Travis family experiences grandfathers continuing legacy

  • Published
  • By Nick DeCicco
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Several descendents of the base's namesake toured Travis Air Force Base Nov. 4 ahead of the arrival of the installation's new C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. 

Members of the 21st Airlift Squadron helped guide the tour, which made stops at the field where Brig. Gen. Robert Travis perished in a 1950 plane crash, Travis' Jimmy Doolittle Air and Space Museum to see artifacts from the crash and the C-17 training facility where they tried their hand on the C-17 flight simulator. 

For Jennalie Lyons, a granddaughter of the late general, it was an opportunity to dig deeper into her own family's past. 

"The main thing for me is to learn as much about the crash and the history of the family as possible," she said. "It's such a terrible way to go, but it had such an impact on our family." 

While at the museum, family members huddled around the display of a front-page newspaper regarding their ancestor's fatal accident as Peggy Travis, the wife of the general's son, Robert Jr., told relatives the whereabouts of her spouse at the time of the crash. Mr. Travis, a retired Air Force lieutenant, was eating dinner with the family, she said, before visiting the crash site. 

Mr. Travis said he's returned to the base several times since and its increased size and improved appearance surprises him. 

"I can't believe how it's changed," he remarked. "This looks like a full-grown city now."
Agreeing in regard to the changes on base was Ashleigh Collins, a granddaughter of General Travis and sister of Mrs. Lyons who last visited the base more than two years ago. 

Mrs. Collins said that the ceremony and naming of the plane gives her perspective, saying her children are especially proud to have a base named after their great-grandfather. 

"It's nice to keep recognizing him," she said. 

Mrs. Collins and Mrs. Lyons both took turns on a C-17 flight simulator, with Mrs. Collins piloting the plane for a pass underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. Later, the great-grandchildren of the late general also took a turn at the controls in the simulator. 

The family was also educated on the C-17's mission, the impressive work the squadron has done since its arrival and about the history of the C-17 aircraft's time at Travis. Several of General Travis' descendents expressed excitement about the delivery of the new airplane to the base bearing their family name. 

General Travis' plane crashed Aug. 5, 1950, in a field near the family camp following a mechanical failure. The B-29 caught fire upon impact, killing 12 aircrew members and seven members of base personnel. 

The arrival of the final C-17 aircraft -- named the "Spirit of Travis" after the base's namesake - was delivered Nov. 5.