The program is a way, Crandlemire said, to thank veterans for their service and to make them feel appreciated.
Ed Priddy of Meridian provided the 1966 Cessna P-206B plane used for the hour-long flight that began and ended at the Nampa Municipal Airport.
“Mr. Roberson was a treat to fly with,” said Crandlemire, who works in sales and pilot services for Cascade Aircraft Management in Caldwell. “You could see it in his face and eyes.”
Roberson, who was initially stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base, retired in 1997 after 20 years of service. He was a lieutenant colonel when a medical discharge ended his career. He had also served at Elgin AFB in Florida; Kadena AFB in Okinawa, Japan; Kirkland AFB in Albuquerque, N.M.; and McClellan AFB in Sacramento, Calif.
He flew Huey and Blackhawk helicopters during more than 35 missions, Tuttle said. He was licensed as a commercial helicopter pilot for both visual conditions and using instrument panels. He was also licensed as a private pilot for single-engine airplanes.
His parents, Alvin and Alice Roberson, still live in the home where Roberson grew up in Wilder. His mother came outside and waved when the plane carrying her son flew overhead.
Tuttle secretly fed Crandlemire information to guide the plane to Wilder without Roberson catching on. The pilot described it as a “tearful moment” when they flew over the home several times and Roberson saw his mother waving.
“The ear-to-ear smile as he was being loaded into the aircraft was rare and so special to see, but the quiet reverence during the flight was an even better indicator of just how much the flight meant to him,” Tuttle said. “To experience that kind of freedom after so many years was priceless.”
BY JOHN SOWELL
