SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- He long dreamed of living above the clouds, soaring through the skies and flying off into the wild blue yonder.
He could see his path to the Air Force clearly. But in an instant, his dream became blurry.
Sitting at home doing homework one night, Jonathan Dase noticed a problem with his right eye.
"My first reaction when Jon said he was having trouble seeing was that it would be something easy to fix with just eye drops or glasses or something," said Billie Dase, Jonathan's mother. "I thought it would be an easy fix and we could just go on with our lives."
Unfortunately for Jonathan, the fix would be anything but easy.
After weeks of the problem persisting and his eyesight continuing to diminish, doctors were finally able to diagnose him with a rare eye condition called keratoconus. According to the National Keratoconus Foundation, the condition progressively thins the cornea, resulting in significant visual distortion. The disease affects roughly one in every 2,000 people.
The diagnosis meant Jonathan would be severely limited in what he would be able to do - driving, continuing to play football, even joining the Air Force.
But despite his handicap, the Air Force still wanted to help Jonathan live his dream in another way.
On Sept. 23, Jonathan and his family visited Seymour Johnson Air Force Base as guests of the 334th Fighter Squadron Flying Eagles. He was given the VIP treatment, experiencing some of what it's like to be an F-15E Strike Eagle pilot and Weapons Systems Officer.
"We wanted to help Jonathan live out his dream," said Capt. Kathleen Frost, 334th FS WSO instructor. "He got up close and personal with the jet and aircrew."
Led by Frost, Jonathan began his tour learning about the Strike Eagle's nooks and crannies.
"It was cool seeing what all the plane could do," Jonathan said.
Next, Jonathan was taken to the 4th Operations Support Squadron life support shop to get fitted for a G-suit, which protects pilots when traveling at high speeds. He was also fitted for a helmet and night-vision goggles to get the full experience of what a pilot goes through in preparation for a flight.
His tour continued at the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape complex where he had the chance to experience a virtual simulation of ejecting from an aircraft. Strapped into a harness, Jonathan had to untangle his parachute, perform multiple safety maneuvers and land himself safely by controlling the parachute's speed and direction.
According to Frost, Jonathan performed excellently during his ejection simulation.
The last stop for Jonathan was at the Eagles' hangar, where he hopped inside the cockpit of a Strike Eagle.
"I haven't seen him smile so much since he was diagnosed," Billie said. "When Jon got up inside the jet, it was wonderful to see him having so much fun."
The family's tour concluded with Jonathan being certified as an honorary member of the Eagles to go along with his certificate he received from the Air Force making him an honorary Airman.
"It was really awesome, even better than I thought it would be," Jonathan said. "It was the best experience ever."
Jonathan will undergo surgery on Oct. 14 in Beverly Hills, California. The operation has graciously been paid for by an anonymous donor and their trip funded by local businesses and private donations.
The Dase family even exceeded their fundraising goal and plans to use the leftover money to pay it forward.
"There's a young man in Sacramento who was diagnosed with the same disease and sent home after a few days in Marine Corps boot camp," Billie said. "We want to fly him out here to Camp Lejeune and maybe try and give him a similar experience.
"We just want him to be able to live out his dream the way Jonathan did."
USAF. (U.S. Air Force Graphic by Rosario "Charo" Gutierrez)