By James Mayse
Messenger request
OWENSBORO, Kentucky – Tyler Grant, a member of the Owensboro Fire Department, took to the skies Wednesday morning when he was selected to fly with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels from MidAmerica Jet.
Grant, a driver/engineer in the department, was selected to fly the F-18 as part of the Blue Angels’ Key Influencer program.
Grant was briefed for his flight early Wednesday, equipped with a Blue Angels helmet and overalls, and took off from the airport shortly after 11 a.m.
“I can’t wait to see Daviess County and Owensboro from this perspective,” Grant said before the flight. “It’s going to be pretty impressive.”
Grant was chosen both for his role in the fire service and for a service he provided to his family. Grant donated one of his kidneys to a sister-in-law, who recovered.
“It’s great to see her doing everything she loves,” Grant said.
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The recovery after the operation last year took a long time, he said.
“I couldn’t get off the couch for six weeks,” Grant said.
When asked why it was so unique that his kidney matched that of his sister-in-law, Grant said, “I believe God definitely has a plan.
“Her kidney disease was a genetic oddity,” he said. “People ask, ‘Why would God do something like that?’ But he solved the problem before it even started.”
Battalion Chief Bobby Grant, a member of the OFD command staff, said city officials asked department leadership “if we knew anyone who met the criteria of a community hero,” and Tyler Grant immediately came to mind “because of his commitment to public safety in the community and what he has done for his in-laws.”
“He’s a great firefighter and a community hero, just like his name suggests,” Bobby Grant said. “This is good for the community and especially good for Tyler and his family.”
Tyer Grant said of donating his kidney: “It comes down to firefighter stuff. If I see something needs to be done, why don’t I just do it?” he said. “It seems like the right thing to do. Why not help someone you could help?”
Grant said of the flight: “It was super exciting. On the flight there I thought: I haven’t been this excited since the first time I went to a building fire. This is literally so intense for me. It’s huge.”
The media choice fell on Shawn Johnson East, an Olympic gymnast who is aiming to win a gold and a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. East covered this year’s Paris Olympics for Yahoo.
“This is truly a dream come true,” East said, and “it’s on my bucket list.”
When East received an email about coming from Nashville to Owensboro and flying with the Blue Angels, “I thought it was a joke,” she said.
“The adrenaline junkie in me loves it,” East said. “I’ve jumped out of planes, I’ve been in an Indy car. I love it.”
East said she was impressed with the city’s activities at the air show.
“We are bringing our children back this weekend,” she said.
(c)2024 The Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, Kentucky)
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