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Volunteers make the wheels turn at Scott's ASF

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Daniel Riley
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Greeting wounded troops, carrying litters and bringing dinner are just a few of the many tasks performed by volunteers who help the Aeromedical Staging Facility here.

The Welcome Home Soldier program, an organization run by servicemembers, coordinates volunteers from across the community and throughout Scott AFB.

The volunteers' primary mission is to, "greet the wounded troops coming off the aircraft," said Army Staff Sgt. Luis Dandrade, the Welcome Home Soldier program coordinator, who also works in U.S. Transportation Command's Operations directorate.

The volunteers also assist by "bringing (a patient's) dinner or lunch to their room, as well as spending time with (patients) while they're here," he said.

Welcome Home Soldier volunteers are usually on-call Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, and coordinated by Sergeant Dandrade. "I'm responsible for the volunteers for these missions. I keep them informed of any time changes and mission shifts," he said. "We have also now expanded our outreach to many other organizations who want to do something for our wounded warriors. It's great to part of this effort,"
The program also works with the Hope for Heroes program, based out of St. Louis whenever there is a need for large donations.

"Chip Schaeffer (coordinator for the Hope for Heroes program) helped with the donation of 25 pizzas and eight cases of soda for the servicemembers during the mission over Super Bowl weekend," said Sergeant Dandrade. "We also received chicken and spaghetti from Outlaw Blues," he said.

The program was heavily involved in the recent transfers of patients when the east coast transfer point was shut down with record-setting snowfalls.

Scott was named the primary transfer point for aeromedical patients when Andrews AFB could no longer take in aircraft because of the snow. These weather diverts brought in more than 90 patients to Scott's Aeromedical Staging Facility, which prompted the need for numerous volunteers.

Capt. Liam Aponte, the ASF flight commander, said, "With this many patients, there's a need for volunteers. We put the call out and we got volunteers right away. It was a great Team Scott effort."

These weather divert missions are only an example of the many successful aeromedical missions received and transferred by the Airmen at Scott's ASF, which transfers more than 1,500 patients a year and houses an average of 350 of those overnight.

Captain Aponte added that, "being so close to and taking care of the servicemembers is what we are all about," and it seems the volunteers that make this facility work so well feel the same way.