Anthony “A.J.” Plyter of Williamson had a dream of joining the Army and being a soldier. At age 16, that could have been in his future. He will a senior at Williamson High School in the fall. But, circumstances have put a halt to those plans.
Last year, the day after Easter 2015, A.J. Plyter was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a cancer that develops from cells in the lymphatic system (part of the body’s immune system) called lymphocytes. This was devastating news to the family, and they have nothing but praise for A.J.’s care at Strong Memorial Hospital, where he received extensive chemotherapy treatments.
At some point during the hospital care, A.J. was referred to the “Make A Wish” Foundation, as someone to whom a wish could be granted.
One day, about a year ago, in July the Make-A-Wish group interviewed A.J. and his family. A.J. was asked what type of wish he might like fulfilled.
He said that he would really love to go to Italy to watch his two favorite soccer teams play each other – AC Milan and Juventas. It was a possibility that could probably be made to happen, but his family would not have been included in the flight and travel to Italy. A.J. did not want his dream, without his family being able to share it.
Another thing that had always interested A.J. was the military. He wanted to be a soldier, fire a gun, wear a uniform. His dad and his brother Jake had been in the Army. A.J. was resigned to the fact that he might not have the time or health to enlist in the Army. This was something the “Make A Wish” foundation took as a challenge and thanked the Plyter family for their time.
About eight months later, the entire meeting with Make-A-Wish, far out of their minds, A.J.’s parents Mark and Melissa were contacted and told that their son’s wish would be granted, but the details were not yet revealed.
On July 22nd, the Plyters held a picnic to celebrate a year since A.J. had finished chemotherapy. There was a Barbecue in their yard, and down the deck steps came Tom, a representative from Make-A-Wish to tell A.J. that he was to spend a full day at Fort Drum in Watertown and become “A Soldier for a Day”.
On July 25th, the Plyters and their son were picked up by a limousine and driven in style to Eastview Mall, where they were loaded into a van and driven to Waterloo. At their hotel, they were met by two Make-A-Wish Foundation hosts who would accompany them during their stay, Vickie and Gerard Kipp.
First stop was “Bradley’s” to have his uniform fitted. A.J. was fitted into camouflage fatigues, measured and, to his surprise and delight, the ensignia on his uniform was the rank of “Colonel” for the day.
After the fitting was completed the Plyters were given the day to enjoy the Alexandria Bay area. A.J. and his parents and brothers, Jake and Josh, found themselves at the largest go-car track ever – the Alex Bay 500, where they raced for hours.
On Tuesday morning, A.J. and family reported to Fort Drum, where they were met by their Make A Wish hosts, and assigned a team to accompany them all day. His team included: the Kipps, Staff Sergeant Strot, Sergeant Ellis, Specialist “DZ” and PFC Miuccio.
Arriving to headquarters in a humvee, A.J. was escorted to the front of the room and officially “sworn in” by the Acting Base Commander of Fort Drum, General Bontrager. He was told that the men in camp were proud to know that A.J. had desired to honor them by wanting to be like them. He was given a patch and hat with the rank of Colonel, to wear and enjoy during his stay. A.J. was told to expect a day of crisp salutes from the soldiers, as he was of high rank for the day.
The teen was then taken to EIB (Expert Infantryman Badge) training. He was tested in camouflage of himself and a weapon and he passed. He was testing on putting together a field radio, and he passed. He was allowed to call in a spot report on the radio, and he passed the test for grenade launching.
Next stop was the DFAC (Dining Hall) where he ate with the soldiers, and reported that the food was really good.
At one point, the soldier ringing up his food, had to call for an “At Ease” for the men, since a “Colonel” was in the hall. Everyone saluted as he walked by.
Lunch was completed and the next destination was Air Assault School, where A.J. was given a brief training and then he repelled down at 45 foot wall. His brothers joined him in the test.
At the airfield, Sergeant Dawson, allowed A.J. to call commands to a large formation of troops. He had them stand at attention, face half right, and then drop for 10 push ups. He was not sure they all liked him much after that, but he got the feeling of a commander.
A great delight was his tour and inside look at a chinook, black hawk and several other helicopters, and A.J. was given a very prized possession – his own helicopter helmet, with microphone. Several Black Hawks flew over during his tour.
A.J.’s special day ended with his being allowed to run a flight simulator with a chief warrant officer at the controls with him. A Black Hawk gun simulator was also available to him, which he recalled as “awesome”.
The rest of the week was spent in Alex Bay relaxing with his family.
When asked about his “cool” experience, he reported that… “They wanted to know if it (my experience) was as good as I expected, or if I was disappointed. I said it was way more than I expected, with all the things I was allowed to do, and how I was treated. But I was also a “little” disappointed that I did not get to shoot a gun,” laughed A.J.
A.J. came home with many Army t-shirts, earned challenge award coins, a battalion insignia, and wonderful gifts and memories.
“People should know what a great organization “Make A Wish” is. It was a remarkable experience,” said A.J.’ dad, Mark Plyter.
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