PCS a chance to reflect

  • Published
  • By Col. Stephanie McCann
  • 60th Medical Diagnostics Therapeutic Squadron commander
TRAVIS AFB, Calif. --  Summer is traditionally the peak time for military transitions, and this season will be extremely hectic for Team Travis as many of our key Wing leaders will be transitioning in and out. 

Once again, we hail incoming personnel and farewell outbound teammates, and attend numerous retirement celebrations, change of command ceremonies, graduation functions and send off yet another group of deployers. 

Even though we know what to expect as summer draws near and have weathered countless changes during our tenure with military life, the process seems to get harder rather than easier with each move we experience. This is especially true for those of us who will be moving this summer. 

Last week while driving my 14-year-old son to school, I mentioned how much I would miss Travis AFB and living in Northern California. I asked him what he would miss the most when we PCS this June and he responded, "Nothing." His response surprised me because I expected him to say his friends or school, so I asked him to explain what he meant by this statement. He immediately said, "Mom, all of the experiences I've had whether positive or negative are imprinted on my soul forever; there's no need to miss them because I take them with me wherever I go." 

The wisdom in his statement immediately hit me and I realized how lucky we are to have moved every 3 to 4 years because it allowed for a rich variety of unique and rewarding experiential imprints. In particular, there have been many wonderful imprints that we will take with us from our time at Travis. 

You know you've arrived at a very special place when you approach the Travis AFB gate and are warmly greeted by one of our steadfast sentries, who during the past 3 years have never ceased to amaze me with their welcoming smiles and unflinching professionalism no matter what the weather conditions or the demands of the traffic flow. 

While many military members have come and gone over the past several years, our civilian workforce has remained fairly constant; this is such a great strength for Travis AFB. These individuals have proven over and over again that they are the glue that holds the organization together despite the frequent turnovers in leadership, deployments and high operational tempo. Our wonderful civilian professionals sustain our organizations and support our important missions with great style and commitment. 

Another group of unsung heroes, our military spouses, support many activities on base but especially the departures of the deploying AD members. Whether it's 0230 or 2000 they are in the PAX terminal with food, smiles, goodie bags and kind words for our departing warriors. 

As I leave Travis AFB this summer, I am grateful for richly rewarding opportunities and friendships that will leave positive "imprints" forever. I hope that everyone arriving this summer will be equally touched by the richness of the Travis experience.