Rotary Club hears from pilot
Published 9:35 am Tuesday, February 11, 2020
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Dave Wood paid a visit to the Queen City to speak with the Selma Rotary Club on Monday afternoon.
Wood, before retiring, ran Wood Fruitticher, the Birmingham-based foodservice supplier that his grandfather started in 1917.
However, It wasn’t Wood’s time in the foodservice business he spoke to the Rotarians about on Monday.
Now that he’s retired, Wood spends his time flying wounded veterans around the country for medical treatment.
Wood is part of a group of private pilots called the Veterans Air Lift Command.
The group flies the wounded veterans around at their own expense.
Wood said that he’s been flying for over 50 years since he learned how to fly from his father.
“I like to fly as much as I like to breathe,” said Wood. “Some people hunt or fish, I fly my plane,” he said.
Since joining up with Veterans Air Lift Command, Wood said he’s flown over 70 missions flying veterans to treatment, and before he’s done, he told the Rotarians he’d like to fly 100.
Wood said he’s learned so much about healing since he joined the organization and has learned a lot from everyone he’s flown.
“I’m forever convinced that I’m doing God’s work,” he said. “I just believe that.”
At the end of nearly 70 slides of photos and stories about the veterans he’s flown, Wood was met with a generous round of applause from the Rotarians.