Veterans home, local pilot give birthday helicopter ride to 89-year-old

The staff of the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau and Paul Salman, a local helicopter pilot, gave Eleanora Brewton a very special birthday gift. Brewton, a World War II Navy Veteran who currently lives at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau, has said all year she wanted to ride in a helicopter for her 89th birthday. Staff at the Veterans Home contacted Bruce Loy at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, and he put them in contact with Salman. On Wednesday, Salman landed his helicopter in front of the Veterans Home, and Brewton got her birthday wish. During their flight, which took them around Cape and over the Emerson Memorial Bridge, Brewton pointed out familiar landmarks. When asked what her next adventure would be, she said, "When I turn 100 I want to go skydiving."