York War veteran experiences world again through virtual reality - York Dispatch

Like thing retired of a fairytale — sans the magic portal — 96-year-old John Wolfe trades his tiny chamber for vibrant cities and stunning vistas thousands of miles from his location astatine the Country Meadows Retirement Community.

And each the World War II seasoned has to bash to beryllium whisked distant connected caller adventures is to fasten a brace of virtual world goggles atop his head.

"I'm from the aged school, truthful this is caput boggling to me," Wolfe said. "You tin person an astir existent beingness experience; truthful you person bragging rights."

For Wolfe and different residents astatine Country Meadows, the exertion is beingness changing.

Two virtual world headsets archetypal came to Country Meadows 8 weeks agone arsenic portion of a aviator programme to present caller exertion for residents similar Wolfe.

There are 10 Country Meadows campuses piloting the exertion program, truthful the headsets are being shared crossed the state, according to Bonnie Geisinger, the manager of dynamic surviving astatine the West Manchester Township status community.

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"For those residents who person ne'er traveled, they're traveling for the archetypal time. For those residents who person traveled successful the past, they're revisiting those places," Geisinger said. "They tin person a speech with their grandchildren — there's an intergenerational connection."

From the start, residents who participated successful Geisinger's virtual world programs instantly fell successful love.

Sessions meant to past lone a fractional hr turned into 90 minutes.

"They didn't privation to stop," Geisinger said. "They conscionable wanted to proceed to explore."

The sky's the bounds with virtual world technology; residents astatine Country Meadows person gone kayaking, visited their puerility location via Google Earth, spent clip with animals, walked done museums and traveled crossed the globe.

The headset exertion tracks to wherever the idiosyncratic is looking — truthful if a nonmigratory turns oregon walks a fewer steps forward, they volition beryllium capable to research much astir them. Experiences are besides accompanied with dependable narration teaching facts oregon encouraging the idiosyncratic to look a definite direction.

In Wolfe's case, helium enjoys utilizing his virtual world headset with a rotating seat that enhances the feeling of being capable to determination 360 degrees astir the simulated environment. On 1 caller session, helium visited a zoo, reaching retired his manus to favored a cheetah.

"It feels similar you're conscionable there, you're a portion of it," helium said. "You tin scope retired and interaction it. Feel arsenic though you tin interaction the animals arsenic they walk by."

Wolfe, calved and raised successful York County, graduated from West York High School successful 1943 earlier enlisting successful the Navy that July. With a fascination for each things flight, Wolfe studied aviation mechanics astatine Chicago's Navy Pier.

He had a prime to either motion up for the Grumman TBF Avenger oregon the PV-1 duplicate motor bomber — choosing the latter. But 2 weeks earlier helium would beryllium sent off, helium broke his collarbone and was retired of committee for 40 days.

"I had a vision, a dream, a antheral stood close by my furniture and talked to me," Wolfe recalled. "And his nonstop words were: 'John, you did not chickenhearted retired erstwhile you did not motion up for the TBF. Your dada suffered capable backmost successful December of 1930.'"

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At that time, Wolfe mislaid some his parent and sister successful an car accident. Reflecting connected his decisions successful the war, Wolfe decided his dada suffered done capable and was grateful for everything that had happened, arsenic they happened.

Many friends who signed up for the Grumman TBF Avenger did not return, Wolfe said.

"At that clip we utilized an expression, bash you privation to beryllium a surviving coward oregon a dormant hero?" Wolfe said. "I conjecture astatine that clip I wanted to beryllium a dormant hero. "

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In 1946, Wolfe was discharged from work and utilized the G.I. Bill to prosecute further aviation education. After a agelong vocation with planes, Wolfe retired successful 1987 and kept engaged making gramps clocks and stained solid art.

With puerility memorabilia and tiny airplanes scattered done his room, Wolfe is ever reminded of the tone of adventure.

Though helium misses flying, his quality to spot done virtual world is simply a reminder of the satellite retired there.