Solid gold support: Whiteman area civic groups essential to mission accomplishment

  • Published
  • By Maj. David Kurle
  • 442nd Fighter Wing
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  As Airmen here work daily to provide airpower for America - whether it's the close-in firepower of the A-10 or the global strike capability of the B-2 - there are Americans in Missouri wielding their own power to support Team Whiteman.

These Americans don't wear uniforms, but they're dedicated, effective and they're organized.

"Everywhere I've been in my Air Force career, there's been community support," said Col. Steve Arthur, 442nd Fighter Wing commander. "But not at the level seen here in Missouri."

Whiteman enjoys the support of four organized civic groups: The Warrensburg and Sedalia military affairs committees, the Whiteman Base Community Council and the Whiteman-Area Leadership council, which formed in 2005 as a response to the Base-Re-alignment and Closure process.

Mr. Joe Scallorns is a retired banker from California (the city in Missouri, not the state), who is a member of both the Base Community Council (BCC), where he served one year as its president, and the Whiteman-Area Leadership Council (WALC).

"(The four organizations) have different constituencies and different interests but a lot of the same people belong to the different organizations," Mr. Scallorns said. "The groups really do compliment each other."

For example, while the focus of the BCC and the military affairs committees is on supporting Airmen at Whiteman, the WALC's focus is on economics, according to Mr. Scallorns. The other three organizations are made up of individual civic leaders while the WALC includes entities such as cities and counties, not just community and business leaders.

The WALC works with government officials at the state and Federal levels to advocate for the base, he said.

"By a conservative measure, Whiteman AFB has an annual economic impact of $500 million and Fort Leonard Wood is three times that amount," Mr. Scallorns said. "The State of Missouri has a big stake in its military installations and therefore should have a big interest and more support."

One of the issues tackled by the WALC was the possibility of future encroachment around Whiteman. During the 2005 BRAC, the WALC raised money and hired a consultant who pointed out the lack of zoning laws on lands surrounding the base.

"Encroachment is prevented by proper zoning around the base," Mr. Scallorns said. "We didn't have a big encroachment issue but we also didn't have any mechanism to prevent future encroachment."

As a result of the WALC's efforts, a state law was passed to put a "collar of zoning around the base," he said. Other accomplishments include the establishment of the Missouri Military Preparedness and Enhancement Commission, which works under the governor to advise Missouri lawmakers about issues pertaining to military bases in the state.

While military units are practically forbidden from impacting the political process, civilian organizations can voice their concerns directly to elected officials at all levels of government.

"These community leaders interact with our Congressional leaders," Colonel Arthur said. "When these community leaders know what our requirements are, those get communicated to members of Congress."

As the WALC meets only occasionally with base leaders, and then only to present plans of action, the Warrensburg Military Affairs Committee, Sedalia MAC and the BCC meet monthly with Airmen where they learn about the base's missions and requirements.

"These organizations are typically made up of city leaders," Colonel Arthur said. "These community leaders are making decisions on business, local-government policy and the social make-up of these towns.

"To have these leaders take an active part in our military missions has a huge impact," he said. "In our monthly meetings we sit down with them and they talk about what's going on in their communities and we tell them what's going on with the base."
Dale Buckingham is the president of the Whiteman Base Community Council, a retired command chief master sergeant from the 509th Bomb Wing and a member of the Warrensburg MAC.

"The sole mission of the BCC is to support all the military units at Whiteman AFB and their missions," Chief Buckingham said. The BCC was formally organized in the 1980s from all the communities contained in what was then Whiteman's missile field.

The BCC expanded when the 442nd FW moved to the base in 1994, he said. "The 442nd had its own community council at Richards-Gebaur (AFB), which joined with the Whiteman BCC and that's when the Kansas City connection was established."

The BCC's interest in supporting Airmen at Whiteman goes beyond economics, according to Chief Buckingham.

"Our largest focus is to support and provide a connection to the base and its functions," he said. "We're all part of an integrated society and our role is to assist and support endeavors the base may not be able to do on its own. It's giving us the opportunity to give something back to the people who are protecting us.

"There is also the support people from the base provide to the communities by being involved in civic groups," the retired chief said. "That's a huge resource for communities to tap."

Among its support activities, the BCC raises money through membership dues and an annual golf tournament, slated for April 19 at Whiteman's Royal Oaks Golf Course, which directly benefits Whiteman's Airmen.

The BCC plans to spend more than $16,000 to support Whiteman in 2008. The 442nd Fighter Wing's family-day picnic in October 2007 was funded by a generous donation from the BCC.

"When we pack up and go to battle, we know the community is going take care of our families," Colonel Arthur said. "This is the no. 1 thing organizations like the BCC do.

"Having the leaders of the communities where our families live show a strong interest in Whiteman AFB translates into strong support for our families," he said.

Probably the oldest base-support organization is the Sedalia Military Affairs Committee (MAC), which formed in 1943 to support Sedalia Army Airfield, later re-named after Lt. George Whiteman in 1955.

"We consider the base a great economic engine," said Sedalia Mayor Bob Wasson. "But we have also worked hard to make our community offer quality of life options for Whiteman Airmen and their families.

"The Sedalia MAC is actually intended to meet the changing needs of Whiteman," he said. "We try to meet the needs socially and otherwise for personnel at the base."

Like the Sedalia MAC, the Warrensburg MAC is part of its chamber of commerce.

Among its activities, the Warrensburg MAC helps sponsor appreciation events for Whiteman's military members at University of Central Missouri football, basketball and baseball games.

"Warrensburg has always recognized that Whiteman AFB is a special part of our community," said Judge Robin Crouch, chairman of the Warrensburg MAC. "The military families are our friends and neighbors and we understand the importance of the personal relationships between the military and civilian communities and everything that flows from those relationships.

"We focus on making people feel welcome and at home here," he said.

"All of these organizations are an integral part of the 442nd Fighter Wing," said Chief Master Sergeant Allan Sturges, the 442nd FW's command chief. "They're out there directly helping Team Whiteman."

The support provided by civic leaders is so strong that Colonel Arthur considers these community groups essential to the wing's mission accomplishment.

"We routinely, in the A-10 business, use local communities to aid in our training," Colonel Arthur said. "We set up training scenarios over the top of those communities and we create lots of noise and when these community leaders know what is happening in the 442nd, they can better inform the citizens in their communities."

Civilian base supporters have also been recognized nationally. In January, Mr. Scallorns was appointed by Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. T. Michael Moseley, to the Air Force Civic Leaders Group.

"This is a group of civilian advisors to the senior leaders of the Air Force," Mr. Scallorns said. "As informed individuals we can write letters to the editor or make statements about what's happening in the Air Force."

Mr. Scallorns' appointment came after years of local- and state-level service in support of Whiteman.

"The folks we meet in the military are our neighbors and the military just happens to be their full- or part-time job," Mr. Scallorns said. "These are highly-trained, well-educated, nice people and that adds to the social fabric of the community.

"People in the community want to support our nation's military because it's the right thing to do," he said.