<strong>Association</strong>Round-Up2009 A/TA Hall of Fame Inductees Added to Walk of Fame at Scott AFBA ceremony to unveil the dual sidedbronze medallion depicting the “Pioneers ofAerial Refueling” events of 1923 and 1929,the 2009 inductees into the A/TA Hall ofFame, was held at Scott AFB, Illinois, on 23September. It was the first day of Fall 2010,and a “picture perfect” morning, with brightblue skies and a slight breeze.Billed as an “informal, low-key” event, theunveiling was none-the-less well attended.Those in attendance included severalmembers of the A/TA Board of Officers,including the A/TA Chairman, General WaltKross, USAF Ret, and A/TA President, CMSgtMark Smith, USAF ret; the commander ofUSTRANSCOM, General Duncan McNabb;Air Mobility Command’s senior leadership,including General Raymond Johns, AMCcommander, LtGen Findly, AMC vicecommander,and, CMSgt David Spector,the AMC command chief; 18th Air Forcecommander, LtGen Robert Allardice; andtwo previous A/TA Hall of Famers, MajGenJim “Bagger” Baginski (2005), and GeneralDuane Cassidy, USAF ret, (2006) who isalso a former AMC commander. For goodmeasure, there were also two other formerAMC commanders, General H.T. Johnson,USAF ret, and General Tony Robertson,USAF, ret, in attendance.MSgt Craig Gilmore, acting as emcee forthe event, welcomed everyone to the ScottAFB Walk of Fame area, located just insidethe “old Scott Gate” in front of the 375th AirMobility Wing Headquarters Building, andintroduced A/TA Chairman Walt Kross.Following a warm welcome to everyonegathered for the event, General Krosscommented that the unveiling at long lastproperly recognizes two seminal events inAir Mobility history, and the men who madethem happen.Quoting from the achievement relatedcriteria for selection into the A/TA Hallof Fame, General Kross said that the“Pioneers of Aerial Refueling” exemplifiedthe portion reading: “Demonstratedsuperior and sustained performanceresulting in a legacy of achievementwhich fundamentally changed the statusquo in a significant way thus enhancingthe air mobility mission, culture, andhistory.” General Kross then asked GeneralRaymond Johns, commander Air MobilityCommand, to say a few words.General Johns related how a simple, longagoact began an evolution which ultimatelyled to the U.S. being the only country onearth weilding the power of rapid globalreach – thanks to aerial refueling. At the endof his remarks, General Johns introducedDr. Theodore Hine, the nephew of 1Lt VirgilHine, a member of <strong>Tanker</strong> Crew #1 duringthe 1923 series of flights.Dr. Hine, himself a Navy veteran, talkedexcidedly about his “larger than life” UncleVirgil and the other men who participated inthe 1923 flights. Dr. Hine who had traveled toScott from Oklahoma, with his son Dr. CraigHine, especally for the unveiling, thanked theA/TA for honoring his uncle and for makinghim feel like part of the “family.”Following his remarks, Dr. Hine, with theassistance of A/TA President Mark Smith,unveiled the medallion, which has beensituated along the Walk of Fame in a mannerwhich encourages visitors to view both sidesand to read plaques describing each event.The ceremony concluded with MSgt Gilmorereading the inscriptions aloud [see page 25],and then thanking everyone for attending.Dr. Theodore Hine (L), the nephew of 1Lt Virgil Hine, one the 1923 Pioneers of Aerial Refueling inducted into the A/TA Hall of Fame duringthe 2009 A/TA Convention & Symposium in Nashville, Tennessee, proudly stands next to the medallion depicting the historic event. Themedallion, which depicts both the 1923 aerial refueling series of flights and the 1929 flight of the “Question Mark,” was unveiled during aceremony held along the A/TA Walk of Fame at Scott AFB, Illinois, on 23 September. Joining Dr. Hine at the conclusion of the ceremony are (Lto R) General Raymond Johns, commander AMC, General Walter Kross, Chairman A/TA, CMSgt Mark Smith, President A/TA, General DuaneCassidy, 2006 A/TA Hall of Fame Inductee, MajGen Jim “Bagger” Baginski, 2005 A/TA Hall of Fame Inductee, and General Duncan McNabb,commander USTRANSCOM. (A/TA Photo, Collin Bakse)6 A/TQ • <strong>Airlift</strong>/<strong>Tanker</strong> Quarterly • Fall 2010
A/TQ • <strong>Airlift</strong>/<strong>Tanker</strong> Quarterly • Fall 20107