Captain Donald Thompson, a resident of SaddleBrooke, has made hundreds of model airplanes.
Left to right: Lieutenant Colonel “GAR” Rose, Lieutenant General Tom Keck and Lieutenant Colonel Moose Skowron
Jenny Rink
The 2017 American Heroes luncheon on March 8, sponsored by SaddleBrooke Troop Support, was enjoyed by a sold-out audience of 150. The speakers were from a group called “The Friday Pilots,” a group of fighter pilots, bomber pilots, airline pilots, corporate pilots and astronauts who meet for lunch every Friday at Hacienda Del Sol. The three speakers, Lieutenant General Tom Keck, Lieutenant Colonel Moose Skowron and Lieutenant Colonel “GAR” Rose spoke of their adventures in the military to a captive audience. An extra surprise was a display of model airplanes made by Captain Donald Thompson, a resident of SaddleBrooke, who over the years has made hundreds of model airplanes. It was a trip down memory lane for the speakers, as well as many of the pilots in the audience. Anyone interested in learning more about these brave men can read The Friday Pilots, written by 20 pilots, which can be purchased from Amazon.com or BN.com. $5 of each book sold is donated to the Fisher House at the Tucson VA Medical Center which provides a “home away from home” for loved ones of veterans or Active Duty personnel receiving inpatient care from the Tucson VA.