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Hangar Digest THE AIR MOBILITY COMMAND MUSEUM Page 1 Hangar digest VOLUME 20, NO. 1 JAN — MAR 2020 THE AMCM HANGAR DIGEST IS A QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE AMC MUSEUM FOUNDATION INC. Page 2 Volume 20, Issue 1 Air Mobility Command Museum Mission Statement The mission of the Air Mobility Command Museum is twofold: ● To present the history and development of military airlift and tanker operations. ● In a goal closely aligned with the first, to portray the rich history of Dover Air Force Base and its predecessor, Dover Army Airfield. The AMC Museum Hangar AMC Museum Staff AMC Museum Foundation Digest is published quar- Director Board of Directors terly and is dedicated to John Taylor President the preservation of our Deputy Director Col. Don Sloan, USAFR (Ret.) airlift and tanker herit- Eric Czerwinski Vice President age. All articles, unless Operations Manager Lt. Col. Paul Gillis, USAFR (Ret.) otherwise noted, are writ- Mike Hurlburt Secretary ten by the editor. Senior Archivist MSgt. Jeff Brown, USAF (Ret.) Lt. Col. Harry E. Heist, USAF (Ret.) Viewpoints in this publica- Treasurer Photo Archivist Col. Jim Schultz, USAF (Ret.) tion are those of the contrib- SMSgt. Larry Koewing, USAF (Ret.) uting authors and do not nec- Members Collections Manager Mr. Robert Berglund essarily reflect the opinions of Hal Sellars The AMC Museum Founda- Mr. Carleton E. Carey Sr. Volunteer Coordinator/Scheduler Lt. Gen. Bob Dierker, USAF (Ret.) tion or of the Museum’s staff. Paul George CMSgt. George Roof, USAF (Ret.) Subscriptions are free and Librarian CMSgt. Paul Roy, USAF (Ret.) are mailed via nonprofit Frieda Herman MSgt. Phyllis Scully, USAFR (Ret.) standard mail to paid-up Mr. Kevin Taha members of The AMC Muse- AMCM Foundation Staff CMSgt. Michael Wysong, USAFR (Ret.) um Foundation Inc. Membership Manager Contributions. Reader com- MSgt. Jeff Brown, USAF (Ret.) Chaplain ments, articles and ideas are Acting Museum Store Manager Chaplain (Lt. Col.) John Groth, USAFR (Ret.) solicited for future issues. Mail Bettie Campbell to The Hangar Digest, AMCM Restoration Chief Foundation, PO Box 2024, Do- Les Polley ver AFB DE 19902-9998; fax Website (www.amcmuseum.org) 302-677-5940; or email Hal Sellars hangardigest@ gmail.com. Contact Editor Master Sgt. Jeff What is the Air Mobility Command Museum? Brown, USAF (Ret.) via email at Located in Hangar 1301 on Dover Air Force Base, Kent County, Delaware, the AMC [email protected]. Museum is part of the National Museum of the United States Air Force’s field museum Photos are by Jeff Brown, system. One of the reasons your AMC Museum continues to provide a great educational expe- unless otherwise noted. rience is that we stick very closely to our reason for being. So exactly what is our mission? Broken down by numbers our mission is 70 percent airlift and air-refueling, 20 percent Dover AFB history and 10 percent Air Force general history. Our aircraft and artifact collection sticks very closely to that breakdown. But we Cover: A group of fourth-grade work hard to be much more than numbers. We tell the stories of the people who have students from the Woodbridge served in our nation’s Air Force, and we offer the only opportunity for many visitors to Elementary School in Bridge- see the actual aircraft and meet the people who have served our country. ville, Del., visited the AMCM Hangar 1301 was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. Oct. 12. Led by volunteer tour guide Dave Doyle, the young- Although located on Dover AFB proper, entrance to the Museum must be made from sters learned about the Muse- Delaware Route 9, south of the base. Admission to and parking at the Museum is free um’s collection of aircraft, and military identification is not required. The Air Mobility Command Museum is open including the C-47 Turf and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. It is closed on Mondays and all federal Sport Special before pausing holidays except Veterans Day. For more information, call 302-677-5938 or 302-677-5991. for a photograph outside the We like to say we are a window to your Air Force. Let us know how we can continue to historic troop carrier. improve our outreach and family-friendly experience. The Hangar Digest is printed and mailed by Delmarva Printing, Salisbury, Md.. Hangar Digest Page 3 Veterans Affairs Val Camarillo informs vets visiting AMC Museum Information is the heart and soul of any Her primary role is to inform veterans, museum, but visitors to the AMC Museum veteran service organizations, and elected were able to get a little extra education during state representatives about VA healthcare 2019 thanks to the efforts of Air Force veteran options available to eligible veterans. She Valerie Camarillo. also assists veterans with enrolling in VA A community outreach specialist with the healthcare. Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Wilming- “Many veterans don’t know they’re eligible ton, Del., Camarillo was on hand once a for VA medical care and don’t know their month to provide some one-on-one help to benefits,” Camarillo said. She has also found veterans visiting the AMC Museum. they need help enrolling in the program and “I wanted to get the word out to veterans receiving assistance with filing claims. about what benefits they’re eligible for,” “A lot of times veterans don’t realize that if Camarillo said. “I also want veterans in Dela- they qualify for VA health care, it doesn’t ware to know the Wilmington VA has nearby affect any other health insurance they may VA clinics in Kent and Sussex counties. They have,” she explained. “VA health care is just don’t have to travel to Wilmington to see a an added benefit for them to use.” primary care doctor.” For some veterans, health care through the The Museum’s staff was eager to take ad- VA may be the only medical benefits they VA photo vantage of Camarillo’s expertise, AMCM have, Camarillo added. Many are surprised to Veterans Affairs Outreach Coordinator Operations Manager Mike Hurlburt said. find that, with few exceptions, VA health Valerie Camarillo “Val reached out to us to see if she could benefits come at no cost. set up during our Open Cockpit Days to in- During her time with the VA and those She’s also learned a lot of younger veterans form veterans of the services that the VA has Saturdays at the AMCM, Camarillo has don’t ask for help right away. available,” he said. learned many veterans are unfamiliar with the “At the Museum, I have had a lot of senior Open Cockpit Days are held the third Sat- new Mission Act, which went into effect in veterans asking for my assistance in enrolling urday of each month between April and Octo- June 2019. their sons or daughters who are veterans of ber. Because the Museum strives to open as The act gives eligible veterans new options Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Endur- many planes in its collection as possible, these when dealing with their healthcare. For exam- ing Freedom.” days usually see a larger number of visitors, ple, they can opt into Community Care and “While at the Museum, a father came up to Hurlburt said. Many of those are service vet- see an outside provider, as long as the VA has me and said his son, who was a veteran, was erans who bring their children and grandchil- scheduled the appointment. The VA covers having addiction issues. I met with his son dren to see what the AMCM has to offer. the cost. and assisted in getting him enrolled with the Urgent care visits at participating centers VA. And to think the father had just come in Taking charge may be had without preapproval or cost. Vet- to look at airplanes with his grandchildren,” A native of Erie, Pa., Camarillo was as- erans also will receive a $30 co-pay from the she said. signed to Dover AFB, Del., upon enlisting in VA after the fourth visit in a calendar year. “A lot of times, veterans will come to me 1997. She’s never left. “To be eligible, veterans must be enrolled and say they can’t get hearing aids because Camarillo joined the Delaware Air Nation- in the VA’s health care system,” Camarillo they’re so expensive. I tell them if they quali- al Guard as an operations controller upon said. “This option makes it easier to get medi- fy, they can get them for free,” she said. leaving active duty in 2001. After earning her cal attention, particularly when away from Homeless veterans also are an area of ma- bachelor’s degree, she taught for about 10 home.” jor concern. years at the Campus Community School in “I work to get them going in the right direc- Dover. The stories, the experiences tion, I connect them with VA and state re- She worked tirelessly on her education, Camarillo has been successful in her prima- sources to learn about housing and health eventually earning her master’s degree in ry mission of helping vets understand the VA care,” she said. “One of my main focuses this Education. She’s served both in the ANG and system. She’s even assisted with enrolling year is suicide prevention. We are losing too with the 512th Airlift Wing at Dover, advanc- some of the Museum’s more than 100 volun- many veterans to suicide.” ing to the grade of master sergeant before teers. And although she’s been on the job now receiving her commission as a second lieuten- “I love hearing all the stories the AMC since January 2019, she and Taylor have as- ant in 2012.