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.

Ron Battiato adored his family - and he wasn't afraid to show it.

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

William J. Mann Jr. got hooked on the dangerous, lifesaving work of a helicopter nurse at age 12 when he had a chance to see the inside of the Loyola University Medical Center Lifestar helicopter.

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

• 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

Tuesday stories

• 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