Team Travis stands united as one family

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Michael Williams
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing command chief
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Man, funny how time flies when you're having fun! It's difficult to believe that June 26 will mark the one-year anniversary of the arrival of my family and myself at Travis ... that year passed extremely quick. However, with each passing day we grew as a team but more importantly as a family.

We made tremendous strides in the past year: racking up awards at both the Air Mobility Command and Air Force-levels. We received ten brand new C-17s, and decreased our C-5 fleet from 27 to 18. Our private organizations are doing a Herculean effort in taking care of our Airmen and their families.

AFSO 21 has taken flight; we've witnessed improvements in the Delta Breeze Club, the dormitories, the Thrift Shop, the Airman's Attic, our deployed spouse's dinner attendance has grown from three to nearly 200, and we culminated 2006 with our Annual Awards Banquet ... best seen to date. There have been numerous enhancements throughout the base ... too many to name them all.

As I alluded to earlier we're a family. Each of our names is proudly displayed on the mailboxes of Travis. Families are important, they have a special bond with one another: they live together, play together, serve as wingman for each other and they sometimes disagree, but they stick together and share in one another's defeats as well as victories.

Family members normally spend the first part of their lives creating memories with each other and their later years reciting stories about the times they shared together. Making memories ... I'm reminded of a Thanksgiving Dinner at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., in 2005. I invited a staff sergeant and a few Airmen to join us for Thanksgiving dinner.

Thanksgiving Day, we prepared for our ten visitors, scheduled to show at 5 p.m. They arrived on time; Charlene and I served them, and then adjourned to the basement until they finished dining.

The Airmen were puzzled at us not eating, but overwhelmingly surprised that we served them. After dinner, during a pleasant conversation, the sergeant asked, "Chief why did you do this for us?" I replied, "It's about taking care of our Airmen. One day you'll reflect back on this moment and it may entice you to do the same. Besides, it's about creating stories." She had a perplexed look on her face, completely baffled at what I meant about making stories.

About six months ago she emailed me to inform me that in the middle of telling her friends about that Thanksgiving Dinner it occurred to her what I meant about making stories. In closing she said, "Tell Mrs. Charlene thanks for the memories."

In the past 365 days, we've built a scrap book filled with memories and stories we'll share for years to come. We've experienced the roller coaster ride of force shaping, retraining, PBD 720, recapitalizing the force and supporting the war against terror. Through all the ups, downs and the multitude of challenges, we stand united as Team Travis ... a family. I believe we've made Travis a better place than it was a year ago.

Let's continue making memories and thanks for allowing Charlene and I to be a part of your team.

Have a great weekend; be safe, make responsible choices and I'll see you around campus.