All in this together
When Monroe Township Local 255 members gathered on
the platform, they felt they had brought their entire town with
them. That’s because when Team Captain Wesley Panckeri
started planning for the event, he decided to get the families
involved to make the Plane Pull a Monroe Township communi-
ty effort. So, he placed a sign on the entry to the Local 255 hall
inviting members of the community to join the effort to raise
money and pull a plane for the Special Olympics.
The call for participants was clearly a success as the men,
women and children of Monroe Township gathered at the side
of the plane for a team photo with two Special Olympic athletes
that Local 255 supports throughout the year, including $2,000
from the Plane Pull alone.
“You often see the same faces of the athletes at the events,”
Packeri shared. “They do such a good job and we always get a
big ‘thank you’ from them. That’s the reason we do it.”
Local 255 members were the first to take the rope, pulling it
tight before the rest of their Monroe teammates grabbed on in
formation, from the broadest officer to the smallest boy, whose
SONJ Plane Pull T-shirt hung on his body like an oversized pon-
cho.
No matter the size or age, the community flexed its muscle.
The plane hung steady for a moment until the force of Monroe
Township budged the 737 aircraft into motion. For 10.23 sec-
onds, the 18 women, men, boys and girls worked as one, prov-
ing that many hands may not
always make light work but that
when a team works together,
anything is possible.
“Once you get that initial
rock, you know you’ve got it
going,” Panckeri described. “As
soon as you hear cheering that
the plane is starting to move,
everybody has to be on the
same page and pull at the same
time, and that’s what we do.” d
A unique view from the front row
Todd Smith of Freehold Township Local 209 gets an up-close look at every team
that ventures on to the runway at Newark Liberty International Airport. All day
long, teams from across New Jersey step up to the platform, and Smith is the one
feeding them the rope, helping the team get into position.
About every 15 minutes, a new team prepares to pull. After about the first dozen
teams, the pullers begin to blur in Smith’s mind. That is, of course, until he sees his
son Jake take a stand in front of the 93,000-pound plane.
“I’m standing right next to him,” states Smith, describing what it’s like to watch
his 12-year-old son who is a SONJ athlete, pull the plane alongside other Local 209
members. “His face lights up when that plane starts moving.”
Of all the SONJ Law Enforcement Torch Run events that Smith volunteers for, the
Plane Pull stands out as one unique opportunity that he urges all Locals to attempt.
“You can’t pay somebody enough to do this,” Smith extols. “There’s nothing like
it in the world.” d
www.njcopsmagazine.com
■ OCTOBER 2017 33