Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Daniel Heaton | U.S. Rep. Paul Mitchell, (R-Mich.) talks with Master Sgt. Billy Scalf, a member of the...... read more read more
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A veteran Selfridge Airman is talking with his family and learning to walk again after suffering two debilitating strokes while serving in Afghanistan.
Master Sgt. Bill Scalf’s recovery has been nothing short of miraculous, said his wife and his fellow Airmen at Selfridge Air National Guard Base.
Scalf was deployed with several hundred Selfridge Airmen and their KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft to a base in Afghanistan when he suffered a stroke on Jan. 30. Today, he remains hospitalized, now at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor. While a medical retirement from the military appears to be his likely next step, this week he told his commanding officer he’s anxious to get back to Selfridge, check in with his co-workers, and, most importantly, give his aircraft a thorough check-up.
“I’m still a crew chief. I’m not retired yet,” Scalf told the visitors, including Brig. Gen. John D. Slocum, 127th Wing commander; and U.S. Rep. Paul Mitchell.
As wing commander, Slocum has been keeping close tabs on Scalf’s status. Mitchell helped cut through some of the red tape to get Scalf’s wife, Cherie Scalf, to a military hospital in Germany in a hurry after her husband’s initial stroke. (See related story)
Scalf had been in Afghanistan supporting KC-135 refueling missions for about a month, working alongside his fellow crew chiefs from the 191st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, when he suffered the first stroke. It was about one in the morning, and he was on the job.
“He was out working on the aircraft,” said his wife, Cherie Scalf. “I guess he was getting it ready for the next day’s mission. One of the other guys, Mike Campbell, saw Billy’s flashlight moving around in a way that wasn’t normal and went out to check on him.”
Scalf has been a crew chief on Air Force aircraft for about 30 years. Those who know him are not surprised that when Campbell went out to check on him, Scalf tried to brush off suggestions he be taken to the base clinic for a check-up – he wanted to get the aircraft ready to go first.
“But the guys insisted he get checked. If they hadn’t, I really don’t know if he would be here today,” Scalf said. “Each of the people in his unit, they just were amazing at making sure he got the help he needed.”
Scalf was administered with the drug known as the “clot-buster,” used to treat stroke patients. With that treatment, he appeared fine, back to his normal self. But the military doctors in Afghanistan insisted that Scalf be air-lifted to a major U.S. military hospital in Germany for further care. Once there, Scalf was Face-time chatting with his wife back home in Warren, letting her know he was feeling fine.
That’s when a second, larger stroke happened. And things really got serious.
In Germany, doctors decided to quickly transport Scalf to a local civilian hospital that had more specialists to care for his condition. Back home, things quickly moved in to high gear at Selfridge and at the Scalf household, where Bill and Cherie live with their three children Rebecca, Emily and William.
“One of his commanders called me,” Cherie Scalf recalls. “The next thing I know, I’m at Selfridge and having a meeting, and I counted and there were 14 people in the room. It was Gen. Slocum and all the top people. I don’t even know who everyone was. But they, each one, were there to help.”
One of the hallmarks of the Air National Guard is the concept of the Citizen-Airman. That means that people in the local community are the ones who also serve in uniform. Scalf’s military career followed a path not uncommon for many in the Guard. He initially enlisted in the Air Force for four years out of high school. After he was discharged he came home and was out of the military for a few years. But he missed it. After a while, he joined the Air National Guard, where he could stay in Michigan with his family and still serve. Eventually, he was hired on as a civilian technician at Selfridge, doing the same job as a civilian as he does in his military capacity. One of the great benefits of this is that when a challenge occurs, there is a sense of family in the Air National Guard as people have served together over many years. One of the challenges, however, is because Guard personnel don’t live on a military base and are members of the local community, sometimes spouses and the immediate family have less direct connection with the military system.
“I have to admit that I really didn’t know how the military system worked, but that’s where everyone has been so helpful,” Cherie Scalf said.
After Scalf’s second stroke, Slocum appointed another 191st crew chief, Senior Master Sgt. Erik Wolford, to be the Scalf family advocate.
Wolford traveled with Scalf to Germany, helping her to understand military processes along the way.
“Honestly, without Erik, I think I would still be stranded at the airport in Frankfort (Germany), trying to figure out what to do next,” she said. “I just ask if I have questions and I have answers.”
Scalf spent about a month in the hospital in Germany, most of which time he was in a medically-induced coma. Meanwhile, the couple’s three young adult children were on their own back home. The couple’s youngest, William, is a senior in high school. Scalf then spent about a month or so at Walter Reed Army Hospital near Washington D.C. He’s been at U-M since early April.
“It has been a long road, but they are a great family. Everyone who knows Bill, likes him, so we are all in his corner,” said Wolford. After spending about a month in Germany with the Scalfs, Wolford continues to serve as the family’s chief liaison with the 127th Wing. He makes regular runs down to Ann Arbor to check in.
“The kids and I know what kind of guy Bill is. But to witness the way his co-workers have rallied behind him, it has really been something to see,” Cherie Scalf said.
The deployed Selfridge Airmen have all since returned home, marking the end of another overseas deployment. Many of them have been to Ann Arbor to check in on Scalf.
Slocum said taking care of Airmen and their family is a foundational element of service in the 127th Wing.
“We count on our Airmen to do their part in a very important mission, being a part of the defense of this great country. To be able to do that, we want their families to know they can also count on us. Master Sgt. Scalf is an important part of our family, so we are doing all we can to let his family know we are there for them,” Slocum said.
| Date Taken: | 05.07.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 05.07.2019 08:24 |
| Story ID: | 321063 |
| Location: | MICHIGAN, US |
| Web Views: | 74 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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