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Community friendship and outstanding support!

  • Published
  • By Col. Mike Hornitschek
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing commander
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  We just celebrated 61 years of friendship between the Greater Scott community and Scott Air Force Base as our generous friends paid a special tribute to our servicemembers May 12 in an annual gala designed to thank them for their service.

More than 100 Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen and Coastguardsmen joined with business and community leaders for an evening of music, fine dining and recognition. This follows the tradition set so long ago from a committee whose goal is to foster communication and fellowship between the base and local civic leaders.

The committee, known as Belle-Scott, was originally established, in part, due to concerns over available housing and the relationship between the base and business owners. The committee met in 1948 to discuss these issues and today the Belle-Scott Committee continues to work on strengthening community ties with base personnel.

The first "GI Pal" dinner was held Nov. 29, 1950 at the Armed Forces Canteen in Belleville. It, too, was a premier gala event and, in following years included nationally known celebrities such as Debbie Reynolds and Vincent Price.

The Belle-Scott Committee provides unconditional support, friendship, and loyalty to Team Scott personnel and has done so for 61 years. It's one of the oldest civic support groups of its kind to a military installation. As a group they organize and support a variety of programs and initiatives; all of which are targeted at helping Scott's servicemembers and their families.

The Belle-Scott Committee is also where the origins of the Scott Field Heritage Air Park Committee began. The Committee has been instrumental in developing the project from concept design to reality. The Committee continues to be heavily involved in the completion of the project.

Besides working as a collective group to better Scott AFB and support its personnel and their families, many of the civilian Belle-Scott Committee members also lend their support through their professional positions and through their community organization memberships (i.e. Rotary Club, Optimists, Zonta, etc.)

I salute the men and women of the Belle-Scott Committee who've dedicated so many years in fostering this friendship with us and for hosting us in what was a wonderful evening of fellowship.

This came on the heels of an outstanding visit that we hosted for the commander of Air Mobility Command, Gen. Raymond Johns Jr., and his wife, Diana. The entire wing backed by our Reserve and Guard partners stepped forward and pulled out all the stops for General and Mrs. Johns' visit. They were extremely impressed with the base appearance and the mission diversity of all the groups.

We asked you to "Outshine, Outserve, and Outperform" and you took it one step further. What impresses me most about our wing is that on the front line, you give that same level of service to our men and women in uniform, our families, and our retirees every day, and that, is what makes you Showcase!

While all the physical and mission aspects captured his attention, it was the personal stories he heard that left the lasting impression on both he and Mrs. Johns. At the All Call, General Johns pulled us out of the weeds and reminded us of our Global Vigilance, Global Reach and Global Power missions, and how our day-to-day contributions maintain the Air Force's dominance in the world today. He spoke a lot about our people at the All Call and, throughout his visit we were able to see and hear from a great leader in our Air Force. Even though General Johns has many strategic things on his mind, it is clear that it is you he cares about the most. You are what makes the mission succeed.

Polly and I are extremely grateful for what you do for the wing, for AMC, and for United States of America. We say, "3-7-5...Showcase Pride!"

In closing, I'd like to recognize all servicemembers, past and present for their service. Saturday is Armed Forces Day; with that in mind I salute my fellow uniformed brothers and sisters and thank the American public for their steadfast support. Happy Armed Forces Day to all and thanks to all Team Scott personnel for your daily contributions!