The AM Forum

My father of 82 years is in the hospital dying of pulmonary fibrosis. The doctor says he has days to 2 weeks. He is a military man having piloted KC135 tankers in the cold war and serving as a forward air controller squadron commander in Viet Nam. He is facing the facts of life but facing facts isn't really making it any easier, just more orderly. Mom is beside herself.

We are all praying for a miracle, and that he might have his wish be able to come home to be with my mother for a while, and he also wants to see his cats before he goes. I don't think that's silly at all, he wants to be at home and that is reasonable. He's on oxygen, a lot of it. I don't know if or how that much O2 can be supplied at home. I am going to talk with the doctor today and ask a lot of questions.

Would anyone who cares to, please pray for my father? His name is Len. If he could be at home, he would be much relieved and it would do my mother good as well.

thank you.

Patrick,

I'm very sorry to hear about your dad's current condition and what you and your family are going through. I'm not sure there are any words I can say that would be helpful but I hope he can get home and have his family around him. Take care.

Rob W1AEX

My Prayers are going out for your Dad.

John N2XD (former KC-135 crew chief and Air Commando in Nam)

Mine also and also to hope he gets to come home.  There are commercial home delivery oxygen suppliers.  Also portable oxygen generators I think are rentable.

My son also pilots KC-135's out of Pittsburgh, Pa. Air Nat. Guard wing.

The very best to you and your Dad, Patrick.

Pat, is there any way Hospice could play a big part in having your father return home?  I would certainly check into it.

Patrick,

Sorry to hear of your father's health condition.  Not easy,  I lost my mother of 93 years this past May.

Fred

Hospice does a wonderful job.  We used them in the final 4 weeks of my Dad's life.   They should be able to work all the logistics with the hospital and make sure you Dad's final wishes are carried out.  My Dad was a WWII Vet and his wish was either to die in a VA facility or die in the home that he built with his own hands.  The later occurred and he was very much at peace.   

I will keep your Dad in my prayers as he prepares for his journey. 

Best to you and your entire family in dealing with this.  Its not easy.

Joe-W3GMS   

Pat,  I will certainly keep your Dad and his family in prayer.

I echo Joe's comments about Hospice. 

Pat,

Sorry to hear about your dad's condition and he is in our prayers.

I lost mine in April 2014 at 90. He flew P47's on D-Day and P-51's out of Leige Belgium during the "Bulge."

Phil - AC0OB

Patrick,

I was sorry to hear of your father's condition. I have prayed for his wishes.

I flew in KC-135's four times in the early 1970's.  I was stationed at Minot AFB N.D. 1971-1974, in the SAC Minuteman missile system maintenance squadron 91MIMS.  I flew to
* Carswell AFB, Texas and back to Minot (~ Oct. 1971) and then (~ June 1972) to Vandenberg AFB California and back after 7 weeks TDY there test firing two Minuteman pulled from strategic duty in our wing's silos.  Got up to 53,000 ft.

* Any chance your father was our pilot? (I think the plane and crew were based at Minot also. You would know if you had to live at Minot, HI!)

Tom, former SAC team chief

Patrick ... you, your mom and dad are in our prayers for ease of suffering and piece of mind ....73 ....John... usaf 1971-74

So sorry to hear this.  I am praying that your Dad gets his wishes.  I would be the same way with my 25 cats and all the goats.

I will pray for your Dad, as well as for you and your Mom as you go through this difficult time. +1 on the hospice suggestions. Hospice worked wonders for my Dad and mother-in-law.

73,
Jim
WA2MER

Pat,

Your dad sounds like a good man.   Thank him for his service from out this way,  please.

I'll keep him in my thoughts.   And I'll also echo hospice.   They've done miracles for two people close I've had the displeasure of losing.

Good luck and godspeed.   

--Shane
KD6VXI

Pat,
I'm sorry to hear of your burdens.

