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Travis makes boy superhero for a day

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Amber Carter
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  As he puts on the uniform resembling military desert camouflage, he is no longer a child. He is a superhero.

His mission is to use his extremely advanced fighting skills developed over his 11 years on earth to defeat the bad guys and rescue the good guys.

His superhero instincts lead him to the inside of an aircraft with bad guys lurking behind every corner and his getaway helicopter awaits him outside.

Many children grow up pretending to be superheroes but rarely get the chance to become one in the same way D'Marrion Otten did Aug. 15 at Travis Air Force Base.

D'Marrion was referred to the Make-a-Wish foundation, an organization that grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. His illnesses have resulted in surgeries on his ears causing a loss in hearing. He uses American Sign Language to help him communicate.

"He's not too vocal," said Michelle Brown, D'Marrion's mom. "I was shocked, but I was happy to hear that flying on a helicopter with a superhero was the wish that he told the Make-a-Wish foundation."

The event consisted of two scenarios. The first was aboard a Travis C-5 Galaxy where D'Marrion learned how to use his super power to defeat the bad guys, Airmen volunteers. Then he rode in a Humvee to a Coast Guard helicopter and flew to Solano Community College.

"He's never flown before and he loved it," Brown said.

Scenario two was set up by the Solano County Sheriff's Department. D'Marrion defeated multiple bad guys and rescued his baseball coach, Paul Ragan.

"D'Marrion is an outstanding kid and baseball player, said Master Sgt. Paul Ragan, Junior Giants coach and 60th Civil Engineer Squadron NCO in-charge. "He plays without hesitation and I couldn't ask for a better superhero."

After saving the day, D'Marrion was flown back to Travis where he received a Hero's welcome involving the 22nd Airlift Squadron standing in formation upon his arrival. Col. Corey Martin, 60th Air Mobility Wing commander, presented him with a military coin, a medal for exceptional bravery, a certificate and a set of personalized dog tags.

"It was fun," he signed. "The helicopter ride was beautiful. I was surprised and I wasn't scared."

Make-a-Wish partnered with Travis, the Coast Guard and the Solano County Sheriff's Department to help make D'Marrion's wish come true.

"It was very inspiring to see so many different organizations come together to make this happen for D'Marrion," said Tech. Sgt. Michael Turner, event coordinator and 21st Airlift Squadron C-17 Instructor Loadmaster and Readiness flight chief. "The level of support that everyone provided was just amazing."