Warren Harvey Scott

Warren Harvey Scott, “Scotty,” Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (retired), was born on May 21, 1923 in Cleveland, Ohio, and passed on Oct. 14, 2016 in Whitefish.

When World War II began Warren enlisted in the Army Air Corp in 1942 to become a pilot. Unfortunately the Air Corp had plenty of pilots so he was sent to radio school and was assigned to the 439th Troop Carrier Group.

During the war he was stationed in England and carried the 101st Airborne Infantry in on D-Day. When the war was over he was sent home and discharged in 1945. He re-enlisted in 1947 and was assigned to the 37th Troop Carrier Squadron in Greenville, South Carolina, and later to Rapid City, South Dakota. In 1949 he transferred to Fighter Jets and moved to Texas with the 561st Fighter Squadron. In 1952 he was line chief of 16 F-84 jets as part of a task force for Operation Ivy, which was the test explosion of the first hydrogen bomb. Hours after the explosion he found himself aiding a downed F-84 jet at ground zero. It took six hours of shower scrubbing to reduce his Geiger counter readings to acceptable. Later during the 50s he was stationed in Japan servicing planes that were a part of the Korean War and eventually stationed in Guam. In about 1956 he transferred to the Bomber Command, 3rd Air Division, Strategic Air Command Headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base, near Omaha Nebraska. After four years in that position he was reassigned to Castle Air Force Base, in the California central valley overseeing B-52s and KC-135 refueling tankers. About 1962 he was selected for the 47th Air Division Inspector Generals team at that base. During his service he received assorted medals and was the first Master Sargent elevated to the new rank designation of Senior Master Sergeant, and after that the first selected to become Chief Master Sergeant. He was highly revered by his fellow service men and ranking officers who considered him the best enlisted man they had known in the service. He finished his career at Castle and retired in 1964.

Warren was one of five children born to Bessie and Winfield Scott, an older sister and brother and two younger brothers. When growing up, the Depression took its toll and he quit school at age 12 to help support his family by working in a local garage. That work experience shaped the rest of his life. When things got better he returned to graduate high school and college.

Through a friend he met Dorothy Couchey and they married in December of 1943. During his assignments and travels, Dorothy was always there handling the home front and providing support. In 1948 Warren was stationed in South Carolina but was on leave for the birth of their son, Toby, in Los Angeles. As time and base assignments changed, the three of them traveled both for Warren’s work and visiting friends and relatives in Cleveland, Los Angeles and around the country. Money was tight so camping along the way was the usual accommodations. Warren, with the help of Toby, maintained their cars and homes with repairs and improvements.

Upon retiring from the Air Force in 1964 he moved the family to Santa Barbara, California, joining Dorothy’s sisters and parents living there. They purchased a modest home and Security Pacific Bank hired Warren in the real estate appraisal department. After 20 years he retired from that career as a regional vice president of the Bank of America.

Over the years Warren and Dorothy enjoyed traveling with their van, trailer or motorhome going to various destinations in the U.S. and flying abroad. Warren had resumed riding a motorcycle and was especially fond of taking trips around town, or around the country. It was not uncommon for him to go on a jaunt of 1,000 miles over a weekend with his best friend and brother-in-law. He eventually rode over 600,000 miles on his cycles. Warren was involved with the Elks, as a board member and president, and the American Legion supporting their causes.

When his son established himself in Whitefish, trips for a visit occurred several times a year. With the birth of a grandson, Wyatt, Warren was finally motivated to leave Santa Barbara and move to Whitefish in 2004.

When asked, “What about all the friends and activities you have in Santa Barbara?” he replied, “I’ll make new ones.” That same year Dorothy’s developing Alzheimer’s proved too much and Warren had to move her to the Whitefish Care facility two blocks from their home. As a devoted husband he went to visit and feed her several times a day, every day, until her passing in 2009. He continued on helping at the senior center and frequenting the VFW to visit with friends. At age 85 he stopped riding his motorcycle as his mobility had been diminished from hip surgery on one side and full replacement on the other. After a series of falls due to his failing balance, he resorted to a walker but that did not stop him from independent living and his regular rounds. An inadvertent fall in September 2016 left him disoriented and confined to bed in a nursing home until his passing.

His son, Toby, grandson, Wyatt, ex-daughter-in-law Michelle, and his brother, Dick, living in New Jersey, survive him. From his siblings he has nieces and nephews around the country.

Warren enjoyed life and lived it to the fullest with dedication to his upbringing and military training and experience. Ever the soldier until the end, he always had a smile for everyone. He will be missed.

Expressions of condolence donation should be sent to the Whitefish VFW Post 276, 20 Baker Ave, Whitefish MT 59937

Austin Funeral Home is caring for Warren’s family.