An F-111E Aardvark that will be used as a static display arrives at Shaw AFB, S.C., Feb. 2, 2012. It will take about four months to assemble the jet and then there will be a dedication ceremony. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Cohen A. Young/Released)
U. S. Air Force Senior Airman Richard Townsend, native of Grand Rapids, Mich., and a member of the 20th Security Forces Squadron directs a truck transporting parts of an F-111E Aardvark that will be used as a static display while at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., Feb. 2, 2012. The Aardvark will be assembled over a four-month period and then there will be a dedication ceremony. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Cohen A. Young/Released)
U. S. Air Force Senior Airman Angela Holt, a native of Wayne, N.J., and a member of the 20th Security Forces Squadron checks every crevice of an F-111E Aardvark that will be used as a static display during a security check while at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., Feb. 2, 2012. The Aardvark will be assembled over a four-month period and then there will be a dedication ceremony. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Cohen A. Young/Released)
U. S. Air Force Senior Airman Angela Holt, a native of Wayne, N.J., and a member of the 20th Security Forces Squadron, inspects a truck transporting an F-111E Aardvark that will be used as a static display while working at the security gate of Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., Feb. 2, 2012. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Cohen A. Young/Released)
An F-111E Aardvark is transported through the streets of Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., Feb. 2, 2012. The Aardvark will be part of the static display of the 20th Fighter Wing. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Cohen A. Young/Released)
by Master Sgt. Cohen A. Young
20th FW/Public Affairs
2/9/2012 - Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. -- An F-111E Aardvark aircraft rolled through the gates here at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. Feb 2.
The airframe will be used as a static display alongside several airframes that have been part of the 20th Fighter Wing's history through the years.
This particular F-111 had been assigned to the 20th Fighter Wing when the squadron was originally located in England, according to Arthur Sevigny, the 20th FW historian.
The airframe arrived on two separate trucks as it came through Shaw's commercial gate, which was a surprise to the 20th Security Forces Squadron Airmen who were working security inspections at the gate.
"It was definitely a spectacle because I've never seen anything like that come through here," said Senior Airman Richard Townsend, a native of Grand Rapids, Mich. "It's different from the norm; we usually get a lot of dump trucks and contract vehicles...not a plane."
"It will take about four months to reassemble the Aardvark," Sevigny said.
The F-111 was named the Aardvark due to the long nose of the plane, which reminded many of the long nose of the ant eating animal, the aardvark.
Once assembled, there will be a dedication ceremony to honor the proud history of the retired aircraft.
For more information about the dedication ceremony or any information regarding the history of the F-111E Aardvark, please contact Arthur Sevigny at 803-895-1952.
