Good Knights: Reserve pilots step up to mentor kids who lost their dads during war

  • Published
  • By Bo Joyner
  • Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command
Citizen Airman/Oct. 2013 --  While attending the memorial ceremony for his friend and fellow Air Force pilot Maj. Troy Gilbert at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., in 2006, Lt. Col. Steve Harrold couldn't stop thinking about Gilbert's five young children, especially the two young sons who were close in age to Harrold's own boys.

Gilbert was killed during combat operations while flying his F-16 to protect ground troops being overrun by the enemy in the Al-Anbar Province of Iraq on Nov. 27. As Gilbert was honored, Harrold said he couldn't stop worrying about those five kids who had just had their father taken away from them. How would they grow up without their primary male role model? He knew he had to do something.

That "something" turned out to be creating the Knights of Heroes Foundation -- an organization that brings together children between the ages of 11 and 17 who have lost their fathers during military service for a week-long wilderness adventure camp.

The first camp was held in June 2007 when 16 boys from Texas, Florida, Arizona and Colorado attended. The program was extended to include girls in 2011, and this year, 51 boys and 27 girls attended separate camps in Colorado in early August. During the camps, 38 moms and 10 younger siblings spent the week visiting sites in and around Colorado Springs. The non-profit program, which is funded solely through private donations, is totally free to all attendees.

Needless to say, a program like Knights of Heroes requires many volunteers and a lot of financial support. And there's one Air Force Reserve organization that has gone above and beyond to answer the call for help put out by the KOH organization.

Five Air Force Reserve F-16 pilots assigned to the 301st Fighter Wing's 457th Fighter Squadron, Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas, volunteer their time every year to provide positive adult mentorship during the camp. They pay their own expenses to get to Colorado and take time off from work so they can bond with youngsters who are trying to navigate their way through their teenage years without their fathers around.

Maj. Charles Huber, an air reserve technician who currently serves as the chief of standards and evaluation for the 457th, has been involved with Knights of Heroes since the beginning.

"Colonel Harrold is a good friend of mine, and when he told me about what he was doing, I told him I wanted to help," Huber said.

"The reason I do this is simple," he said. "It's to honor the men and women who have lost their lives; and I can think of no better way of honoring them than by caring for their children."

Huber is a camp leader for young men in the first- through third-year program, which is designed to emphasize the camper/mentor relationship. Each camper is matched with his own mentor. The camper and mentor are challenged throughout the week with activities such as rock climbing, whitewater rafting, hiking, canoeing, shooting, archery and much more. The activities are designed to develop trust, confidence and a sense of accomplishment.

"The activities we do are amazing," Huber said, "and they teach these kids a lot of valuable lessons. But what might be more important is that we bring these kids together, and they get to know other kids just like them who are going through the same things they are going through. The friendships they develop can last a lifetime."

Over the years, a number of Huber's fellow Reservists have joined him in supporting Knights of Heroes. Lt. Col. John Oglesby has served as a mentor for five years, and he is currently the organization's fundraising committee chairman. Maj. Ryan Dekok and Capt. Chris Bachelor have volunteered for three years, and Maj. Mike Barron just finished his first camp as a mentor. Another of Huber's close friends, Lt. Col. Jason Ausdemore, a C-17 pilot assigned to Air Force Reserve Command's 452nd Air Mobility Wing, March Air Reserve Base, Calif., has been a mentor for three years.

Another Reservist who has supported the program as a mentor for the past two years is Maj. John Chester, an F-16 pilot assigned to the 93rd FS at Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla.

The 457th's support doesn't end with the five pilot volunteers.

"The entire squadron has contributed through fundraising over the years," Huber said. "In 2010, we held a fundraiser that allowed the foundation to purchase backpacks for all the kids."

The KOH website is full of testimonials from moms who have seen the positive effects the camp has had on their kids. The wife of one soldier killed in 2006 talked about the fear that set in when she was left alone to raise three young boys.

"When their father was alive, I had no doubt that they would become great men of honor -- they had a wonderful role model to teach them," she wrote. "But now the responsibility fell solely on me. But I am a woman. I can do the mom part, but what about all the needs that can only be filled by a man? Boys need strong, faithful role models. They need that male guidance to ensure they become the best man they can be.

"Then our family received one of the greatest blessings to come our way following our tragedy. I was told of a camp being organized to help ease this burden. A camp where male mentors would take my boys under their wings and do 'guy' stuff with them, all the while teaching them essential character traits needed to become a man of honor."

She went on to say that what happened when her two sons went to camp was life changing, "not only for them but for me as well. They faced challenges, overcame obstacles and learned to work as a team. They took guidance from these strong mentors and learned that it was OK to talk about the tragic loss of their father in their time, in their way. But most of all they walked away realizing that there were men out there who loved them and wanted to share in their life as they grow. My boys walked away feeling that they just might be able to trust again and that there was hope for the future. And this mom left knowing that she wasn't going to have to do it alone."

That's what Knights of Heroes is all about, empowering children who have lost their fathers during military service by providing positive adult mentorship, character development and lasting friendships.

"It's important we ensure these families with losses are not forgotten," Huber said. "And it's an honor to be able to be there for their kids."

KOH is currently looking to buy its own property so it can offer programs for youngsters year-round. To find out more about the organization, check out the KOH website at http://knightsofheroes.org/.