Nine-year-old Owain Weinert's face lit up as he nudged the joystick forward and the 62nd Civil Engineer Squadron's bomb-diffusing robot lurched into motion.

He'd had control of the robot for only a few minutes and already he'd nearly mastered the thing.

Standing next to Owain with a wide smile on his face was Airman 1st Class Matthew Edge, part of the 62nd CES' explosive ordinance disposal team.

"He certainly has a knack for it," said Edge, who showed Owain how to operate the joystick console. "It means a lot for me to show him. I love this job and I love to share my experience with everyone."

The scene played out Tuesday at McChord Field was one part of a day full of activities Owain enjoyed as part of the Pilot for a Day program.

The nine-year-old was recently diagnosed with Precursor-B Acute Lymphocitic Leukemia, and is undergoing chemo at Children's Hospital of Seattle. The Pilot for a Day program is a partnership between the 62nd Airlift Wing and the local Air Force Association chapter that gives children with catastrophic illnesses a chance to enjoy a day of wing activities and briefings.

While the program brings smiles to the child and their family, it also brings joy to all those across the wing that work hard to arrange everything.

"It's really a wing event," said Lt. Col. Rodney Lewis, commander of the 4th Airlift Squadron, which hosts the day's activities. "It's our opportunity to give back to the community because they give us so much."

When Lewis introduced the idea of hosting the event to his squadron, Airmen embraced it and really put forth the effort to get the program rolling. Now Lewis' squadron constantly gets calls from those wanting to help with Pilot for a Day.

"It gives our job purpose," Lewis said. "I do my job so we can enjoy freedom back home. This (program) is part of that."

Staff Sgt. Robert Vidales, an Airman with the 62nd Security Forces Squadron's military working dog unit, led a K-9 demonstration for Owain and his family.

"It's just a really good cause," Vidales said of the program. "It just breaks your heart when you hear about what some of these children are going through."

Owain perhaps forgot about some of it as he watched military working dogs Meki and Tim chase down their simulated attackers and bury their teeth in the protective arm sleeves. "It's amazing how inspirational these kids are," said Shelly Shepherd, who works for Coinforce.com in Lakewood and sits on the AFA Pilot for a Day committee.

"(Owain) is sick and he's enjoying every aspect of (the day)."