Welcome home Warriors

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Byrl Engel
  • 60th Security Forces Squadron commander
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE,Calif. --  Welcome Home Warriors is a great event held monthly here at Travis that recognizes our Airmen who have recently returned from deployment as well as their families.

These Airmen know what it's like to put service before self and their families have made many sacrifices as well. It's always great to see the happiness and relief when our deployers return and get reunited with friends and family.

Our security forces have recently had several Airmen return from a few long and specialized deployments. Capt. Rick Martin and eight other Travis defenders came back from a 365-day deployment to Baghdad. There they were part of a Police Transition Team whose mission was to train Iraqi police in gaining the competence and confidence to conduct reliable community policing. This mission required our Airmen to regularly maneuver some of the most dangerous areas of Baghdad and they encountered several serious incidents. Tragically, one of the young officers assigned to their detachment was killed by a roadside bomb last fall. Such an event was extremely challenging to handle with several months remaining on a one-year tour, but the Airmen kept focused and performed admirably.

Overall, their efforts reaped huge dividends in the advancement of the Iraqi police and clearly won over local hearts and minds.

On the Afghanistan front, we had two squads recently return from missions at Bagram Air Field. Tech. Sgt. Sherry Varias led one team that conducted "fly-away security" missions throughout various airfields in Afghanistan. Such travels made for a rare deployment that received many accolades from leadership and other distinguished visitors they encountered. Staff Sgt. Higinio Fuentes led the other squad which conducted base and perimeter security at Bagram. Their role was critical in detecting and countering any threats to the most critical air hub in the country during an intense troop surge period.

Although not returning until later next month, Tech. Sgt. Dwight Valeros and a couple other Travis defenders are also in Afghanistan, on a 270-day deployment, conducting a mission with a Provincial Reconstruction Team. They have conducted hundreds of outside-the-wire patrols, held positions such as convoy commander and lead driver during an IED attack in which they engaged and captured four insurgents. The days they were not driving around in "messed up" armored vehicles, they were riding on donkeys to assess the security of numerous sites with their Afghani companions. Incredible!

In closing, it is fitting to comment on the recent heavy focus on safety and compliance throughout our Air Force. It is critical our Airmen do not become complacent or careless in their duties at home station or deployed. We cannot afford to lose anyone to preventable mishaps or have incidents that embarrass the nation due to poor discipline and accountability. At the same time, we are often called upon to perform dangerous missions and it is important to distinguish between risk management and risk aversion.

From a few of the experiences mentioned above, the Air Force sometimes gets viewed as risk averse by our sister services when a mission changes due to a single loss. It is clear, however, our Airmen are more than ready to do their part in bearing whatever burden necessary to get the mission done. General Raymond E. Johns, commander of Air Mobility Command, said it best in his most recent safety policy letter, "Analyze the situation, develop options to limit the risks, and take proper action." This is not risk aversion, this is situational awareness followed by risk management followed by taking action -- See, Understand, Act.

Bottom line: Welcome home, warriors! Your actions and Service Before Self truly represent Team Travis, the Air Force and our nation well. Thank you for your sacrifices.