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Missouri town continues to honor the legacy of one its fallen heroes

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Family members of Second Lieutenant George Whiteman have been visiting two symbolic sculptures in west-central Missouri’s Sedalia. The artwork is inspired by Airman Whiteman’s ultimate sacrifice and the community’s strong relationship with the military. The 22-year-old Sedalia native was the first airborne pilot killed in Japan’s December 7, 1941 surprise attack on the U.S. naval base of Pearl Harbor.

Photo courtesy of Whiteman Air Force Base

Whiteman’s niece, Gayle Kent, tells Missourinet the artwork helps to keep Whiteman’s memory alive.

“He just went. ‘I’m going. I’m getting that plane out of here.’ He died doing what he loved to do,” says Kent.

One sculpture represents a P-40 Warhawk plane flown by Whiteman and points toward his childhood home in Sedalia. Another that sits next to it is of a B-2 stealth bomber. Whiteman Air Force Base in the neighboring community of Knob Noster is the home of the B-2 stealth bomber. Together, the sculptures are called “Whiteman: Legacy of Freedom.”

They were constructed by Sedalia artist Don Luper and stand in Katy Park at 24th Street and Park Avenue.

Kent says Sedalia has embraced Whiteman’s service to his country, including an annual service honoring all U.S. soldiers. Other community efforts memorializing Whiteman include the naming of Whiteman Air Force Base after him, a plaque that sits at his childhood home, a “Shadow” sculpture on the State Fair Community College campus and Whiteman’s gravesite in Sedalia’s Memorial Park Cemetery.

Skelton ‘disappointed’ Whiteman won’t be Global Strike Command

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Whiteman Air Force Base near Knob Noster was passed over for the Nation’s Global Strike Command.

The Department of Defense has announced that the Air Force chose Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana as the single authority over all strategic operations forces assigned to the nuclear deterrence mission.

Whiteman was among six bases the Air Force was considering for the designation.

Missouri Congressman Ike Skelton, head of the House Armed Services Committee, issued a statement about the decision.

"I am very disappointed and I question the wisdom of the Air Force’s decision," he says. "To me, all of the selection criteria pointed toward Whiteman Air Force Base as the best choice for this new command. Whiteman Air Force Base also has an extraordinarily supportive local community, which has been very welcoming of proposals to bring new missions and commands to the base."

"It has long been my dream to make Whiteman Air Force Base one of America’s premier military installations, and I will continue to commit myself to this effort," Skelton says.

Although Barksdale has earned the designation, the decision is not official until an environmental impact analysis is completed, which is required under the National Environmental Policy Act.

In October 2008, the Air Force announced that a major command would be created to be the single authority over all strategic operational forces assigned to the nuclear deterrence mission. The service established a provisional global strike command headquarters at Bolling AFB, D.C, as an interim location for the command on Jan. 12.

On Jan. 21, Air Force officials announced the six potential candidate bases for the major command and began site surveys that concluded on March 6. The candidate bases were Barksdale AFB; F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo.; Malmstrom AFB, Mont.; Minot AFB, N.D.; Offutt AFB, Neb.; and Whiteman AFB, Mo.

"All six candidate locations received a thorough evaluation in accordance with our basing process," said Kathleen I. Ferguson, the deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations. "Site survey teams used previously established criteria to gather information, assess capabilities, and refine initial data. This information was then evaluated during a Headquarters Air Force-level review to select a preferred alternative."

The selection of a preferred alternative was primarily based on an installation’s ability to provide significant nuclear mission synergy. Other criteria evaluated included facilities and infrastructure, support capacity, transportation and access, communications and bandwidth, and security to support the AFGSC headquarters.

Following the completion of the environmental impact analysis, Air Force officials intend to make a final base selection this summer.

Military Preparedness and Enhancement Commission meets

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The commission was joined by legislators, retired military folks and a host of interests from areas surrounding Whitman Airforce Base and Fort Leonard Wood such as school officials, chambers of commerce members, Realtors and others.

Reports were given by the USS Missouri Submarine Commissioning Committee, National Guard and Military Base liasons. Additionally, Pat Kerr with the Veterans Commission talked about how vital it is that veterans and military families are educated about the benefits available to them.

Kerr says with 541,000 veterans in Missouri with their families, that means more than 3 million people are affected by military news. She urged everyone to frequently check the VA Web site for changes in benefits.

Concerns were brought up about K through 12 education rules that affect incoming military transfers. Roger Dorson with the Department of Education says those who must live on base — if they want their children to go to school in a different district — have to pay tuition. Dorson says the concerns can probably be addressed with a change in bylaws.

Retired Col. Dennis Sandbothe talked about the National Guard Youth Challenge Program, spearheaded by Congressman Ike Skelton. He compares the program to ROTC and says Missouri used to have the program but it went away because of a lack of state funding. He says it takes at-risk youth and puts them into a good environment.

