hope I never have to," said Kallmeyer.
After meeting the family at the main gate, Kallmeyer transported them in his military police vehicle with sirens and lights running, to the K-9 kennel, where Wes got a chance to meet Sgt. Hanze, a golden retriever, and the dog's handler, Spc. John Nolan. Wes gave the commands to Sgt. Hanze to complete the K-9 obstacle course and received an honorary dog handler's certificate of completion for his efforts.
At the Transportation Museum, Wes walked the grounds and asked many questions about some of the trucks and helicopters on display.
From there, Kallmeyer took Wes to Felker Army Airfield, where John Musser, airfield commander, met them and showed Wes and his parents the Apache simulator. Wes got to "fly" the Apache in the simulator and received an honorary certificate of completion for his training experience. Wes even got to sit in a Blackhawk.
Rounding out Wes' day at Fort Eustis was a ride in one of the fire trucks at the airfield with sirens going and lights flashing.
"I'm extremely happy with the people who have been involved in making Wes Pak's day so memorable. Everyone was willing to come together just to help this one kid. It's amazing that all of them said that they would put down everything just for this child," said Kallmeyer.