BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) - Illinois members of Congress are teaming up to protect Scott Air Force Base from any attempts in the future to close, relocate or downsize the facility in southwestern Illinois.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and other federal and state lawmakers invited Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh to visit the base Friday outside the city of Belleville.
Welsh did not meet with reporters afterward, but Durbin told journalists he believes the Air Force chief understands the base’s role in the nation’s defense.
According to the Belleville News-Democrat (https://bit.ly/1iNPJAE ), Durbin said the general told his hosts repeatedly that it would be “difficult, if not impossible, to imagine picking up Scott Air Force Base and moving it to another location.”
The base is home to the 375th Air Mobility Wing.
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Information from: Belleville News-Democrat, https://www.bnd.com
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