In doing so, he becomes the 3,000th child to benefit from Make-A-Wish Foundation of Arizona's program to make dreams come true for kids with life-threatening medical conditions. He has been a World War II history buff since he was 7, says his mom, Lisa Groeger. "He watched 'Patton' one day," Groeger says.
"What really started it was going to the Pima (Ariz.) Air Space Museum a lot when he was little." "He started collecting the little airplanes, then he started studying the battles and the whole scenario.
He and his friends would re-create battles. He found a Normandy play set on the Internet, learned profiles of historic aircraft and collected insignia. Tommy's family also includes his dad, Mike; his brother Kevin, 9, who also has Duchenne muscular dystrophy; and his 5-year-old brother Brian.
They will visit Arromanches, where floating piers off the Normandy cliffs fed most of the Allies' supplies and vehicles; Pointe du Hoc, the cliff rock formation between Utah and Omaha beaches where large German guns were knocked out by U.S. Army Rangers; and Omaha Beach.
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