The Hospice Home Care folks were wonderful during the last few months of my mom's life.  They were so kind and brought a sense of peace for the whole family.  I hope they can help you.

bill

Patrick -  XYL and I will pray for your dad.

Lost mine a number of years ago.  He spent WWII in Europe as commo chief of an antiaircraft unit.

Who knows, I may have talked to your dad back in the late 60's when I was part of NORAD [Army Air Defense Command].  Coordinated a lot with SAC; both the bombers and tankers.  Lots of commo on UHF.

I will send some good karma your way and hope for the best.
My dad was a WW2 vet, was under Patton in Europe in the engineers who cleared airports of booby traps and built bridges and so on. He died early at 74 of heart troubles and my mother went a year later.

Smoking had a lot to do with both going so early I suppose, they both quit but maybe too late.

My best.

 

Patrick,

I am sorry to hear about your Dad. My prayers to You, Mom and Dad. I was able to bring my Mom and Dad home for their final days. Hospice workers are enormous helpers and friends at times like this. I believe your Dad is going to a better place. Your Mom is the one that will need your help and support. God bless your Dad and you and your Mom.

Mike

My thoughts are with you and your family. We used Hospice in the hospital for my parents and Father in law and at home with my mother in law. We were able to sit with all of them to the very end. IT is a great service to all
Carl
/KPD

Patrick - your Dad and all of you are in my prayers.  Like the others have suggested, hospice care would be a great comfort for all of you

I sure appreciate all the kind comments and prayers.

Dad flew for SAC from about 1962 to 1972 and flew in Viet Nam from 72 to 74, I guess I need to find the true year he SAC assignmnent began. I was just a little one at that time. He may very well have talked to some of you on the radio. Flights varied and were not always disclosed but many were to Alaska and back, or to Hawaii and back, once to Japan. Dad would always return bringing my brother and I a couple of the left overs of flight lunches.. a lunchbox sized paper carton with sandwiches that had been made on-base, various other items and cans of juice, good stuff. His tour in Viet Nam was quite different. They needed experienced officers to command forward air control squadrons. I remember he got his LTC promotion and thereafter the assignment. His job was still a working position. He flew the same missions as his men. The aircraft was much smaller, a modified Cessna of conventional type as well as an O-2. The job was to spot and mark enemy assets and positions with smoke rockets and then direct heavily armed jet aircraft already flying above to destroy the targets. The forward air controllers had to fly low enough to see the enemy but high enough to be out of range of small arms, risky business. Today a drone would be sent.. technology was not as it is today.

Well, the priest has been in to give last rites. The funeral home has been in, and the National Cemetary has been engaged. He is able to talk but gets very winded, it really wore him out. Some relatives have come from out of town. I will be visiting again after church in the morning. The doctors promise to try everything to keep him comfortable. Hospice may need to be in-patient, unless he improves he can't be moved, and he seems to be OK with the situation, does not want the stress of moving right now. He is really a fact facing person. He's a very brave man. He's told me the music he wants, I have been all day finding and editing it.

My thoughts and prayers are with your father, you and the entire family. Peace will follow this difficult time.

Hey Patrick
It's not easy to see your parents moving on to another life. There will be prayers from me that there is some hope of a miracle. Good things can happen at the last minute. Keep the Faith
Fred

Len Jankowiak, father of five, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed away at 6:30 AM Central time. My uncle was staying with him through the night. Dad slept well last night, awoke once and spoke with my uncle a bit, and went back to sleep. He said he was not in pain, and the medications helped him to breathe without discomfort, although his energy has been very low the last day or so and he has not spoken too much due to the effort. He said he was not uncomfortable and he didn't want any more medication, and he went back to sleep. He has been waking a time or two and returning to sleep for a long time, like some of us the arthritis or other annoyances contribute to this in maturing age. In the early hours my uncle noticed his breathing was a little slow and the nurse was called, when she arrived a moment later he had passed from this place into the glory of the Lord. I had hoped to see him this morning on my way to work, and yesterday evening had told him so, and he had been in good spirits and expecting my visit. We believe he passed painlessly in peaceful sleep and for this we are most grateful.

