Answering the Call Published Jan. 4, 2013 By Col. John Klein 60th Air Mobility Wing vice commander TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The start of a new year is typically a time for reflection and celebration. We should reflect on all the hard work put in throughout last year and celebrate all of our accomplishments. Just looking back on what we accomplished as a team is amazing: multiple changes of command, visits by the Under Secretary of the Air Force, Air Mobility Command commander, 18th Air Force commander, Hurricane Sandy support, preparation for the Consolidated Unit Inspections, constant deployments and of course, the daily operations that keep Travis at the forefront of global mobility operations. Not only did we conduct, participate in and host these events, we knocked them out of the ballpark. You continue to live up to the proud Travis legacy of being America's First Choice. If 2012 is any indicator of what 2013 will bring, then brace yourselves for an exhilarating year. Together with our fellow air mobility Airmen stationed across the globe, we remain on-task by focusing on Air Mobility Command's ethos of answering the call of others, so they may prevail. Taking a few moments to reflect on 2012 should cause all of you to feel a significant sense of accomplishment. The "all-in" attitude that each of you displayed this past year was amazing and inspiring. As the Under Secretary of the Air Force was departing Travis following her visit she remarked that "Travis gets it." Your hard work, dedication and enthusiasm served you well in 2012 and will be invaluable in 2013. Travis has, and will continue to play, a major role in winning today's fight as part of the Joint and Coalition force. Defeating those that mean us harm requires the teamwork of sustainers, maintainers, operators and medics to ready our air mobility weapons systems and air crews for the fight. Our mission capability is directly dependent upon our ability to develop and care for our Airmen and families. Our people--uniformed Airmen, civilians, retirees and family members--make us the most capable military force in world history. Think about that for a moment the most powerful military force our world has ever known and you own a part of it. So, as you reflect on your contribution throughout 2012 you should be very proud of your service to our nation, our Air Force and Travis. Air mobility success requires a world-class infrastructure in order for our Airmen to operate at their very best. Consequently, we must continue to prepare mobility forces for the future. The recapitalization and modernization of our equipment and processes will improve mission efficiency and effectiveness required for future success. Our preparation for the future is also reliant upon our ability to capitalize on our partnerships. As such, we must continue to cultivate teamwork with industry, total force and contractor partners. As we head into an unknown future, we will continue to face financial challenges while accomplishing our core mission. The unparalleled innovation exhibited by you day in and day out will be crucial to ensuring mission success. Last year, Travis earned energy and fuel efficiency awards as a result of your innovation and we expect this coming year to be the same. There is no question that we will face a number of challenges and opportunities throughout the year. We are barely only a few days into the new year and we have already launched a number of missions and have hundreds of Airmen deployed to locations around the globe. We also have a number of distinguished visitor visits planned, anticipate a number of changes of command throughout the year and continue to prepare for our upcoming Consolidated Unit Inspection. Based upon Travis' 2012 record-setting performance, there is no doubt that we will succeed once again. In true Travis fashion, we will continue to accomplish our mission of providing global mobility excellence answering the call.