There have been four USS Missouri ships throughout history … the fifth is being built in Connecticut.

Sam Bushman with the USS Missouri Submarine Commissioning Committee says the commission date keeps getting pushed up and now the group has about a year to raise $300,000.

Bushman says there are some things the Navy cannot pay for — one is the highly ceremonial and traditional commissioning of a vessel. He says the committee’s fundraising provides amenities on vessels such as home theaters and libraries, and pays for the celebrations surrounding a new ship’s commissioning.

Jessica Machetta reports [Download/listen MP3]

B-2 From Whiteman AFB Crashes on Guam

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A B-2 stealth bomber based at Whiteman Air Force Base has crashed at an air base on Guam, but the Air Force says both pilots are in good condition after they ejected safely.

This is the first crash of a B-2 bomber. The cause is not known. A board of officers will investigate the incident.

Defense Secretary "Returns" to Whiteman

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Defense Secretary Robert Gates has told a group at Whiteman Air Force Base the United States must use every option to resist Iran’s nuclear ambitions – including the threat of military force.

Gates says a military attack on Iran might be a remote option, but it should be considered a plausible option.

The visit was a homecoming for Gates, who served at Whiteman while an Air Force officer in the late 1960s.

State Officials Say Agreement Should Protect Groundwater Long-Term

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They have been gone for ten years and state officials want to make sure missile silos that once threatened the old Soviet Union don’t threaten Missouri groundwater.

Hotel 11, named by the Air Force, was destroyed mid-December 1997 near Dederick, the last missile silo to be imploded. It ended an era in western Missouri; an era when that part of the state became a major target during the Cold War. Minuteman II missiles controlled by Whiteman Air Force Base in Knob Noster dotted the countryside.

Larry Erickson with the State Department of Natural Resources says the Air Force took care when it decommissioned and destroyed the missiles. It kept the environment in mind when it imploded the missile silos, especially after discovering that waterproofing on the concrete contained the contaminant PCB. DNR has reached an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency to make sure that contaminants once used to keep water out of the silos don’t leach into the groundwater over the long-term. Erickson says an initial agreement didn’t look far enough down the road. The new agreement gives responsibilities to DNR, EPA and the Air Force to make sure the groundwater is not contaminated and that nothing disturbs the concrete, plastic and soil caps installed at each site.

Erickson says an extensive, five-year groundwater study assured officials that no contaminates have gotten into the groundwater from the destroyed Minuteman II missile silos. 

Download/listen Brent Martin reports (:60 MP3)

Vice President Visits Whiteman AFB

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A crowd of more than three-thousand jams into a hangar at Whiteman Air Force Base in west-central Missouri to hear Vice President Dick Cheney praise the personnel who fly and service the B-2 Bomber – the world’s most technologically advanced bomber. Cheney spoke a great deal of the war on terror, saying this country is faced by an enemy driven by an ideology of violence determined to cause great harm to the United States. He says there can be no negotiations with these terrorists, adding the U.S. has only one option: to take the fight to the enemy. Following his speech, Cheney presented a Bronze Star to Air Force Master Sergeant Mike Morin of Brookfield for Morin’s service in Iraq.

National Guard Fighter Wing Prepares For Move

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Members of the Missouri Air National Guard’s 131st Fighter Wing will soon be leaving their home at Lambert Field in St. Louis to become the first National Guard unit in the country to fly the B-2 Stealth Bomber at Whiteman Air Force Base in West Central Missouri. The 131st is losing its F-15 fighters to the base closing process. The wing’s Vice Commander, Colonel Greg Champagne, expects his people will get up to speed in a short time. After all, they’re not a bunch of rookies. And, Champagne says no one is complaining about moving from a fighter aircraft – seen by most pilots as the top tier of aircraft available – to a bomber.

State Commission Assesses BRAC Decisions

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The Chairman of Missouri’s Military Preparedness and Enhancement Commission admits his group might have gotten into the fight to prevent base closings recommendations from the Base Realignment and Closure Commission. The President and Congress stil have to sign off on those recommendations. Dalton Wright says his panel’s real focus has been on how to prevent any future cuts. He says the state must make sure our two biggest bases. Whiteman Air Force Base and Fort Leonard Wood are kept save from any future cuts. But, Wright says panel members are prepared to go to Congress to try and prevent the currently proposed closings.

Defense Bill Good For Missouri Military Installations

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Missouri’s leading Congressman on defense issues lists the things Missouri gets in the new National Defense Authorization Bill. Congressman Ike Skelton says the bill contains about $77-Million for Missouri’s major military bases. The final version includes about $45-Million to replace 160 family housing units and build a new child development center at Whiteman Air Force Base. Fort Leonard Wood will get $32-Million for a new training facility for response to weapons of mass destruction, for a new training complex on countering mines, a kennel for mine-detecting dogs and to upgrade the firing range and classroom facility.