Helicopter crew remembered as heroes
Pilot a hero in Vietnam
Some 40 years ago, Delbert Waugh did what he couldn't do Wednesday night: He walked away from the smashed remains of his helicopter.
Waugh's chopper was shot down during the Vietnam War, and he was the lone survivor of the crash, his ex-wife said Thursday.
"He lost everyone," said Emma Rutherford, who was married to Waugh for 23 years and now lives in Muncie, Ind. "He took a gun with him. He had shrapnel in his face."
Waugh trudged out of the jungle and found help in a village friendly to American soldiers, Rutherford said. Waugh earned two Purple Hearts during his two tours of duty in Vietnam, Rutherford recalled.
Waugh, who had one grown son and was twice divorced, spent two decades in the U.S. Army and was immensely proud of his service, Rutherford said.
"He didn't reveal his emotions much," Rutherford said. "He was pretty calm, cool and collected about things.
"But he was passionate about his flying."
Those who knew Waugh as a pilot with the Air Angels said he was equally passionate about his mission with that organization.
The Peotone paramedic stored photographs of his kids on his cell phone, and he sometimes kissed the snapshots in front of his paramedic buddies.
"He was a great guy and he loved his family," said Lonnie Williams, a paramedic who worked with Battiato in 2007.
Williams remembered Battiato as a man with a "Type A" personality who had seen just about everything during his 20 years as a firefighter and paramedic.
"When things got rough, he was right there," Williams said. "He taught me a lot - and I've been doing this longer than him."
Battiato started with the Air Angels in January of this year. His family said he became a firefighter and paramedic out of a desire to help others.
When he was killed, Battiato was working both for the Air Angels and the South Chicago Heights Fire Department.
"Ron was a good guy," said South Chicago Heights Assistant Fire Chief Larry Nardoni.
"He was a good family man. ... He had a lot of life experiences. He was always willing to help the younger firefighters."
On Thursday, as friends streamed through the front door of Battiato's home, his young son Ronnie called him "a hero to everyone," the family said.
-- Stefano Esposito, Annie Sweeney and Steve Metsch, Chicago Sun-Times
He was so intrigued that he wrote a school paper about it. Later, after earning his nursing license, Mann would join the helicopter crew of Air Angels, a medical transport company.
"He was an exceptional human being," Mann's mother, Arlette, said. "He was a star. His sisters would say, 'If Billy did anything, he always did it well.'"
Mann grew up in Norridge, graduating from Holy Cross High School in River Grove, proving himself to be a good kid who never gave his mom much to worry about.
"He was a wonderful son, a loving son and a loving brother," she said.
Mann started out as a paramedic in Norwood Park and also worked as a police officer in Huntley. But his dream was always to be a surgical triage nurse.
Mann worked two stints at Air Angels, the most recent one starting in July.
He had recently started looking for work at hospitals - something his mother was happy about, given the danger of his work.
In fact, he had a second interview lined up today at Evanston Hospital.
-- Annie Sweeney, Chicago Sun-Times
COMPLETE COVERAGE OF AIR ANGELS CRASH
Photos: Kirstin laid to rest
Photos: Workers fix radio tower
Photos: Copter crash probe begins
Photos: Family's mourning begins
Photos: The victims
Photos: Crash scene
Twitter: Latest developments
Map: Crash site
Tears, rain fall as tiny crash victim buried
Flight nurse a hero: 'Gave his life for little baby'
Hero's selfless final act offers some solace'
Monday stories
NTSB gets surveillance video Leland girl killed in crash laid to rest
Sunday stories
Close-knit town asks to mourn in private
Work finishes on damaged radio tower
Saturday stories
Tower work complete, residents may return
In wind, rain, workers chop up radio tower
Radio tower well-known to local pilots
Friday stories
Radio tower dismantled after helicopter crash
Family of tiniest victim mourns flight crew
Helicopter crash probe could take months
Residents evacuating apartments near tower
Witnesses describe the fiery crash
Air Angels: 'We look at what's best for the patient'
FAA under pressure to improve safety for EMS flights
Crash turns focus on air transport safety
Helicopter crew remembered as heroes
Shock settles on emergency response crews
Thursday stories
Aurora helicopter crash kills Air Angels crew, child
Friends speak of Air Angels crew's dedication
Witness: Debris rained down from the sky
NTSB investigating cause of crash
Police ask residents near crash to evacuate
Last Air Angels crash in Fox Valley 5 years ago
