Joe Moser of Ferndale was honored during Veterans Day events at the Seattle Seahawks-New York Jets game Nov. 11, raising the 12th MAN flag.
Joe, a 91-year-old WWII veteran The Bellingham Herald has written a lot about in the past, was a P-38 fighter pilot who was shot down during his 44th mission over France. He was imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald and scheduled to be executed.
His story is featured in the documentary "Lost Airmen of Buchenwald" and the book "A Fighter Pilot in Buchenwald."
Caregiver Letizia Bryan of Ferndale relates how this came about:
My sister has season's tickets to the Seahawks and gave Joe the tickets for Sept. 24 game as a gift for his birthday. He'd never seen the Seahawks play in that stadium.
"She sent an email to the man who's in charge of PR, letting him know Joe's story, and they wanted to honor him, so Joe was on the field during the opening ceremony while the "Star Spangled Banner" was being sung. He had a blast!
"He got to go down on the field during the opening ceremony. He met the head coach, he got a tour of the stadium, and he sat in the press box. He got a 12th MAN Seahawk medal for veterans."
As a result of that game, Mike Flood, the head of PR got in touch with Letizia's sister and wanted Joe to come to the Seahawks game on Nov. 11 for Veterans Day and sit in the 12th MAN VIP suite.
LOCAL RED CROSS VOLUNTEERS ON EAST COAST
The Mt. Baker Chapter of the American Red Cross is still helping people cope with the effects of Hurricane Sandy. Twelve chapter volunteers and the organization's emergency response vehicle are on the East Coast.
Volunteers from Bellingham, Nooksack, Everson, Ferndale as well as Burlington, Mount Vernon and Sedro-Woolley are helping to feed, shelter and provide medical and mental health services to people in need in New York, New Jersey, West Virginia and at Red Cross national headquarters in Washington, D.C. The vehicle is being used to help feed people in New York.
If you want to donate to the effort, go online to redcross.org to text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Contributions can also be sent to the Mt. Baker Chapter, 2111 King St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Note that the funds are for Hurricane Sandy.
HEALING HEARTS RAISES MONEY FOR ANIMAL THERAPY
Animals as Natural Therapy raised $13,740 at its Healing Hearts Breakfast Nov. 9. Speakers included a mother talking about watching her troubled son find companionship with a therapy horse and a schoolteacher watching her students grow and heal from the program.
More than 130 people attended the event, which raises money for scholarships for program participants.
The nonprofit agency offers programs that allow work with animals to teach people life skills that include respect for self and others, trust-building and clear communication. Ninety percent of the young people served by the group come from low-income families, and the group's goal is to never turn someone away for financial reasons.
Reach JULIE SHIRLEY at julie.shirley@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2261.
