Local Boy Scouts take flight in military aircraft

ELYRIA — Soaring high above the clouds in a military plane is something typically reserved for, well, military personnel. But this summer, 20 kids from Elyria Boy Scout Troop 133 participated in a two-hour training flight over Northeast Ohio in a C-130H Hercules with the 910th Airlift Wing out of Youngstown Air Reserve Base. The idea to fly in a military plane came about during a brainstorming session back in January when the kids were trying to plan activities. "They were coming up with some pretty exotic ideas, so I brought up the plane ride," said Jeff Bechtel, Troop 133 assistant scoutmaster. "Because of my background as a retired Air Force reservist, it was in my wheelhouse." Bechtel, 55, of Elyria, retired from the Air Force Reserves as a master sergeant. He worked as an air transportation craftsman, or, as he put it, he managed UPS for the military. When the aircraft took off at the end of June, 10 of the Scouts aboard had never been in a plane. "Just flying for them was amazing," Bechtel said. "Being in a military plane was over the top. Next year, I'm really going to have to outdo myself." Bechtel is pondering a flight on a KC-135 refueler next year, where the Scouts would be able to watch as the plane refueled another aircraft midair. "They usually don't know what they're going to be refueling, but we could refuel something really unique like a B-2 Spirit Bomber or an F-22 Raptor Fighter," he said. "I just think it would be something new and different for the kids." The flight they took this summer included both boys and girls from the troop, so it was an added bonus that there was a female loadmaster on hand to field questions and explain her job. "We had two girls with us, so that was really neat for them," Bechtel said. "One of them even said afterward that it might inspire her to join the military. They had tons and tons of questions for her and she let them touch stuff and move stuff." Bechtel has been involved with the troop for two years, although his son, 12-year-old Nathan Bechtel, has been with the organization since he was a Cub Scout. "When he was 5 years old, we chose it as an activity to burn off some energy and meet other kids," Bechtel said. "After he got his Arrow of Light, we asked if he wanted to cross over, and he wasn't sure. Then, he went to camp with the older kids and he was hooked." While Bechtel doesn't know if Nathan will follow through with Scouts all of the way, he's glad he is a part of it now. "I am there to support him as far as he wants to go," Bechtel said. "If he decides he wants to pursue his Eagle Scout, I'm there for him. In this day and age, it's hard to find the generation building tools of previous times. Scouts build character, self-reliance and a lot of traits older generations have that make them more self-sufficient." It also teaches leadership, which is important for kids, he said. "As adult volunteer leaders, it is so difficult to plan and initiate exciting activities that surpass social media, gaming and other electronic activities," Bechtel said. "It's the job of the adult volunteers to be creative and plan stuff that can't be done every day and that wows the Scouts." Contact Christina Jolliffe at ctnews@chroniclet.com.