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USTRANSCOM’s Transportation Plaza for all to enjoy

It’s finally spring. Just ignore the chilly wind and that pile of snow that won’t melt. It’s spring. Really.

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SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. – It’s finally spring.


Just ignore the chilly wind and that pile of snow that won’t melt.  It’s spring.  Really.


The sun is coming up earlier each day.  You’ve been cooped up inside all winter.  The walls are closing in.  You need fresh air.  You need out, now.


But where can you go?


Calm down.  Take a deep breath.  And then take a walk around the Transportation Plaza, right next door to Building 1900E.


Started in 1999, finished in the summer of 2003 and updated in 2010, the plaza has eight displays representing USTRANSCOM, its components and commercial partners, and the services. 


The plaza is a peaceful place to spend time.  Each display is surrounded by brickwork and has a bronze plaque explaining the significance of the artifact.  The artifacts are life-sized and range from the KC-135 refueling boom to Coast Guard river buoys to the 31,000 lb. Victory ship screw.  Benches provide seating for breaks and lunches.  There is plenty of room for ceremonies.


In 1999 when construction of the security wall around Building 1900 necessitated the relocation of the small display of artifacts in front of that building, Dr. James Matthews, the USTRANSCOM command historian, came up with a plan that would change the look of Scott Air Force Base forever. 


Rather than put the artifacts in storage or return them to the services that lent them to USTRANSCOM, Matthews proposed a transportation plaza that would educate and enhance the quality of life for Scott personnel. 


With the support of USTRANSCOM’s Deputy Commander in Chief, Army Lt. Gen. Roger Thompson, Matthews enlisted the aid of Thomas Wengert, USTRANSCOM’s facilities manager, and other key players from USTRANSCOM, Air Mobility Command, and the 375th Airlift Wing to design, fund and build the plaza.


Victory Ship Screw
At 31,000 lbs. and 13 feet in diameter, the brass and manganese alloy ship’s screw (maritime talk for propeller) is the largest of the artifacts in the plaza.  During World War II, hundreds of Victory and Liberty ships were built to carry troops, equipment, and supplies to Europe and the Pacific.  Without these ships, the United States would not have been able to transport, equip, and support the millions of soldiers, sailors and marines needed to win the war.  During the war, hundreds of extra screws were manufactured and stored.  This particular screw has never “seen action.”


C-130J Hercules Propeller
Since the first C-130 Hercules rolled off the Lockheed assembly line in 1954, it’s been a hardworking member of the U.S. military’s airlift fleet.  More than 60 nations have used the C 130 as well.  Among many improvements on the older models, the latest C-130, the “J” model, has greater range and an increased cruising speed.  The C-130 J propeller, designed and built by Dowty Aerospace, has six all-composite blades and is lighter, quieter, and with fewer moving parts than previous C-130 configurations.  The propeller in the plaza came from the Dowty Aerospace factory in England.


Train Display
The train display consists of four artifacts:  a railroad crossing signal or “cross bucks,” a freight car truck bolster (“trucks”), a rail switch, and a section of rail and ties.  Since the first railroad track was laid down in the early 1800s, trains have been instrumental to the growth and security of this nation.  An ironic bit of trivia:  the display caught fire during restoration in October 1999.  October is National Fire Prevention Month.


Truck Display/Stop Light/Sign Post
This abstract art wannabe is really the back end of an Army five-ton M52A2 tractor truck with one half an Army configuration and the other half modified with an exhaust stack, gas tank, tires, and tire flaps to represent commercial road transportation.  Volunteers from the St. Louis Museum of the Armed Forces in Alton, Ill., did the modifications and installed the display.  Additional elements to the display include a 1960s era cast aluminum traffic light and a directional road sign that indicates the distance from Scott to critical aerial ports and seaports.


USNS Paul Buck Anchor
In the summer of 2010, the command received the anchor from the USNS Paul Buck from its Navy component, Military Sealift Command (MSC), to represent USTRANSCOM’s partnership with MSC.  It stands 11.5 feet tall and weighs 16,200 pounds.  The Paul Buck was one of five champion class tankers built in 1985 for MSC to carry fuel that the Defense Energy Support Center supplies for the Department of Defense.  The ship was named for the master of SS Stephen Hopkins, Capt. Paul Buck, who posthumously received the Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Award for defending his merchant ship during World War II. 


 
Coast Guard River Buoys
The buoys are used to mark safe passage on the Western Rivers System, which includes the Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri Rivers and their tributaries.  At 465 pounds, with a five-foot draft, a river buoy is large enough to be seen, but small enough to be easily handled and maintained.  Color is important:  red is for right or starboard and green is for left or port as you go “up” the river.  Between the buoys are safe waters.  “Red, right, returning” is a memory aid for “keep the red buoys on the right side when returning home.”  The safe and efficient movement of goods via our waterways is critical to maintaining a vibrant economy and homeland security.    


KC-135 Stratotanker Boom
While the KC-135 can carry passengers and cargo, its main mission is aerial refueling.  The Army Air Service conducted the first successful aerial refueling in 1923.  Added to the Air Force inventory in 1954, the KC-135 has given the Air Force the ability to project power over long distances around the globe.  The telescopic boom extends 47 feet and weighs 1,200 lbs.  Members of the 126th Air Refueling Wing (Reserve), located at Scott, were responsible for initially restoring the boom and have taken on the task of keeping the boom in tip-top shape.  It is one of the few booms on display outdoors.


C-17 Globemaster III Winglet
The C-17 represents the present and future of air mobility.  Since the first production model was delivered to Charleston Air Force Base, S.C. in June 1993, the C 17 has exceeded expectations.  During Operation Iraqi Freedom, the C-17 took on a new mission--aeromedical evacuation.  The winglet is the near vertical aerodynamic surface located on each of the aircraft’s wing tips.  Together, the two winglets reduce drag and improve ground handling.


The Transportation Plaza is for everyone at Scott to enjoy.  So take a walk through the plaza, sit on one of the benches and enjoy the sunshine.  Read the plaques and learn about the USTRANSCOM mission.  Take a moment to relax.


     - USTRANSCOM -

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