U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Aidan Peters is a playful 6-year-old from Colorado Springs. He likes country music star Taylor Swift, video games and Star Wars. His favorite color is blue, he likes Mac and cheese and he's had two open heart surgeries, the result of Tetralogy of Fallot -- a complex congenital heart defect.
Due to this condition, Aidan battles with heart arrhythmia, and the arteries to his lungs are 75% smaller than they should be.
These challenges don't keep Aidan from enjoying life to the fullest, said his mother, April Peters -- and by all indications, Aidan did just that when he became a cadet for a day at the Academy, Oct. 25.
Hosted by Cadet Squadron 26 and accompanied by April Peters and her father, Academy graduate retired Col. Richard Peters, Aidan was given a flight suit and treated to a variety of Academy activities including breakfast at the airfield control tower, a 10th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department display and, of course, coveted seats at the Falcons vs. Notre Dame football Oct. 26.
Aidan also marched in formation with CS-26 across the Terrazzo, with April and Richard Peters following.
"There is just no way I could have prepared for this," April Peters said. "I was crying the entire time. I just told Aidan that he was going to be a cadet just like his grandpa and he was really excited. For me, this was very personal because of my dad's service."
One CS-26 cadet described marching with Aidan as a "real pleasure."
"He was just marching up front next to the squadron commander," said Cadet 3rd Class John Rowan. "He started out shy, but toward the end Aidan was just laughing and popping salutes every few seconds."
The Cadet for a Day program is the result of ongoing teamwork between the Cadet Wing and the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
"It's an important program and we all like to participate," said Cadet 1st Class Zach Davis. "It's a good way to reach out to the community and we all try hard to make it a very special event. We look at Cadet for a Day as if it's going to be one of the coolest things Aidan will ever experience. Beyond that, seeing the smile on Aidan's face cheered us up in ways you can't imagine. He was just beaming all day."
Aidan apparently didn't want to take off his new flight suit once he arrived home -- "I had to argue him out of that suit at night," April Peters said -- but he'll soon have another chance to sport it as he and April Peters plan to attend Saturday's Air Force-Army football game at Falcon Stadium.
"I could never have imagined something like this for my son," April Peters said. "There's just no way I could ever thank everyone at the Academy enough."