Latham Memorial Family Park was bustling with volunteers last week as a portion of the grounds was finally covered with green grass.
A whole crew -- including representatives from Whiteman Air Force Base near Warrensburg, local veterans, California Mayor Rich Green, Missouri Department of Corrections inmates, and even California High School Jobs for America's Graduates students, ag students and CHS Principal Sean Kirksey -- was hard at work laying sod throughout the morning last Thursday, which now covers the grounds around the veterans memorial and gazebo, up to the area where work on the park's future playground is still in progress.
For now, at least, the side housing the park's veterans memorial is covered with fresh grass instead of dirt.
Lt. Col. Robert Sturgill, the commander of the base's 13th Bomb Squadron, was one of the volunteers on hand from Whiteman Air Force Base. Thanks to the their relationship with Joe Scallorns, California's community liaison to the base, a few members of the base were a part of the work crew that toiled throughout the morning.
It was a noteworthy collaboration in that a plaque that will eventually be on display at the memorial will feature and to the base's 509th Bomb Wing, the Air Force's only B-2 Spirit Advanced Technology Bomber unit, alongside other images depicting military history throughout both the Moniteau County area and Missouri as a whole.
Scallorns is a longtime resident of California and a longtime supporter of the Air Force base -- for more than 20 years. Scallorns said he's been involved with the base in several ways throughout the years, one of which being his work as community liaison to Sturgill's unit.
"They always like to do a couple of community service things every year, and we try to help them find things that are useful and productive," Scallorns said.
The connection has been such a long one, in fact, that Sturgill's predecessor helped with building California's Rural Fire Protection District station, Scallorns said.
Sturgill said Scallorns worked with his squadron to bring them to California last week for their morning of work. Sturgill said, for his part, he enjoys being involved with anything to do with veterans, as a member of a family filled with fellow service members.
At the same time, it's also nice having a sister city like California to be involved with the squadron, he said.
"Just the feeling of family and community is something special in the military," Sturgill said. "It's different than a lot of other jobs. People want to be involved in you as a business organization; it's really nice."
Sturgill said his unit also spends its time volunteering with Missouri Girls Town in nearby Callaway County, furthering their relationship with Mid-Missouri communities.
Scallorns said a relationship like the one the 13th Bomb Squadron has with California is special in that Sturgill runs a training squadron, meaning it's filled with younger folks. It's an opportunity for them to learn how to interact with people, on top of learning the ropes of being an effective member of the US Air Force.
"A lot of young enlisted pilots, they've all been taken out of their homes," Sturgill said. "Some of them, in the past, went to college so it's not as new to them, but the military deal, you get taken from home and put somewhere new, (it helps when) people find community families. ... It's a chance to learn and be a part of the community, not just isolated in your room playing games."
Sturgill said it's also a blessing for people like him to live in an area where communities support service members as much as service members try to support those communities in turn.
"I think we're lucky to live in an area where people like the military," Sturgill said. "Missouri -- especially this part of Missouri, but Missouri in general -- is a great place to be as a guy in the military. I love it. ... 'A lot of support, it's pretty awesome."
Democrat photo/Austin Hornbostel California High School Principal Sean Kirksey and a group of CHS students were also hard at work last week helping to blanket the park in grass for the first time.