Travis CAA saves life, assists Airmen

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Charles Rivezzo
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – “As soon as I got there, she looked lifeless. Her pupils were fixed and she was cyanotic (her skin was blue.)”

A 6-year-old girl was just pulled from the bottom of a hotel pool when Senior Master Sgt. Scott Piper, 60th Air Mobility Wing career assistance advisor, heard shouting.

“I heard a commotion, looked over and knowing my training, it was serious,” he said. “I sprinted over there and immediately started CPR; it was that simple to me.”

Piper performed CPR for close to two minutes on the young girl before she showed signs of life.

“Losing her was never an option,” said Piper. “With kids, it’s more about providing them air in these situations. She started getting her color back and her eyes started moving. We got her back.”

After regaining consciousness, Piper engaged with the girl, assessing her status. 

“Her name was Jaclyn and I got to know her,” he said. “She had a sister who was two, and her name was Jasmine. She was telling me all of this, which was a good sign.”

A career Air Force medic, Piper humbly shared this story. To him, this was something “any Airman would have done.” But he admitted he missed the adrenaline rush of saving a life.

“I did that for 12 years, so there was that rush that I missed,” he said. “It’s not something I like doing, but it never gets old … saving a life.”

‘The back of a helicopter was my ambulance’

Before transitioning to the wing’s career assistance advisor position, Piper was an Independent Duty Medical Technician, or IDMT, within the special operations forces community.   

“The back of a helicopter was my ambulance for over 10 years,” he said. “My specialty was trauma, and that’s what I did for a long time.”

The heart and soul of Air Force Special Operations Command’s medical capability, SOF medical elements provide primary care and emergency medical support to deployed AFSOC or SOF units, enabling casualty evacuation aboard SOF aircraft for the movement of patients from far forward areas in or near a combat zone.

During his time as an IDMT within the AFSOC community, Piper had seven deployments and countless “down and back” missions to battlefields around the world. It was within this community, where he fortified the values he lives by.

“I live my life by the 4 F’s: faith, family, the force and football,” said Piper with a smile. “The Air Force is an extension of family and in the SOF community that’s where it was most prevalent. To me, I joined the Air Force because I didn’t know any better, not because I was ignorant, but because I know nothing better than the Air Force. That’s all I know and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

 A ‘medical guy raised by a defender’

Teaching and coaching are passions for Piper and his position as the CAA has afforded him the opportunity to lay the foundation for a revamped professional development program at Travis.

“Teaching is inherent to leadership,” said Piper. “Any great leader out there teaches, whether deliberate or not. To provide information is one of the greatest gifts you can give someone.”

As evident by his medical background, Piper has a passion for assisting others; not just on the battlefield or at the side of a pool, but in professional development and pursuit of their career goals. 

The passion to assist explains his latest initiative, “Droppin’ DIMEs.”  Droppin’ DIMEs is a direct reflection of Piper’s affinity for sports and stands for Develop, Inform, Mentor and Educate. 

“In sports, a dime is an assist,” he said. “An assist is setting someone else up in a position of success so that they can score a point or a goal.  That is what leaders do, we assist our Airmen.” 

During his tenure as the CAA, he’s expanded upon the traditional norms of military professional development. For the first time, professional development courses are not confined to just the service member, as PDCs are now available to civilians as well as dependents over the age of 18.

Moreover, Travis’ PDP now includes a weekly lunch-and learn every Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., monthly John Maxwell Leadership Courses, a Superintendent Symposium and TT3 Development courses.

Piper believes that, “it takes a village to take care of our Airmen” and encourages others to join him in Droppin’ DIMEs. He highlighted that diversity is the key to developing Airmen.   

 “I’m a medical guy, raised by a defender, with a SOF background,” said Piper. “We need people with diverse backgrounds instructing these courses and anyone has the opportunity to lead.” 

For more information on development programs, please contact Piper at 707-816-DIME (3463).