February 7, 2004 - Savoy, Illinois is the home of U of I Willard Airport, a bustling regional facility with a modern four gate terminal set in the prairie. Not too long ago two of the gates were equipped with those moveable jetports you walk down to board your jetliner to travel to far off places. Not long ago far off places meant direct flights to exotic destinations like New York, Washington DC or Fort Lauderdale. But the deregulation, retraction and restructuring of the airline industry in the late 1980s took its toll on Willard. The jetliners don’t land here anymore. The jetports are rusted and unused. American Express offers three commuter flights to Chicago - O’Hare; Northwest Express flies three daily to Detroit; and American Connection has two to St. Louis. The community just offered a $900,000 annual guarantee to Delta to add three Delta Express flights to its hub in Cincinnati. Still it is an airport even though it is not much of one.

It was strange in the days after 9-11 to see the Humvees parked at the entrance and the almost empty terminal patrolled by burly National Guardsmen wearing helmets and flak jackets. The convenient parking lots were blocked off to prevent cars from coming within 300 yards of the terminal and every approaching vehicle was searched – sort of – before proceeding. We take homeland security seriously here in East-Central Illinois.

There is a lot of land at Willard that is not used for runways and facilities. That ground, nearly 1000 acres, is farmed. It helps pay the bills. We are efficient in Illinois corn country. The whole place was surrounded by a woven wire fence with convenient gates to let the farmers and their equipment in and out. Just last year that fence was replaced by a 6 foot chainlink perimeter security fence topped with three strands of barbed wire (pronounced “bobwahr” here in Illinois) to keep the terrorists out. That important security improvement cost just short of a million dollars but we still have those convenient gates to let the farmers in and out.

The local paper just announced that the Savoy Volunteer Fire Department just received a Homeland Security Grant of $35,000. That is because the airport is located in their territory and it is important that the department be prepared to meet the terrorist threat and thanks to that grant of Homeland Security money it will be. The department will use it to purchase a “smokehouse” – a traveling exhibit to teach children how to exit a burning house or seniors to avoid setting themselves afire while cooking breakfast. It is a fine idea and we appreciate the federal money to pay for it. It’s hard to see the connection of the Smokehouse with terrorism but I’m sure that it is there – somewhere.

Secretary Ridge, the children and old people of Savoy thank you. It’s good to know you are on the job and that the Smokehouse will sure keep us safe from the terrorists. Maybe you could get one for the FBI. Don’t they need one at the Whitehouse? Do they come with pretzels?