>> how do you climb down such a long ladder? >> it was a long haul. i'm getting a little weak in the knees, but we did it, and these kids were an inspiration. they did fine. nothing like terra firma, i tell you, the safety of the crew, the safety of the arms. we were all crying and just glad to be alive. >> bill presents both boys with a smokey bear pin as a tribute to their courage. meanwhile, 10-year-old aaron whitaker is shaken but in good spirits. >> would you ever fly again? >> probably when i'm older. a couple years away, yeah, probably. but this year, no. >> sir, what about you? >> you betcha. >> you've been flying for a long time. >> you bet, yep. i can't wait two years. i'm getting too old to wait. >> thanks to a nationwide fund-raising effort, bill launches brand-new smokey balloon in 2005, less than a year after the accident. and in 2009, bill is back in