Scott Air Force Base news April 2023
Here is more news involving Scott Air Force Base.
Documentary honors Vietnam War Veteran Daniel H. Hefel
By Senior Airman Mark Sulaica
375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
After 14 years of gathering war stories, Tim Breitbach created a documentary depicting his cousin’s life, Daniel Hefel, a Vietnam War veteran.
The film was shown for free March 30 during a public gathering at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, which was attended by a diverse audience of college students, veterans, and community members.
Breitbach’s film showed the importance of remembering the bravery and service of Vietnam Veterans and served as a reminder of the human cost of war. In 1970, the Vietnam War was raging, and Hefel served as an infantryman with Company B, 2nd Battalion of the 501st Infantry in South Vietnam from June 1969 to January 1970. He then served as a door gunner on UH-1 Huey helicopters with 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division.
While flying low over the rugged terrain of the Ashau Valley, with tension and danger lurking at every turn, Hefel said he had an eerie feeling in his gut. Without warning, a black cloud blurred his vision and in the next moment he awoke on the ground with a broken back and leg. By morning, Hefel and the rest of the surviving soldiers were taken captive. He endured 1,147 days in captivity and was released during Operation Homecoming on March 27, 1973.
He was reunited with his family and friends in Iowa, where later he started a family and began living his life again. Hefel was on hand to answer questions as part of a panel discussion that night and said after the film ended, “I was just glad to see all my friends again and family, I just wanted to live my life.” He also swapped war stories with other veterans in attendance. “It’s great that people got to know and hear the story, and I hope they enjoyed it,” he added.
Brietbach said, “I think that on the 50th anniversary of the end of the war, there’s a lot of people who didn’t get to appreciate (those who) served during those times. I think now is the perfect time to do it.” He said he chose to show it at SWIC because it was originally formed to help those coming home from WWII continue their education for better jobs. Today it has 9,000 students and 10 percent of them use the G.I. Bill.
Scott Air Force Base partners with community for first airshow in five years
By Airman 1st Class Shelby Rapert
375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
For the first time in five years, Scott Air Force Base is opening its gates to the community for a full weekend of airshow performances and educational activities for children of all ages, plus a sneak peek into the lives of Airmen who currently serve.
The airshow will take place Saturday, May 13, and Sunday, May 14.
Hundreds of partners on and off base have been working together since 2021 to start planning every detail of this massive community event. Airmen take on extra responsibilities outside of their daily jobs to get the details right — all the way from parking and traffic flow, contracting, budget spending policies, sponsorships and donations, kids zone activities, airshow performers, static displays, concessions, safety, emergency support and more.
“None of this happens without community support. Opening the gates of an otherwise restricted military installation allows us to welcome the public from the surrounding region to see what their taxpayer dollars are contributing to, how the U.S. Air Force gets the mission done in their local area and the reality of the daily accomplishments of the men and women who serve here,” said Col. Chris Robinson, 375th Air Mobility Wing commander. “We are lucky to be part of such an incredible community, and it’s our honor to host you for a demonstration of air power!”
Scott’s last airshow in 2017 marked its Centennial year. The base tries to host an airshow about every two years if able, and the COVID pandemic response prevented an airshow until now. Team Scott is filled with active duty military members who move in and out quickly but offer fresh insight to strengthen the continuity of those who have planted their roots in the local area. Together, they build a solid foundation from which to brainstorm, plan and execute a successful airshow for the community.
The airshow performer line-up includes the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, Tora Tora Tora, Red Bull Team Chambliss, F-22 Demo Team, Randy Ball’s MiG-17, the P-51 Heritage Flight and the United States Air Force Academy Wings of Blue parachute team.
Team Scott is also paying it forward to the next generation of leaders interested in going into STEM career fields. Part of the STEM Expo will feature a ‘recruiting village’ composed of career fields around base. Career fields and opportunities like the explosive ordnance disposal team and the Scott AFB Honor Guard will educate community members as well as future Airmen about opportunities the military offers.
Airmen will also be acting as subject matter experts for more than 20 static aircraft on the flightline, including many of Air Mobility Command’s assets like the command’s newest air refueler, the KC-46 Pegasus. Other mobility aircraft will also be displayed, including the C-40, KC-135 Stratotanker, C-130 Hercules, C-5 Galaxy, KC-10 Extender and C-21.
Lt. Col. Adam Wallace, the airshow director, said, “This is Team Scott’s love letter back to the community. It’s a ‘thank you’ and a ‘come join us’ message that we’re trying to send. We need you to join the team.”
