World War II flight nurse soars again

A World War II veteran had a very special day Thursday.

Betty Hull, a former flight nurse, flew as a special co-pilot at Corporate Wings.

“It was wonderful,” Hull said.

This may be her final flight due to her age and arthritis, but hull says it was a blast.

“It brings a lot of memories back,” Hull said.

Hull enlisted as an army flight nurse at age 23, and served in the Pacific front with a perfect record.

“I made 200 flights and never lost a patient,” Hull said.

Hull was even stranded in the Japanese jungle for four days, after her plane was shot down.

These days, she lives more comfortably in La Porte, and is cared for by Heartland Hospice.

“We decided we wanted to award her for her service,” Thomas Sweeney, team physician at Heartland Hospice said.

Sweeney, a veteran himself, took the lead on coming up with the perfect surprise for Hull.

“As we told more people the story, more people wanted to help and it just grew from there,” Sweeney said.

Hull finally took off again one day before Veterans’ Day.

No matter how big her smile, Sweeney says it is the bare minimum to truly thank an American like Hull.

“It makes me feel that I was glad because a lot of fellas came home because I was there,” Hull said.

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