I want to thank everyone for their prayers and good wishes. I believe they have been answered kindly.

We will honor and celebrate his life.  Dad was one of the most selfless people I have known. He was very orderly and loved precision in all that he did. This included everything from the flying of military aircraft, to some of his hobbies such as building models of aircraft and making very lifelike sketches, and also his work after Air Force retirement with liquid scintillator equipment and the creating of precision models of prototype products and the molds from which their parts were made. He was a strict father and made sacrifices to put 5 children through Catholic school, but he was not rigid and always showed us a great deal of love. None of us could have asked for better.

Sounds like a great man,  Pat.   My condolences.

--Shane
KD6VXI

Physically, he may be gone but his memories and all he taught you live on! Hang in there, I'm sure he's reading this!

Slow Salute

John N2XD

Patrick,

Sorry to hear of your father's passing.

RIP

Fred
KA2DZT

Patrick,
My condolences to you and your family. He sounds like a good man with a life welll lived.
Carl

Patrick,

Sorry to hear of your dad's passing. I hope you and your family will share many fond memories of the wonderful life that he lived with you all.

Rob

Rest in peace, Sir.

My condolences, Patrick.

My condolences go to you Patrick, for your loss. It's nice to hear of the work that your dad did, and what a great man he was. I am watching my 96 year OM for his day, but he is still kicking around, even driving, which makes the kids very nervous. He was in WWII infantry in Germany.

  Patrick,

  My thoughts and prayers have been with you through this ordeal since you made this post. I believe your Uncle was the chosen one to help your dad cross over. I spent a week with my mother in her last days. She was not going to go when I was there. I had to leave, and was replaced by my sister in law. Two days later mom left this world.

   You might find this brief article interesting:

http://www.canisius.edu/newsevents/what-dreams-may-come#?cat=magHome

Jim
Wd5JKO

Funeral mass will be next Tuesday. I had no idea how many things must be done. Mom's in reasonably good health, we have to get her past the loss. We'll all help her.

Sorry to hear of your father's passing, Pat. 

RIP.

T

Patrick

As an Elder in our church, I've had to minister to people that have lost loved ones.   I hope you'll take comfort in what Paul wrote to the the church at Philippi:   "If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far" (Phil 1:22-23)

My condolences OM.

Thanks!

The funeral is at St Paul the Apostle Church on Tuesday at 10 AM.

Here's a pic of my dad in his day, once he made 2LT and was assigned to fly the Douglas B26. (The Douglas A-26 Invader was renamed to the B-26, not to be confused with the older Martin B-26 Maurader used primarily in WWII). He must have been 20 or so in that pic.

Patrick,

Great picture of your dad.

Thanks for sharing it with us.

Fred

an excellent representative of 'the greatest generation ++' ... may God bless you with His mercy and grace ....John

Sorry for your loss Pat, and thankful for your dad's dedication and contribution to keeping America free and he world a safer place. May his service to his country and dedication to your family be a source of pride and comfort for you all in this time.

So sorry for your loss Pat.  Not an easy situation to deal with.  I have lost both of my parents and after their lost, one can feel a bit of a loss themselves since they have passed.   My mom made it to 90 and Dad to 84.  Dad was a WWII veteran serving under Patton in the 609 Light Engineering unit building temporary bridges for troop passage all through Europe.   Following the war he seldom missed any of his yearly Army reunions! 

Healing will take time....

73,
Joe-W3GMS   

Sorry to hear of your loss Patrick. My you find peace.

I wonder if your dad and my dad were in the same unit....

Sorry to hear of your fathers passing Patrick. My best friend of 33 years passed away from the same illness.

It sounds like he lived a wonderful life and for that, I'm sure you and your family are grateful!