High school friends take on Air Force adventures together
Friends Nick Weber and Andrew Scott enlisted in the Wisconsin National Guard after graduating from Prairie du Chien High School in 2016. (Submitted photos)
Andrew Scott and Nick Weber are on a base classified as a Forward Operating Base (FOB). They are both E-4 ranked senior airmen in the Air Force and are responsible for maintenance and oversight of F-16 fighter jet systems.
This is an example of the F-16 fighter jet the Prairie du Chien airforcemen work on at their Madison Air Force base and during their current deployment in Afghanistan.
By Correne Martin
High school friends Andrew Scott and Nick Weber are airmen in the Air Force National Guard and have been deployed in Afghanistan together since July. The pair of 2016 Prairie du Chien High School graduates perform maintenance on and oversee systems within F-16s, the wildly-utilized fighter jets.
Now E-4 ranked senior airmen in the Air Force, Drew and Nick started their adventures as a dynamic duo in high school. They were teammates on the Prairie du Chien football and basketball teams. They even got a chance to play together when the varsity basketball team went to state in 2016, according to Scott.
After graduation, they looked into the Wisconsin National Guard. Then, on June 8, 2016, they enlisted and, later that summer, they left for basic training in San Antonio, Texas. After basic, they were shipped to Wichita Falls, Texas, where they completed six months of technical school, studying F-16 avionic systems.
“The systems we oversee include radar, radios, radar threat warning, cockpit displays, and pneumatic systems, just to name a few,” Scott said.
Most recently stationed at Truax Air Force Base, in Madison, Scott and Weber volunteered last November to go on their current deployment because they felt it may be their only chance to deploy downrange.
“We were excited to leave all year,” he added.
In July, the time came. It was a long couple of days traveling, including stopping in Qatar, the country located in western Asia known for having the highest per capita income in the world.
“It was 115 degrees there at the time,” Scott noted.
Eventually, the troop landed in Afghanistan and they’ve been there ever since.
Weber and Scott both work the same shift, so they have the same schedules. They work six days a week, from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. The only exception is that Scott has Sundays off and his counterpart has Mondays off.
“Yes, we get sick of each other all the time,” Scott laughed.
He described, via email, what it’s like living and working in Afghanistan.
“The days are long, the sun is intense, and it gets hot. It is pretty similar to a desert, so everything is dusty. It has only rained twice since I have been here. Dusk is beautiful though, the sun sets over the mountains and it’s almost like we are back home. The nights are chilly and the spiders are huge. If it’s a clear day out, we can see the snowcapped mountains.”
Scott shared that the base he and Weber are on is classified as a Forward Operating Base (FOB), so they aren’t allowed to leave, due to security reasons. This means their contact and engagement with the Afghan people and their culture are slim.
Thankfully, there is a place on their base where locals sell unique items. The airmen call it “the bazaar.”
“I purchased a handmade cashmere blanket, a handmade chess set, and other cool knick-knacks form the bazaar and I’m excited to come home and share my gifts with others,” Scott said.
Being at a nine-and-a-half hour time difference from home, and working six days a week, makes it hard for these young men to communicate with family and friends back in the Prairie du Chien area. Because of this, they are more likely to exchange with loved ones via email than phone.
“We miss home a lot of course. Our families continue to live their lives, but we can’t be there for it,” Scott commented. “But this deployment is a great life experience, and it opens your eyes to see the bigger picture of the world around us. All of our training has led us too where we are now, and where we are now can make a difference in the war.”
Weber agreed wholeheartedly, saying, “I am proud to be defending those who can’t defend themselves, and I hope the local kids see that it’s never about the individual, it’s always about the team.”
Depending on the health of their air fleet, Scott said he and his friend expect to be overseas through late this fall. Upon return, both anticipate going back to college. Weber will continue taking biology coursework at UW-Platteville. Scott will start school at UW-Stout. He’s transferring there from La Crosse because, he said, he wants to be a technical education teacher and Stout has one of the best career and tech ed programs in the nation.
“We will both continue our enlistment commitment upon our return back to the states,” Scott said. “Truax has been selected as an F-35 recipient, so we might be trained in a second airframe in the future. We both have three years left on our enlistment and plan to re-enlist when the time comes. We will see where the future takes us.”
These accomplished local men are proud of their achievements and prowess within the Air Force. They’re especially grateful that their friendship has taken them around the world together.
“Our mothers coached varsity volleyball together, and we have been good friends ever since,” Scott remarked. “We didn’t really know what we wanted to do after high school, so we both took a shot in the dark when we enlisted. And, so far, we don’t regret a minute of our service.”
Andrew is the son of Rich and Vicki Scott. Nick is the son of Al Weber and Kerri Weber.
