Photo By Capt. Jason Smith | A group of Train, Advise, Assist Command-Air (TAAC-Air) officers are preparing to get...... read more read more
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KABUL, Afghanistan – When a brother-in-arms needs support, whether he asks for it or not, he’s going to get it.
That is the stance some Train, Advise, Assist Command-Air (TAAC-Air) officers are taking following a Facebook post from a previous TAAC-Air member.
Lt. Col. Jeff “Krusty” Capretto was a C-130 air advisor with the 538th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron, Kabul, Afghanistan, from March through September of 2016. Krusty finished his tour and went home, but a group of his friends are still at Forward Operating Base Oqab in Kabul.
“We saw a post on Facebook where Krusty is getting his head shaved to support the fight against childhood cancer,” said Lt. Col. William Alcorn, TAAC-Air commander’s action group. “We all know Krusty has a heart of gold, and we wanted to find a way to support him.”
They put their heads together, figuratively, and decided to put their heads together, literally, by having them shaved for donations.
“This is a group of handsome men with beautiful hair,” said Lt. Col. John Chan, TAAC-Air CJ-7 deputy director. “The result is not going to be pretty, but the cause is worth it.”
Krusty graduated high school with Eric Haddad in 1994 and re-connected with him when they were both married and expecting children years later. They have been close family friends for many years.
Eric’s son Shane, who is now 11 years old, has been fighting cancer since he was 4. He was diagnosed with multiple brain tumors and has had three brain surgeries, chemo and radiation treatments. Krusty, and his son, Braeden, volunteered to have their heads shaved for donations to show their support for Shane as part of “Team Capretto.”
Not yet knowing Shane’s full story, the TAAC-Air group at FOB Oqab jumped onboard to support Team Capretto. Once they learned more about Shane, they decided to do even more.
“We are going to post on our personal pages and do as much as possible to support Team Capretto,” said Alcorn. “It was an easy decision to get behind Krusty, and it was even easier to decide to have our heads shaved after hearing all about Shane.”
The rules are simple. The group will ask their friends to make a donation on the Team Capretto page at St. Baldrick's Foundation fight to Conquer Childhood Cancer. Any donation made “in honor” of any participant will result in that person having their head shaved publically on March 16, 2016.
“The love and support from people like you (Krusty) give me and Amy strength,” said Haddad. “We in turn share that strength with our children because we have to be strong for them. Shane has been a miracle in many ways and has defied many odds in his short 11 years. Shane continues to inspire us all; especially kids.”
Krusty knows his friends always have his back, but he said he was still happily overwhelmed with his former unit jumping in to support Shane.
“When we are removed from our loved ones or faced with challenges some may say are insurmountable, you are blessed with the vision and realization that most of us do not realize how lucky we really are,” said Krusty. “Watching Shane and others like him fight cancer at such a young point in their lives inspires me to never give up and face every challenge with a positive attitude. This year’s event is extra special because I will have the opportunity to team up with my son, Braeden. I hope he will be inspired by the event as much as I have been and the little courage it will take him to shave bald will give him a glimpse of the courage Shane deals with daily!
“I don’t think I can put into words the amount of courage and bravery Shane has,” continued Krusty. “A young boy who began battling cancer at such a young age, he is an inspiration to anyone who is blessed to hear his story and meet him.”
Anyone interested in more information about the shaving event and Team Capretto can go to the website here: https://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/TeamCapretto.
| Date Taken: | 03.08.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 03.08.2017 06:38 |
| Story ID: | 226096 |
| Location: | AF |
| Web Views: | 243 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, TAAC-Air joins former member in fight against childhood cancer, by Capt. Jason Smith, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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