Retired banker, Army veteran receives prestigious award from Air Force

Joe Scallorns is pictured in 1959 in Korea while practicing directing air traffic. (Courtesy of Joe Scallorns)
Joe Scallorns is pictured in 1959 in Korea while practicing directing air traffic. (Courtesy of Joe Scallorns)

A significant part of Joe Scallorns' life has been dedicated to some form of public service.

From his enlistment in the U.S. Army to advocating on behalf of Whiteman Air Force Base, his efforts to boost the standing of the military in the community has recently earned him a prestigious award from the top-levels of the United States Air Force.

Born and raised in Kennett, Scallorns chose to continue his education by enrolling at the University of Missouri following his graduation from high school in 1956. However, he soon ran low on money and ambition.

"I decided to leave college in fall of 1957 and enlisted in the U.S. Army because I wanted to become a helicopter pilot," he said. "I went to basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in early 1958 and then to Fort Rucker, Alabama, for advanced training in aviation maintenance."

Needing a permanent duty assignment to qualify for the warrant officer program and continue his pursuit toward becoming a pilot, the young soldier underwent additional training at Fort Rucker and became an instructor. Unexpectedly, his hopes of transitioning into pilot training were suspended when he received orders for Korea.

"In the fall of 1958, they sent me to an aviation detachment with I Corps Headquarters located near Uijeongbu, South Korea," he recalled. "I was a crew chief with the 3rd Light Aviation Section that operated from a small airstrip.

"We used L-19s and L-20s -- small single-engine planes -- for training missions and exercises," he added. "The planes also patrolled near the DMZ (demilitarized zone) to track the movement of artillery for our intelligence personnel."

The following year, he transferred to a fix-winged aviation company at Fort Riley, Kansas, performing primarily administrative work for the next year. In December 1960, he received his release from active duty but was recalled into service several months later.

"It was part of the prep for the Vietnam War," he said. "I was sent to Fort Hood, Texas, and placed with an activated National Guard company from Houston. They sent me to Fort Eustis, Virginia, to train as a technical inspector and maintenance supervisor, but changed their minds about sending us to Vietnam, and I was discharged in August 1962."

Weeks later, he married his fiancée, Fran, and returned to the University of Missouri to finish his education. While in college, he joined an Army Reserve unit in Columbia and achieved the rank of sergeant first class. Graduating with his bachelor's degree in business in 1965, he left the reserves and moved to New York to work for the Morgan Guaranty Trust Company.

A couple years later, he returned to Columbia when hired by the bank that had employed him part-time when he was in college. Ten years later, he was hired by First National Bank in Columbia, where he spent the next eight years and eventually became the bank president.

"From there, I went to Highland, Illinois, for about a year to work for a small bank holding company," he said. "That's around the time that I put together a plan to buy the Farmers and Traders Bank in California (Missouri), and I completed the purchase in 1988."

While working in his new home of California, U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton suggested Scallorns consider becoming involved in establishing a relationship with the leadership at nearby Whiteman Air Force Base.

Smiling, he said, "Like any volunteer activity, you get to do as much as you are willing to do. I soon became president of the base community council, which shared the mission of the units on the base and coordinated community support for various base activities."

He retired from his banking career in 1999, but continued his volunteer activities at Whiteman. Scallorns' volunteerism resulted in his being asked to participate as a civilian adviser with a commander's group linked to the Air Combat Command.

"We helped generate local support and advocated for things that would be of benefit to Whiteman," he said. "The base was always dealing with limited resources, and we helped build relationships with commanders and staff to get things like a new kennel for the working dogs used by the security forces."

He then became part of the Chief of Staff Civic Leaders Group in 2007, advocating for Whiteman at the top levels of the Air Force. Through this engagement, he has taken trips that have immersed him in various missions of the Air Force and afforded opportunities to work on such projects as the development of a diversity and inclusion policy.

"A few of us leaders from the bases representing the Air Force Global Strike Command formed a not-for-profit to educate and advocate on the strategic deterrent mission of the Air Force," he said. "I was a founding director and am now a president emeritus of the Strategic Deterrent Coalition."

In recognition of his tireless voluntary spirit, Scallorns was presented the United States Air Force Distinguished Public Service Award several years ago and, during a recent ceremony at the Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C., received the U.S. Air Force Superior Public Service Award.

The veteran said his extensive resumé of public service and success in business is largely attributable to the characteristics he was able to develop and refine decades ago while serving in the military.

"In the Army, I learned about core values such as responsibility, duty, honor, leadership and commitment," he said. "All of these character traits help you grow and are the basis for success not only in the military, but any career one might choose."

He added, "And I have applied the same characteristics in my volunteering with the Air Force and enjoy the opportunities that allow me to continue to serve."

Jeremy P. Ämick writes on behalf of the Silver Star Families of America.

  photo  Joe Scallorns