Travis struts stuff for civic leaders

Emory Lunsford, a member of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., civic leaders group asks Airman 1st Class Eric J. Candee, 22nd Airlift Squadron C-5 Galaxy loadmaster journeyman, about his duties. The civic leaders were treated to a line-of-fire demonstration by the 621st Contingency Response Wing as well as a tour of the control tower and static displays of the KC-10 Extender and C-5 aircraft during their visit. (U.S. Air Force photo by T.C. Perkins Jr.)

Travis struts stuff for civic leaders

Published April 4, 2014
By Senior Airman Bryan Swink
60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Twenty-seven civic leaders and honorary commanders from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., visited and toured Travis' units and facilities March 28 during a fly-away civic leader tour.

The group from Washington was welcomed upon its arrival by leadership from all three Travis wings and given a briefing on the mission here and what to expect for its tour.

The JBLM group's first stop was the 621st Contingency Response Wing, where they learned about the unit's highly specialized mission. The CRW's personnel can quickly open airfields and establish, expand, sustain and coordinate air mobility operations on a moment's notice.

A line-of-fire demonstration was put together where the welcomed guests witnessed the vast amount of resources the CRW had at its disposal.

"I was absolutely blown away that this unit can be completely ready to go in 12 hours and provide aid to anywhere in the world," said Shelly Schlumpf, JBLM civic leader and honorary commander. "The Airman here are very knowledgeable, respectful and completely dedicated to their job. This group of men and women make me proud to live in this country."

After a barbeque lunch with Travis leadership and Northern California civic leaders at the Travis Heritage Center, the JBLM group headed to the flightline, where it received a close-up look at two of the airframes that make Travis' mission so special.

Since the group arrived in one of JBLM's C-17 Globemaster IIIs, which also is a Travis airframe, the tour was geared to visit the C-5 Galaxy, the largest cargo aircraft in the Air Force, and the KC-10 Extender, which conducts aerial refueling.

"It was great to see such a dynamic and complex mission going on here at Travis," said Amy Tiemeyer, JBLM civic leader. "The airframes were impressive, but not nearly as impressive as the men and women who fly and maintain the aircraft."

The purpose of fly-away civic leader tours is to give community leaders an opportunity to better understand the home unit and other Air Force installations' missions.