Charles "Chuck" Hilbinger, a resident at Chambrel Williamsburg, a Brookdale Senior Living retirement community in Williamsburg, Va. recently had his wish granted to fly in a PT-19 military aircraft through Brookdale Senior Living and Jeremy Bloom’s Wish of a Lifetime (JBWOL).
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Hilbinger, an Army Air Corps veteran, trained and became licensed to fly a military aircraft while serving in World War II. When the war ended, Hilbinger obtained his commercial pilot’s license and taught novice pilots.
Despite his flying career, Hilbinger had not flown in 62 years. Hilbinger wished to relive his Army Air Corps experience by flying and trying out maneuvers in a PT-19 military aircraft. On Tuesday, Sept. 13, Brookdale Senior Living and JBWOL commemorated Hilbinger’s military service by granting his wish.
Hilbinger returned to flying with an hour-long flight in a 1943 Fairchild PT-19 World War II primary trainer with Michael Kuhnert, pilot and owner of Bay Aviation.
Hilbinger’s wish to fly in a PT-19 military aircraft was granted through Brookdale and JBWOL, a nonprofit organization dedicated to granting life-enriching wishes to older Americans. Brookdale Senior Living has sponsored this and many other wishes granted by JBWOL.
To request his wish, Hilbinger filled out a wish application explaining an experience he would like to have fulfilled. Brookdale residents are encouraged to think about how that experience relates to one or more dimensions of the company’s Optimum Life® platform. The six dimensions of Optimum Life are emotional, social, physical, intellectual, spiritual and purposeful.
Brookdale’s Optimum Life® platform is geared toward cultivating whole-person wellness through fulfillment in the six key dimensions. Both Brookdale and Jeremy Bloom’s Wish of a Lifetime provide a helping hand in making some of the dreams of Brookdale’s residents come true. Residents at Brookdale Senior Living communities nationwide are invited to share and submit their wishes to Jeremy Bloom’s Wish of a Lifetime.
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