Lieutenant Colonel Raymond Cosgrove selflessly served our country for twenty-three years as a pilot in the Air Force. He flew a staggering 1,065 missions while stationed in Vietnam and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, given for “heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight.” Although the Colonel is now battling Alzheimer’s disease, and many details of his present life elude him, he still connects with his time serving in the military and would enjoy having the opportunity to relive some of those memories. Raymond’s Wish of a lifetime is to once again take flight in Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor Military plane.

Ray and his wife, Pat, have been happily married for sixty years and share four children, nine grandchildren, and one great grandchild. They have fond memories of their life together and Pat enjoys reminiscing about their lifelong mission to spread positivity. After Ray’s retirement from the Air Force, the couple started their Amway business, and upon its success, Ray began delivering motivational speeches to crowds of thousands. In his well known talks, his motto was “Don’t say, ‘why me?’ instead, say, ‘Why not me?’ You can do anything!”

We believe that Raymond can still “do anything,” and were thrilled to help make his dream come true. Through our partnership with Brookdale Senior Living and the help of the Commemorative Air Force in Arizona, we were excited to honor Colonel Cosgrove’s heroic service on November 11, 2015 with a dream come true flight in a Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor Military plane.