Air Force 60th anniversary celebrates past, present

  • Published
  • By Col. Steve Arquiette
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing commander
This year we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the creation of the world's best Air Force. To kick off the commemorative year a memorial focusing on the branch's core values was dedicated, last October, to all of the men and women of the Air Force, past and present, in Washington D.C. Locally, our 60th Anniversary heritage flag is flying beneath the stars and stripes on the flag poles of several local city halls as well as our base's. Through September, we will continue to celebrate the accomplishments that got us here and plan for a successful future. Many of us know the major Air Force events in history, including Capt. Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier Oct. 14, 1947, in a Bell X-1 and the Berlin Airlift. For this week however, I want to take some time to highlight some of the accomplishments specifically credited to members of the 60th Air Mobility Wing.
The 60th AMW has had 39 different aircraft types assigned to it from its inception as Fairfield-Suisun Army Air Base to its current status as the largest wing in Air Mobility Command. As Travis became known as a mobility base, new aircraft such as the C-141 Starlifter arrived at Travis, the first being the Golden Bear which is now prominently displayed at the corner of Travis and Burgan Avenues. In November 1966, one of Travis' C-141s became the first jet to land on the Antarctic continent. This mission was in support of Operation Deep Freeze and landed at McMurdo Station. In 1989, the first C-5 Galaxy landed at the same location, also from Travis.
Team Travis has continuously supported humanitarian missions throughout the world. In January 1988, two C-5 Galaxies assigned the 60th Military Airlift Wing delivered 102 tons of donated medical supplies to the Philippines. In May of that same year, the 60th MAW transported 73 tons of relief supplies by a C-5 to Islamabad, Pakistan, to refugees fleeing the civil war in nearby Afghanistan. United States Air Force aircraft also flew injured Afghans from Pakistan to hospitals in Europe or the United States. The 60th AMW, along with its partner wings continue to support humanitarian missions today. Relief efforts in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Indonesia tsunami, and the earthquake in Pakistan were successes in large part to the contributions of Travis.
While humanitarian missions are a major part of our business, contingency operations are still the focus of Team Travis. From May to July 1991, 42 C-5s and three C-141s from the 60th and 436th MAWs transported more than 1,000 tons of firefighting equipment and approximately 100 firefighters to the Kuwait City area to extinguish more than 500 oil well fires set by the retreating Iraqi forces during Operation Desert Storm. In April 1997, the 6th Air Refueling Squadron with the 660th Aircraft Generation Squadron deployed more than 150 people and four KC-10s to Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates as the 60th AMW became the lead wing in Operation Southern Watch. As we all know, Team Travis continues to be heavily involved in Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.
The 60th anniversary of the Air Force allows a time for us to stop and think about what got us here. As I visit the shops around base and talk to those who have recently deployed, I'm impressed by the smart, motivated Airmen, ready to take this Air Force into the future! Let's continue to provide the heritage our predecessors provided us and in 60 more years our future Airmen can reflect on our amazing accomplishments!
BE PROUD! BE SAFE!