Team Kadena holds memorial ceremony for CPO chief

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Jeff Loftin
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  Team Kadena said good-bye to a long-time civil servant during a farewell ceremony Wednesday in Chapel 1. 

About 150 people attended a memorial service for Bruce Scott, who was the 18th Wing chief of civilian personnel and passed away Jan. 16. Mr. Scott was found unconscious while on duty that day and was transported to the U.S. Naval hospital on Camp Lester where he was pronounced dead from apparent cardiac arrest. 

At the ceremony Lt. Col. Peter Warner, 18th Mission Support Squadron commander, called Mr. Scott an outstanding individual who was always there for everyone. 

"I can't say enough about what he meant to the squadron, Pacific Air Forces, and this part of the world," he said. 

Dorothy Vaught, from 5th Air Force, read condolence letters from the PACAF Manpower and Personnel Directorate, and from U.S. Forces Japan. 

"Bruce's character and experience has been a positive asset for PACAF and 5AF," said the letter sent on behalf of Lt. Gen. Bruce Wright, USFJ/5th Air Force commander, and Yokota Air Base. "He was very passionate about his work and was a mentor for many. Sometimes it was difficult to work under his expectations, but you learned from his knowledge and experiences. There are many in the personnel community that have been influenced by him." 

The PACAF letter also praised Mr. Scott as being an intelligent, kind and highly reasoned gentleman. 

"Always the consummate professional, Bruce had a special way with commanders, managers and employees alike - all of whom greatly appreciated his diplomacy and expertise," it said. "The legacy he leaves behind is a powerful one, and the positive impact he has had on PACAF and the Air Force will no doubt last a very, very long time." 

Mr. Scott had worked at Kadena since February 2005. Before that the Dayton, Ohio, native served at several PACAF bases during his long civil service career. 

He started in 1977 as a purchasing agent for the Defense Electronic Supply Center in Dayton, Ohio. The next year he became an employee development specialist with the 2750th Air Base Wing, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. In 1980, he became a position classification specialist and worked in that capacity at the wing level until 1985 when he was selected for a classification position at Headquarters Air Force Logistics Command, also at Wright-Patterson. 

Mr. Scott's long association with PACAF began with his selection for the position as classification chief at Osan Air Base, Korea in 1986. 

His three plus years there led to his selection for a civilian exchange officer position in 1990. Assigned to Headquarters United States Air Force, but with a duty station in Canberra, Australia, Mr. Scott managed special projects in the Management Improvement and Manpower Productivity Branch, Australian Department of Defense. 

Still assigned to the Air Staff, Mr. Scott's next assignment in 1991 was to the Pentagon, where he worked plans and resources issues as a personnel management specialist in the directorate of civilian personnel. 

Mr. Scott returned to PACAF in 1993, serving as chief of classification and then chief of labor and employee relations here at Kadena. Three years later, he moved to Yokota, where he was dual-hatted as the 5th Air Force director of civilian personnel as well as the Yokota civilian personnel officer. 

In August 1999, Mr. Scott became the civilian personnel officer at Hickam AFB, Hawaii.
Mr. Scott has received numerous performance awards including recognition as the Air Force Outstanding Civilian Personnel Manager and Air Force Outstanding Civilian Personnel Officer. In 2004, Mr. Scott was PACAF's Air Force Association Manager of the Year nominee and was honored with the Air Force Exemplary Civilian Service Award. 

Mr. Scott is survived by his wife, Sugako, from Okinawa.