The
Earl Aman
Courage Foundation
The Earl Aman Courage Foundation is a U.S. tax exempt fund dedicated to the members of the Red River Valley Fighter Pilot's Association ( River Rats) with special medical or physical needs. The fund was established by Bob Pardo, the 1996 River Rat of the year, as a means to aid his friend and fellow River Rat, Earl Aman, who is stricken with Lou Gehrig's Disease.
Acutely aware of the terminal consequences of his disease, Earl has insisted that any benefits he gains from the fund are to be passed on to other Rats when no longer of benefit to himself. Thus was born the Earl Aman Courage Foundation.
In Late
1966 and early 1967, Earl and Bob Pardo were members of the 433rd Tactical Fighter
Squadron, 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, at Ubon RTAFB, Thailand. On March 10, 1967, they were
participants in a heroic aerial event over North Vietnam which forever welded them
together.
With Steve Wayne, his back seater , Pardo literally pushed Aman's disabled fighter out of North Vietnamese skies and into the relatively safe area of Northern Laos. The action saved Earl and his back seater, Bob Houghton, from almost certain captivity in North Vietnam or possible death. The event has been memorialized as "Pardo's Push" and stands as one of the most remarkable aviation feats of the Vietnam War. All four crewman were ultimately awarded Silver Star medals - Aman and Houghton for courageously pressing the attack after sustaining severe battle damage - Pardo and Wayne for their heroic actions to save the lives of Aman and Houghton.
On each anniversary of "Pardo's Push," Pardo has called Earl from across the country or across the world, to relive that eventful day, to reaffirm a friendship founded in the rigors of war, and just to say "Howdy." The date was not hard to remember. March 10 was always special to Bob Pardo. It is his birthday.
On March 10, 1995: However, Earl was unable to answer the anniversary call. In the summer of 1994, Earl was diagnoses with Amyotrophic Lateral Scierosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig's disease. By March of 1995, he was almost completely paralyzed by the disease, being fed through a tube in his belly, breathing through a tracheotomy tube, and permanently hooked to a mechanical ventilator. Unable to get out of bed unassisted and unable to walk, talk, or effectively use his hands, Earl faced a desperate and bleak existence. While not destitute, medical cost left very little income to pay for quality of life items. It didn't take long for Bob Pardo to realize that his help was again needed. And, true to his character, it didn't take Bob long to take action.
Bob's first step was to establish an account for the Earl Aman Fund. He then set out to generate donations to the fund through speaking engagements and personal contacts. Then came an inspiration. In 1986, aviation artist, Steve Ferguson had painted a beautiful depiction of "Pardo's Push" and commissioned 1,000 lithographic prints, many of which are displayed in aviation and military art venues. With the help of several other River Pats, Bob obtained a loan and bought the prints rights to "Pardo's Push." He had the picture imprinted on tee-shirts and offered them for sale through his many contacts - the proceeds of each sale going to the Fund. Bob and his wife Kathryn, initially ordered only a hundred "Pardo's Push" tee-shirts. They didn't last long long as demand was all but overwhelming. Bob and Kathryn placed many more tee-shirt orders, each bigger than the previous and within a few months the Fund had grown sufficiently to begin helping Earl. The first purchase was a computer and voice synthesizer to give Earl the ability to communicate and to provide a window on the world via the Internet. By March 1996, enough money had been raised to purchase an electric wheelchair and a portable ventilator that would allow Earl freedom from the confines of his bedroom. Bob’s next goal was a big one—a van with a hydraulic lift. Such a vehicle would give Earl and his family the freedom to leave the house and to travel across town or across the country. The goal was to have a van available to October 1996, so Earl could travel to Colorado Springs for the 35th reunion of his 1961 Air Force Academy class. That goal was obtained.
Shortly after the wheelchair presentation, Earl was an honored guest at the annual Vietnam POW/MIA reunion at Randolph AFB, hosted by the 560th Flying Training Squadron and the San Antonio River Rats. As part of the festivities, Bob Pardo arranged a surprise reunion of the four individuals involved in "Pardo’s Push" – the first time the four had been together since March 10, 1967. It was an emotional time for Earl as well as Bob Houghton, Steve Wayne, and of course, Bob Pardo. Through the combined efforts of Earl’s wife, Lucy, San Antonio CinCRat, Bob Thompson, and his wife, Carole, who is Editor of the River Rat’s MiG Sweep, the wheelchair presentation and the "Pardo’s Push" reunion received considerable media attention. Subsequently, pictures and stories about "Pardo’s Push," the reunion, the plight of Earl Aman, and Bob Pardo’s efforts to help his friend, appeared in The Air Force Times, The Air Force Magazine, Airman Magazine, the MigSweep and in newspapers across the country. The story was also picked up by the Air Force Academy’s newsletter, Checkpoints, and noted by many of Earl’s classmates and other Academy alumni. One of those Academy alumni happened to be a Vice-Chairman at General Motors Corporation. Through his influence, General Motors donated a brand new GMC Safari Savanna van, complete with a lift and a special electrical system for Earl’s ventilator and other medical equipment. Earl and the Fund were also aided by generous donations from other Academy alumni and, particularly, from Earl’s 1961 classmates. As noted earlier, Earl and his family were able to travel to the 35th reunion of his Academy class. More recently Earl and his sons attended the 1997 River Rats’ convention in Las Vegas.
Bob Pardo’s tee-shirt sales provided the impetus for the Fund and over 3,000 shirts have been sold to date. However, the donation of the van and generous contributions by individuals and groups led to the conclusion that corporate funding could provide far more funds than could tee-shirt sales. To authorize tax deductions for both individual and corporate donations, the founding of a tax exempt foundation became a necessity. Meanwhile, Bob Pardo and other River Rats found themselves in awe of Earl Aman as he faced his debilitating disease with humor and courage. In particular, Earl’s insistence that the Fund outlive him stood as a symbol of his courage and his concern for the needs of others. Thus was born the Earl Aman Courage Foundation, dedicated to serve Earl as long as he has needs, and then to serve other River Rats as future needs arise. Because of IRS rules for tax exempt foundations, the Earl Aman Courage Foundation is not currently a feature of the Red River Valley Fighter Pilot’s Association. While endorsed by the River Rats, the Foundation cannot be financially supported by the Association nor can the Association directly engage in raising money for the Foundation. The Association’s legal advisors are searching for means to formally incorporate the Earl Aman Courage Foundation into the River Rats while retaining the tax exempt status of both entities.
Donation to the Earl Aman Foundation should be mailed to:
The Earl Aman Courage Foundation
821 Meadow Run
Golden, CO 80403
"Pardo's Push" tee-shirts remain available from the same address for $20.00 each. Sales of the tee-shirts continue to support the Foundation. Please specify size: Medium, Large, or Extra Large.
Prints of "Pardo’s Push" are available from the River Rats Country Store. However, sales of these items benefit the River Rats Scholarship Fund, and not the Earl Aman Courage Foundation.
