Heavy Metal comes to a close Published Dec. 13, 2011 By Staff Sgt. Timothy Boyer 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- In the Air Force, the most valuable asset is the Airmen. Every one of them went through basic training as well as job-specific training, costing the Air Force hundreds of thousands of dollars and in some cases more. In addition to the cost of training an Airman, the time and experience gained is invaluable. While every Airman has a special place in the service, during the past three months the base paper has focused on mission-essential back shops and maintainers in a series called "Heavy Metal." The series focused on the many unique aspects of the often under-recognized maintenance shops. Many shops were highlighted during this series and more who deserve recognition and which the Tailwind hopes to highlight in future articles. The common denominator among these maintainers is that without them the mission could not be accomplished. From the tool custodians, who maintain tools for flightline use, to the munitions flight, which inspects and maintains a $16.7 million munitions stockpile and supports the flightline with flare deliveries, each unit highlighted in this series is an important piece to the puzzle in the Travis mission. As this series comes to a close, a new series called "Trading Laces" will begin in January 2012, focusing on a civilian, Tyler Grimes, who will spend the day in the life of various military personnel. Grimes will take on jobs such as security forces, explosive ordnance disposal and more, writing about his experiences from the perspective of a military outsider. Look for "Trading Laces" in future Tailwind publications.