Nearly 50 years after it last took flight, a U.S. Air Force plane had its first crash Monday while on display at the Stoughton VFW.
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Rob Drogsvold, commander at VFW Post 328, left, talks with Bill Aaberg, of Rutland, both U.S. Marine veterans, as Aaberg stops to take a photo of the U.S. Air Force plane, displayed outside the VFW, that was hit by a semitruck Monday night, knocking the plane off its base.
Don Wahlin, whose name graces the right-side cockpit area of the plane, flew the T-33 for over two decades.
A witness tried to stop the truck that hit this U.S. Air Force T-33 but was unsuccessful. The witness did manage to get a photo of the vehicle's license plate.
The U.S. Air Force plane on display outside VFW Post 328, which was flown by Don Wahlin, founder of Stoughton Trailers, before it was decommissioned in 1976, was hit by a semi-truck Monday night. Wahlin recalled flying the plane out of Madison during his more than two decades of service in the Air National Guard.
The plane on display outside VFW Post 328 was knocked off its base.
The plane's right-wing fuel tank and nose sustained significant damage.
VFW Post 328 in Stoughton just finished some upgrades, including a new kitchen space, which had passed inspection hours before Monday night's crash.
Ways you can support deployed military members and their families
Greet them at the airport
Give soldiers a hero’s welcome by volunteering to greet them at the airport. Welcome parties are organized everywhere from Maine’s Bangor Airport to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and include banners, photographers, refreshments, and of course hugs and cheering. Coordinating your own group to accompany a local military family is a great way to support the family and show your appreciation.
Offer to babysit
Many military spouses become de facto single parents during deployment, and 74 percent of military spouses have children 18 and younger at home, according to the Institute for Veterans and Military Families. Offering to babysit so a military spouse can run errands or just relax can be a life-saver. You can also watch the kids one night when the spouse's husband or wife is back home so they can have a much-deserved date night.
Foster or watch a pet
Servicemen and servicewomen and their families who are pet owners can face unfortunate circumstances if they are sent to training, deployments or re-assignments where their pets cannot come along. Organizations such as Dogs on Deployment and PACT’s Military Foster Program can connect you with military pets in need of a temporary home. Offering to pet-sit for a spouse while he or she is traveling can relieve stress and the cost of kenneling or boarding a furry friend.
Adopt a soldier
It’s a time and financial commitment to be an active-duty military member’s support system. Spouses and children work hard to send letters, packages and funds to use, but they could use your help too. You can “adopt” a deployed soldier through organizations like Soldiers Angels and commit to supporting them and providing for them by sending weekly or monthly items. It will warm the hearts of their families to know that someone else is looking out for their soldier.
Hire a military spouse
Despite resources such as the Military Spouse Employment Partnership, the nation’s more than 1 million military spouses face three times higher unemployment rates than the rest of the country, and one-third of them are underemployed, according to the Institute for Veterans and Military Families. Many military spouses relocate frequently and require child care, limiting their employment options. If you own a business or make hiring decisions, commit to hiring military spouses and working with their unique situation. You can also help military spouses make connections and network in your community or offer to proofread their resumes if they’re job hunting.
Host them for a holiday meal
Oftentimes servicemen or servicewomen and their families at your local base aren’t able to travel back home for the holidays. If you have extra room at the table, welcoming them into your home and providing company and a home-cooked meal can mean the world to them.
Provide air travel assistance
If you have airline frequent flyer miles collecting dust, consider donating them to a military air travel assistance organization that provides airfare to enlisted service members so that they can fly home to see their families when they otherwise can't afford a ticket. Some, such as Operation Ride Home, will sponsor service members and their dependents to travel from their base back home for the holidays. Fisher House Foundation also has a program called Hero Miles, in which you can donate frequent flyer miles to allow family members to fly to the medical facilities where injured service members are recovering.
Support them financially
If you want to donate money to help meet the specific needs of an individual military family, check out Operation Homefront. It provides verified listings for particular needs of families such as paying rent or a medical or electric bill.
Send a kid to camp
Camp C.O.P.E., Operation Xtreme and the National Military Family Association’s Operation Purple camp are just a few of the places across the nation that offer summer camps specifically for children of military families free of charge. These camps run on donations, so you can sponsor children so they can not only have a summer camp experience but also meet fellow military kids and work with staff who can help them understand how deployment affects their lives.
Honor servicemen and servicewomen on holidays
Military members and their families appreciate being recognized for their service and sacrifice, especially on designated days that many civilians take for granted, such as Memorial Day, Armed Forces Day and National Military Appreciation Month, which is the month of May. Attend or volunteer at events celebrating these occasions alongside military families.
Say thank you
Although it might seem cheesy or awkward, simply saying thank you, both to active military members as well as their families, can mean the world on a hard day. Diane Rumley, the co-founder of Support Military Spouses, told “Today”: “A great thing to say to a spouse is, ‘We appreciate your sacrifice.’ Many times, they have to hold down a family and a job while being away from their friends and family members … They absolutely appreciate being recognized for their efforts.”
Watch what you say
According to some military spouses, sometimes helping them is as simple as thinking before speaking. Avoid asking thoughtless or prying questions such as, “Has your spouse seen any action?” or “Have they killed anyone?” that remind them of the danger and combat their loved one faces. Don’t make light of their partner’s deployment by joking that it’s nice to have a break from them because military spouses would much rather have them home and safe.
Write a letter
A tried and true way to show your support to deployed troops is to write them a letter. Plenty of organizations have programs for sending letters, greeting cards and Christmas cards overseas, but what about the military families back home? You can encourage the support systems of service members by sending cards to their wives, husbands and children through groups such as Support Military Spouses.
Bake them treats
If baking rather than prose is your strong suit, you can use that skill to send homemade cookies, brownies, cakes and other sweet treats to deployed troops. The Angel Bakers team through Soldiers Angels can coordinate sending sweets, especially to soldiers living in particularly trying conditions or those the most in need of a morale boost. You can also sign up to send birthday cakes.
Mail care packages
Even if you’re not a whiz with a whisk, soldiers still appreciate plenty of other items you can send them, including healthy snacks, personal items, books, movies, music and more. Whether a deployed service member is a friend or a stranger, you can customize a care package that will provide the perfect pick-me-up.
