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Sick boy gets his wish: to be an Army Ranger

He chooses crawling in mud over Disney.

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE - Weakened by his lifelong battle with cystic fibrosis, 14-year-old Riley Woina dreams of being strong like the war heroes he watches in movies.

The Army's 6th Ranger Training Battalion on Eglin Air Force Base recently helped him realize this unusual dream.

Susan Woina joked that her son could have taken his Plymouth, Conn., family to Walt Disney World or gone on a shopping spree through the Make-A-Wish Foundation instead of spending a week crawling in the mud with soldiers in the Florida Panhandle.

Inspired by his favorite movies, Black Hawk Down and the HBO World War II series Band of Brothers, Riley researched the 6th Ranger Training Battalion.

Riley said he couldn't think of anything better - not even visiting a chocolate factory - than seeing Camp James E. Rudder, where Rangers face their final and most difficult training challenges.

The 80-pound teen, weakened by his degenerative illness, said what he likes most about the Rangers is "their determination to leave no man behind."

Cystic fibrosis causes a buildup of a thick mucus that makes breathing difficult and inhibits absorption of nutrients, stunting growth. Riley takes nutritional supplements, respiratory medications, uses an inhaler and sleeps with a special vest that helps to shake up and clear out the mucus in his lungs while he sleeps.

Riley is the first child to ask Make-A-Wish to visit a Ranger camp, said Capt. Jeremiah Cordovano, a spokesman for the 6th Ranger Battalion.

The crew presented Riley with his own flight suit, a "U.S. Army Air Ambulance Detach" patch and his pilot's wings.

They also helped him radio his mom from the helicopter while hovering above the beach.

"Mom, this is Riley, this is awesome," he said.

"Riley, I'm glad you're having a good time," she said.

[Last modified February 25, 2007, 00:34:15]