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Howard O. Scott Citizen-Service Member Award celebrates military ties

Capt. Jeffrey Huiatt, 97th Airlift Squadron, is this year's recipient

Joe Piek of the JBLM public affairs office explains changes coming to the base in coming months at the annual Howard O. Scott Citizen-Service Member Awards April 26. Photo credit: Kevin Knodell

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On April 26, the Tacoma-Pierce Chamber of Commerce and the Kiwanis Club of Tacoma celebrated the close relationship between the Tacoma community and the military with the presentation of the annual Howard O. Scott Citizen-Service Member Award.

The award is named after Kiwanis member Howard O. Scott, a World War II veteran who became a successful banker and philanthropist when he returned from the war.

This year's recipient was Capt. Jeffrey Huiatt, a U.S. Air Force Reserve pilot with the 97th Airlift Squadron at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. He's deeply involved in community organizations, including the Tacoma Rescue Mission and mentors youth in the local community - just two endeavors among a nearly limitless list of volunteer services.

He does so while working a day job and serving in the Reserves. Because of his busy schedule, he was unable to attend the ceremony and accept the award in person. But he did make time to talk briefly by phone with The Ranger and Northwest Airlifter to discuss his service and what it means to him.

For him, community service is about repaying the gifts he's received over the years. Giving back "I've been blessed really a lot, and provided with lots of opportunities," he said.

He attributes much of his desire to serve to his faith in God. "It's really out of my love for God that I serve others," he explained.

He said he thinks community members look up to military members. "I think it's important to be out there and show a good example," he said. "But it's the community that really supports the military."

"Going around I have a lot of people thank me for my service and my sacrifice, and one of my common responses is ‘thank you for allowing me to serve,'" he explained. "The U.S. Air Force has really provided me with a lot of opportunities; a lot of neat experiences and opportunities for travel."

Pierce County has an intimate relationship with the military. Dating back to the days of Camp Lewis, the region has been a major military hub since 1917. McChord Airfield has been a military airfield since 1940. In those days, the area was much more sparsely populated.

But as JBLM public affairs official Joe Piek explained at the luncheon, both the military facilities and surrounding communities have grown in size considerably. Now as the Pentagon scales back the number of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, much more troops are in the area training than in previous years.

It's meant that public affairs officers have to reach out to the community to explain why there's noise from training and keeping the communities connected. Building ties through community service is part of that.

"Tacoma is kind of a military centric community which I appreciate," said Huiatt. "I appreciate the support that exists in the community and the opportunities to serve outside of the military"

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