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  • Radar operators pose for a photo in 1953 at the Belleville Air Force Station at Turkey Hill, Belleville. These Airmen were assigned to the 798th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, which was responsible for monitoring the skies for hostile airborne objects in the metro-east, including the St. Louis metropolitan area. These particular Airmen were tasked with continuous detection, identification, and monitoring of aircraft. The call sign they used to communicate with F-86 pilots at Scott Air Force Base and with other air defense centers was “Agony,” so named as to be random for security and reporting purposes.

    Scott History: 1950s

    Not all the Airmen who contributed directly to Scott missions were on the base in the 1950s. The buildings that made up the Belleville Air Force Station, informally called “Turkey Hill” were positioned in the rolling outskirts of Belleville. The location of the 798th Radar Squadron was chosen in 1949 for its high elevation in the region. The Airmen
  • In January 1943, 330 black servicemen, assigned to the 46th Aviation Squadron, entered the Radio School, and in May 1943, they graduated, ready to help Tuskegee Airmen fly. These radio school graduates were a part of a bigger initiative of the Army Air Forces Technical Training Command to supply black flying squadrons with sufficient support personnel, including supply, adjutant, intelligence, and statistical officers.

    Scott History: 1940s

    Radio operator-mechanics training was the primary mission of Scott Field during World War II. The Radio School began classes in October 1940 in Hangar 1 before moving to another area. With a slogan of, “The best damned radio operators in the world!” the 77,370 graduates were referred to as the WWII “eyes and ears of the Army Air Forces.” The Airmen
  • Pictured is the Goodyear Zeppelin Corporation’s three million cubic foot balloon, which was the largest balloon ever made. Maj. William Kepner was appointed to pilot the craft. Capt. Albert Stevens and Capt. Orvil Anderson accompanied him as the alternate pilot and organizer of the expedition camp dubbed the “Stratobowl.”

    Scott History: 1930s

    Complete, non-stop mail service across the continent was first attempted by 2d Lt. John Fowler (unless he was Army the correct abbrev is 2d). A 40-pound sack of mail that was fastened to his airship was lowered by rope to a designated location, where it was placed on a second plane and transferred again. The entire operation lasted 15 minutes and
  • Cpl Frank Scott (left) and PFC James O'Brien (right) on 28 September 1912.

    Scott History: 1917-1930

    During World War I, Secretary of War, Newton Baker, encouraged an expanded role for aviation. Business and political leaders on both sides of the Mississippi River wanted the Midwest to be the location of a new flying field. Aerial expert Albert Bond Lambert joined with the St. Louis Chamber of Commerce and the directors of the Greater Belleville
  • Pictured are the Harchaoui triplets (from left): Myriam, 436th Supply Chain Operations Squadron at Scott AFB; Rabah, 56th Security Forces Squadron at Luke AFB, Ariz.; and Warda, 60th Medical Operations Squadron at Travis AFB, Calif. All three were born in Algeria before immigrating to the United States, and are Airmen serving in today’s Air Force.

    Team Scott member 1 of 3 Algerian-born triplets serving today’s Air Force

    For one Algerian family, 6,600 miles was the distance between a life of struggle and a life of promise and opportunity. Their journey has carried them over thousands of miles, from a barren region in Africa to California’s Simi Valley where eventually the Harchaoui triplets—Myriam, Rabah and Warda—would join the U.S. Air Force. Scott Air Force Base
  • U.S. Public Health Service Cmdr. Julie Chodacki has deployed six times to assist with humanitarian crisis or national disasters and helps people with emotional and mental wellness as they go through the recovery process. She’s assigned to Air Mobility Command’s Surgeon General office and is the installation’s Comprehensive Airman Fitness chief.

    Public Health Cmdr. Chodacki helps with mental, emotional wellness during crisis, disasters

    After the Northeast was torn apart by wind and slammed by violent waters during Superstorm Sandy in 2014, Cmdr. Julie Chodacki, along with 400 other United States Public Health Services Commissioned Corps members, deployed to assist those affected with getting their lives back on track.This was just one of six deployments in the past 10 years to

  • Scott AFB honored for its long partnership with local community

    Scott Air Force Base has been a shining beacon of the metro-east for 100 years.And the O’Fallon-Shiloh Chamber of Commerce has recognized the base’s profound contributions to the community, selecting Scott for the Spirit of the Chamber Award. The Chamber will present SAFB the award at the 41st annual Salute to Business Awards on April 19 at the
  • Francoise and Walter Calvin have volunteered on Scott Air Force base since 1974. The two volunteer every Thursday at the Satellite Pharmacy, and Francoise just recently reached the milestone for 55 years of volunteering for the Red Cross. She has worked as a nurse’s and staff aid and currently does her volunteer work in prepackaging at the pharmacy. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Chad Gorecki)

    Calvin achieves 55 years of volunteer service

    Francoise Calvin, a volunteer at the Satellite Pharmacy at Scott, achieved the milestone of 55 years of volunteer service for the Red Cross this year.Calvin started her volunteer efforts in 1962 as a nurse’s aid when her husband, retired Air Force Master Sgt. Walter Calvin, was stationed in the Philippines and she has volunteered at every base

  • Distracted driving can have consequences

    With ever increasing demands on people’s personal and professional time in today’s busy society, learning to juggle multiple tasks at once is something everyone faces daily. As a result, a new traffic safety epidemic has emerged on America’s roadways that demands immediate attention: distracted driving.In 2014, 3,179 people were killed, and 431,000

  • Mobility Airmen help build global partnerships

    Delivering humanitarian aid, transporting coalition forces to various points on the globe, refueling the fight and providing first-class care in the sky are hallmarks of Air Mobility Command’s rapid global mobility mission. Yet mission success is not possible without a reliable network of partnerships built with allied nations.Building and
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