BOISE -- Many hospice patients have a longtime wish for an event or activity they have always dreamed of doing, often long before they had a terminal illness.
That wish came true for U.S. Army veteran Don Koon in Boise Thursday, thanks to the local nonprofit Wish Granters.
Don served the United States as a chief deputy officer in Vietnam. During his time in Vietnam, Don got to do one of his favorite things - fly recon planes.
"Cessna L-19, a two-seater," Koon remembers.
It's been a long time since Koon has flown in a plane like that, and most of the people around him assumed those days were long gone.
The veteran recently entered hospice care at St Luke's. Shortly after he was asked if there was anything he wanted to do before the end of his life.
To Koon, that answer was easy.
"I said I would love to fly one more time in a Bird Dog," he said.
Because of his health, getting back in a plane like he flew in Vietnam seemed very unlikely.
"He said 'more than anything in my life, I'd like to fly again, but I can't because of my oxygen needs,'" social worker Kathe Gallagher remembers.
But Gallagher decided she was going to do whatever it took to get Koon back in the air one more time. She explained Don's situation and dream with his doctors.
"The doctor and the nurse practitioner said, 'oh, we can work with that,'" she said.
Now all they needed was a plane and a pilot.
Through a partnership with Wish Granters and the Ponderosa Aero Club, Koon got to take to the skies one last time, with Gallagher right by his side.
Just like old times, Koon loaded into the plane, put on the headset, and prepared for takeoff.
The Cessna chugged down the runway and slowly rose off the ground.
As Don soared across the Valley he quietly smiled and took in the sights.
"I think he is thrilled inside, and playing it cool," Gallagher said.
Afterward, Koon said that while he was in the air, flying was the only thing on his mind.
"It was fantastic," he said.