For more about the May 13-14 airshow, please see www.scott.af.mil.
Always combat ready: Scott’s WWII readiness training
By Kris Matthews
375th Air Mobility Wing Historian
Scott Air Force Base has its roots in being prepared to fly, fight, and win our Nation’s wars. Our current efforts to sharpen expeditionary skills stems from the 1917 establishment of Scott Field to train Airmen for World War I.
When global war, again, reared its ugly head, Scott Field doubled down on its commitment to the United States. As in WWI, the Second World War saw Scott Field shoulder a heavy burden to provide combat-ready Airmen for the war effort.
While the main curricula focused on basic training and radio operations, there were numerous efforts to build combat readiness skills and fighting spirit, such as several obstacle courses on post for troops to build strength, endurance, and mental fortitude. The base newspaper, on Nov. 4, 1942, blared “WAGE WAR ON SOFTIES” as its headline, with an accompanying article stating that Scott troops were ordered to “get tough” and that rain or snow was no excuse to avoid trainings such as physical fitness.
Some fieldcraft was integrated into the radio school curriculum, with helmeted radio students learning to operate equipment in field conditions under the guidance of their noncommissioned officer instructors. More advanced training integrated combat scenarios for the students to communicate under wartime conditions.
In 1943, Scott Field opened two small arms ranges so that weapons training no longer meant costly trips to Camp Lincoln in Springfield. These lower costs allowed more “Scottsmen”, as they were then known, to qualify with M-1911 pistols and M-1 carbines before shipping out to Europe or the Pacific.
One area of serious focus was the base’s chemical warfare training program. This training was a frequent occurrence, and not just in the training areas: base newspaper articles of the time show that the Post Exchange was even considered “in play”, with employees and customers alike conducting transactions while wearing gas masks. Other sights that may be familiar to us today are the decontamination of vehicles of chemical agents.
Combat ready and showcase worthy: Belligerent Badger deployment challenges Airmen’s warrior skills
By Senior Airman Mark Sulaica
375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
“Was I going to take the lead or not?” were the only thoughts going through Guerrero’s mind as simulated dye rounds were fired at her and her team. With a quick decision, she took charge and led her team through a firefight.
This is not an isolated incident—Belligerent Badger ‘23 is a testament to the strong Airmen assigned to Scott and their ability to lead under pressure. These Airmen once again proved their abilities, established an independently operating air base in an austere location, and set up the framework to support any aeromedical evacuation mission needs.
From April 10-19, Airmen from the 375th Air Mobility Wing held BB ‘23—a full-scale readiness rehearsal—deploying 232 members to Volk Field Air National Guard Base, Wisconsin. These teams from various job backgrounds demonstrated perseverance, dedication and warrior skills together.
The exercise kicked off at Scott and Airmen across the installation snapped into action. Clear communication ensured hundreds of personnel were able to outprocess. Pallet after pallet was loaded onto a C-17 Globemaster III including MREs, construction equipment and medical supplies, headed 436 miles north to Volk Field.
At a moment’s notice, Airmen were ready to go for BB ‘23.
Lt. Col. Jonathan Eizenberg, 375th AMW Plans and Programs director, helped develop BB ‘23 with the intent to increase readiness, build the Wing’s strength and speed and be closer to the tip of the spear during future operations.
“We are taking this wing from a Showcase Wing into a Combat Ready Wing,” said Eizenberg.
Eizenberg explained further how Agile Combat Employment requires a mental shift for Airmen to accomplish the mission in any environment.
“We must be a lean and agile force; it’s almost a Marine mentality,” said Eizenberg. “When our Airmen deploy, they’re not just in the background of the room, they are upfront with the fighters. We will no longer have to send 20,000 Airmen to a single location, instead we’ll be able to send small teams. Everybody will be a jack of all trades.”
The rehearsal consisted of two phases: First, the teams established the base before practicing operating in a contested environment.
With their unwavering dedication during BB ‘23, Airmen from the 375th AMW persevered through the heat, rain, snow and through anything put in their way within the span of one week.
Whether it’s Ballistic or Belligerent Badger, one thing is clear: The 375th AMW is instilling a combat readiness foundation for the next generation of Airmen.
“Every Airman at every base must be ready…and our Airmen need to have that clear and concise guidance on when they need to be ready,” said Eizenberg. “It’s the youngest Airman that will continue to carry the Air Force forward for the next decade.”
