Air Guard Goes Green

  • Published
  • By TSgt. Brian Cox
  • 185th Public Affairs
Sioux City. Iowa --  President Theodore Roosevelt once said, "To exist as a nation, to prosper as a state, and to live as a people, we must have trees." Lieutenant Cornel Neil Stockfleth with the 185th Air Refueling Wing civil engineering must have taken him at his word because he was happy to have the chance to plant fifty-nine trees recently at the Air National Guard base in Sioux City, Iowa.

The project started as an idea for beautifying the base property. With blessing from his superiors, Stockfleth coordinated the plan with base Security Forces and Civil Engineers and was off and running. A variety of trees were planted; maples, oaks, locus, and crabapples. The trees were purchased from Lane's Wholesale Nursery Farm in Lyons, Nebraska for about $70.

With one other minor investment of $100 for rental of an auger to dig holes the entire venture was well within Stockfleth's planned budget. Labor for planting and cleanup could have cost thousands of dollars but a large group of airman from the 185th volunteered to finish the job and in less than eight hours. "Many hands make short work." Stockfleth said.

Things went faster than expected and the success of the project has fueled support for additional planting in the spring. "I can't wait until spring." Stockfleth said.

"The best friend on earth of man is the tree. When we use the tree respectfully and economically, we have one of the greatest resources of the earth."
--Frank Lloyd Wright

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