| Jim Tuorila's most memorable hot air
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| | Frankl and his famous writings following
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| balloon flight comes with a small bit of
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| | his own imprisonment in Nazi
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| irony attached to one of its more
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| | concentration camps.
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| prominent elements, altitude. The veteran
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| | While doing his doctoral internship at
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| balloon pilot and co-founder of Freedom
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| | the Topeka, Kansas, VA Medical Center,
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| Flight, Inc., a non-profit organization
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| | Tuorila and his wife volunteered to crew
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| that raises awareness as well as hot air
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| | for a hot air balloon. When he went to
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| balloons, had flown hundreds of times.
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| | work in Minnesota, they saw a balloon in
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| But when one of his passengers requested
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| | flight one day and decided to volunteer
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| that he take his distinctive black
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| | again.
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| balloon with the easily recognizable POW
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| | In 1987, he appeared on a local TV
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| MIA logo to 5,000 feet, Tuorila
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| | program to talk about the emotional
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| acquiesced with little enthusiasm.
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| | difficulties families face when a loved
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| "I don't like to fly high," he said,
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| | one returns after years of captivity. On
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| laughing. "I'm afraid of heights. I can't
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| | the program he met the daughter of a Navy
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| lean over the side of a tall building and
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| | pilot shot down and declared MIA. The
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| feel comfortable. I probably wouldn't be
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| | daughter told him that the government
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| flying this balloon if it weren't for the
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| | story of her father's disappearance was
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| issue."
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| | very much at odds with the story told by
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| But the POW/MIA issue and the balloon are
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| | her father's wingman, who made a point of
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| inseparable. The striking black craft
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| | finding the pilot's family to tell them
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| with its three 30-foot high POW/MIA logos
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| | the true story of the incident.
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| is like no other and is easily spotted
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| | By then, Tuorila and his wife were
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| even in a sky like Albuquerque's in
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| | crewing on a balloon flown by a Vietnam
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| October, when mass ascensions at the
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| | veteran who had been encouraging him to
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| Albuquerque International Hot Air Balloon
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| | set up a non-profit with an eye toward
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| Fiesta might number more than a thousand
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| | calling attention to the POW/MIA issue.
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| colorful balloons in all shapes and sizes
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| | Then one day at work, his professional
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| gliding over the city.
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| | life and his weekend life coalesced.
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| Tuorila's three guests that day came with
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| | "I told my co-therapist, 'You know, I've
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| special significance. So he opened up the
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| | been flying and working with balloons for
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| balloon's gas burners and the black craft
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| | five years now. What about a black POW
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| rose into the air. His passengers were
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| | MIA balloon? What kind of attention would
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| women married to men still listed as MIA
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| | that get?' "
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| from the Vietnam War. He doesn't remember
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| | The co-therapist and co-founder of
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| which one asked that he fly to 5,000
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| | Freedom Flight, Vietnam veteran Bill
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| feet, but Tuorila has been a psychologist
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| | Nohner, thought it was a great idea. A
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| at a VA Medical Center in Minnesota for
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| | year later, Freedom Flight, Inc.,
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| 20 years; he was curious to see what
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| | obtained status as a non-profit
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| would happen when they reached that
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| | educational organization.
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| altitude. Balloon flights generally skim
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| | In 1989, the first flight went up. Its
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| the earth, the better to see and be seen.
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| | first passenger was Henry Sha, a World
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| At 5,000 feet, people on the ground are
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| | War II veteran and ex-POW who happened to
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| barely able to see the balloon. He
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| | stop his car when the balloon landed
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| couldn't imagine why his passenger wanted
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| | nearby. Invited onboard, he didn't
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| to climb that high.
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| | hesitate.
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| He said that the moment they reached the
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| | Now in its sixteenth year, Freedom Flight
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| requested altitude will stay with him
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| | continues to attract attention, sometimes
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| forever.
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| | through a little luck. At the 2005
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| "We get up there and she says this is the
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| | Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta,
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| altitude the military said her husband
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| | Tuorila volunteered to give rides to the
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| was at when he ejected from his plane
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| | media. A Voice of America camera crew
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| over Vietnam," he said. "She wanted to
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| | making a documentary on the balloon
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| see what the world looked like when he
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| | fiesta accepted his offer. When the crew
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| ejected. It touched me so deeply that
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| | members found out who they were flying
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| I'll never forget that flight with those
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| | with, a new angle for the documentary
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| women."
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| | emerged.
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| Freedom Flight, the POW/MIA Hot Air
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| | "When they found out what we were doing
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| Balloon Team, has flown in more than
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| | with the balloon, I think the program
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| seven hundred events since its first
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| | changed to include Freedom Flight and
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| flight in November 1989. The non-profit
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| | everything we were doing," Tuorila said.
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| now has three balloons that attend 35 to
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| | The change was in keeping with how
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| 45 events a year, staffed entirely by
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| | Tuorila describes the past sixteen years.
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| volunteers. The organization grew out of
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| | "The reception we've gotten over the
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| Tuorila's vocation, psychology, and his
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| | years make the hair on the back of my
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| avocation,hot air balloons.
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| | neck stand up," Tuorila said. "It's been
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| In 1981, while attending graduate school
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| | incredible. I've had what I assume to be
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| at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, he
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| | a Vietnam veteran come up, put $100 in my
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| worked with a group of World War II
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| | pocket and say, 'Keep it up,' then walk
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| ex-POWs called the "Lost Battalion," all
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| | away. I've had family members of the
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| of them survivors of more than three
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| | missing come up to me with tears in their
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| years in Japanese prison camps. That work
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| | eyes. I've had ex-POWs come up and thank
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| inspired Tuorila to write his doctoral
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| | us. Everywhere we go, the reception has
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| dissertation on the effects of captivity,
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| | been positive and overwhelming, and that
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| especially regarding the work of Victor
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| | keeps us flying.
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