Paul B., 85, residing at Sterling House of Broken Arrow in Oklahoma is a Marine veteran and a proud, life-long resident of Oklahoma. Since he was a young boy, Paul has always dreamed of flying in a glider plane, but never had the opportunity to do so. Now, after overcoming many obstacles, serving our country and yearning to fly for over 70 years, Paul’s Wish of a Lifetime is to soar above Oklahoma City in a glider plane.
Paul fondly remembers when he began to take an interest in glider planes. According to Paul, at the beginning of WWII, every little boy was enamored with model airplane kits. As often as he could, he would go to the local department store to buy an airplane kit and put together the plane. More often than not, the planes would crash when he tried to fly them. Therefore, Paul took a liking to a new kit: the glider plane. These planes always soared so beautifully, igniting a desire in Paul to someday fly in one over his home state of Oklahoma.
Paul had always hoped that he would have the opportunity to fly in a glider as a young adult, but this dream was put on hold as he joined the Marines during the Korean War. In 1950, he was deployed overseas to South Korea for a total of 15 months. During his time there, he bravely fought in one of the most famous but brutal battles of the War: the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. After returning home, Paul continued to dedicate his time to various organizations in his community such as the Salvation Army, United Way, and was a dedicated member of his local Baptist Church.
Because of Paul’s deep desire to fly in a glider plane and his continual display of personal sacrifice, Wish of a Lifetime and Brookdale made his dream a reality on July 25, 2015 with the help of the Oklahoma Soaring Association. After over 70 years in the making, his son said that Paul was like “a kid in a candy store!”
