U.S. Air Force Emergency Service Teams: A Final Salute and Farewell to our Friend and Emergency Service Team Mate

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The Defender Project ------ Click on The Defender Project! ----Air Police, Security Police, Security Forces----- -------------From working Customs for the Marines going into Okinawa to running dismounted patrols outside Bagram to parachuting into Iraq, SF members have seen, experienced, enjoyed or endured many different experiences, hardships and dangers in the performance of their duties. Defenders have guarded the B-29s that dropped Little Boy and Fat Man, patrolled Kimpo Air Base in the bitter cold, hunted VC outside Pleiku, escorted convoys throughout Afghanistan and Iraq, and of course performed law enforcement missions in every corner of the world. -----------It’s time to tell some of those stories.

Thursday, April 5, 2007

A Final Salute and Farewell to our Friend and Emergency Service Team Mate

Sgt Cammie Michael Elliott was interred in the church cemetery of his beloved Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church on Highway 92 in Russell Springs, Kentucky, where Cammie was known as the "Candyman" for handing out candy to the parishioners and children who attended Sunday services.

I traveled recently to Russell Springs, Kentucky to bid a final salute and farewell to our former team mate and friend, Sgt Cammie Michael Elliott. (Above: a picture at his gravesite, where I placed a Security Forces Beret, which was given to his surviving widow, Mrs. Patsy Elliott and his surviving daughter, Miranda Elliott) God Bless you, Cammie.

His surviving widow, Patsy told me that this was his favorite bookmark in his bible,

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

2 Timothy 4:7

He served his country with honor and distinction and was one of the pioneers who helped train Charleston AFB, S.C. E.S.T. members. I only know of one "call-out" at Charleston back in those years. We were recalled to response to a Cuban refugee who had broaded a jetliner at Charleston Airport and demanded to be flown to Cuba and supposely had a liquid explosive (later determined to be gasoline). Well, we did respond but by the time we were headed to our vehicles, the incident was over. A local deputy basically walked onto the airliner and basically apprehended the suspect. End of incident, end of our recall.

Cammie was part of that recall and I remember how fast Cammie had issued weapons (served as a squadron armorer and E.S.T. leader) and had "geared up" for the movement to the airport. We had some IA plans and were ready to assess the sit based on the threat. Well... of course we never got the opportunity to deploy so that was our first recall ... after the incident, Cammie was charged with reviewing our recall plan and our actions up to tranport. We came away with several "lessons learned."

Cammie was our armorer, meaning he took care of the weapons assigned to E.S.T. members and we never had to worry about our weapons being ready for anything. Thanks to Cammie.

We'll see you at the Main Gate, "Cammie"... get ready for some push-ups!