Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman
WASHINGTON–?U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) recognized the service and sacrifice of Mountain Home veteran Jami Huisjen Scott in ‘Salute to?Veterans,’ a series recognizing the military service of Arkansans.??
Scott enlisted while in college at the University of Massachusetts, “I had wanted to go into the Air Force,” she said. “I wanted to be in a technical environment, I wanted to learn about electronics.”
As a result of the height and weight requirement she was targeted to lose weight in basic training, but the scale didn’t budge. Then at her first duty station her height was recorded as half an inch taller than previous measurements had shown, so her weight was no longer an issue.
Scott explained she had always had an interest in electronics and, “after basic, I got one of the top two jobs that I asked for. I was assigned to avionic navigation systems.” She continued her training at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi, working hard but also making some good friends and memories.
She was looking forward to being stationed overseas during her military service, but following technical training, Scott was assigned to Little Rock Air Force Base. “They do a lot of training for folks from other nations and they do a lot of temporary duty assignments, so as it turned out I did go to spend three months in England,” and spend a few weeks in the Azores, she recalled. “I got to do some pretty cool stuff, but I was always stationed at Little Rock.”
She had requested to be transferred to Guam, but while she waited, she met her future husband when they were working 12-hour shifts seven days a week in what is called 7-12s.
They were both assigned TDY to England. He spent his first few weeks in Greece while she spent the entire three months in England. After some time exchanging letters, “he proposed to me and I proposed to him and our letters crossed in the middle,” Scott explained. The two were married in a courthouse. Her orders to Guam were canceled and they stayed at Little Rock Air Force Base, where Scott spent her entire enlistment.
Some of her fondest memories of military service were “bumming around” the United Kingdom. She remembers driving to the coast, visiting friends across the country and even stumbling upon the famous Stonehenge.
Back in Little Rock, Scott had medical complications including lasting issues with an ankle injury and challenges with her first pregnancy which eventually led her to participate in an early release program. This put her on a path to separate from the Air Force one day prior to the end of her enlistment, but her doctor put her on medical hold for one day in order to complete her enlistment and receive her benefits.
Scott is grateful to the military for introducing her to her husband and remembers the pride she felt from completing her duties on aircraft. “I get on there with my toolbox, and I do my thing, and I get off and that plane flies away, and I can sit back and go ‘I did that,’ that’s cool” Scott said. She also fondly remembers watching the sunrise while sitting on the wing of an airplane on beautiful Arkansas mornings.
After she separated from the military, she continued in the aviation field and worked alongside her husband at Lockheed Aerospace, relocating her family to Savannah, Georgia. She went back to school to finish her college degree and attained a master’s in divinity, becoming an ordained chaplain. She found her passion in helping others who are struggling and described it as “my joy.”
Scott lives in Mountain Home and is active in the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans and Service Sisters. She is an advocate of efforts supporting women veterans and appreciates the opportunity to speak with fellow female veterans and share experiences.
“Jami Huijen Scott has led a life of service to her country and her fellow veterans. From her work as a chaplain, to her advocacy for women veterans, she continues to demonstrate her passion for helping others. I am proud of her dedication and am honored to share her memories of service,“ Boozman said.
Boozman will submit Scott’s entire interview to the Veterans History Project, an initiative of the Library of Congress’s American Folklife Center to collect and retain the oral histories of our nation’s veterans.