Organ donors… and other heroes

It was a touching scene recently when Jolene Donner and John Cunningham met for the first time.

They share a unique bond: Cunningham is alive thanks to the heart donation from Donner's twin brother.

Her brother Erik Price died in 1995, and his organs eventually went to five different people. Donner had tried to contact the recipients but got no response until Cunningham called her this spring.

That set up an emotional encounter when Donner met the man whose life was saved by her brother's heart.

This story of a shared heart should be a reminder of the good that can come from a tragedy if people have the foresight to provide for others by agreeing to organ donation.

If you watched the skies over the Flathead Valley last weekend, you could see pieces of the past flying overhead.

An authentic B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator were on display in the sky and at the airport as part of a fundraiser for a nonprofit organization.

These planes are truly flying museums - the B-24 is the last of its kind still flying; the B-17 is one of only nine B-17s still in flying condition.

They are the types of bombers in which thousands of young American aviators flew on harrowing missions over Europe and the Pacific during World War II. The young airman had a one-in-three chance of being shot down.

Those two old but carefully restored warplanes are impressive flying reminders of American bravery and technology in that great war so long ago.

As for today's warriors, we know they are often forgotten while serving in faraway lands, so it was a pleasure to read about the good works of Staff Sgt. Bret DePratu recently.

DePratu, who grew up in Whitefish and is employed by Plum Creek, is serving his second stint in the military. As a member of the Air National Guard, he works in security special services and left for Iraq in early March.

Besides his regular work, DePratu is also a volunteer of an unusual sort - he donates blood platelets at the Air Force Theater Hospital at Balad Air Base, the largest trauma center in Iraq.

Obviously, that kind of contribution can help to save lives among both U.S. service members and Iraqi civilians. It also represents the true helping spirit of the U.S. military and should make us all proud.