and Training
Friday, September 2, 2022 | Vol. 47, Number 35 S ERVING TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE AND THE MILITARY COMMUNITY OF SOLANO COUNTY Novavax Covid vaccinations now available PAGE 3 Female leaders blaze a trail in military medicine PAGE 8
An Fighting Falcon assigned to the 64th Aggressor Squadron, flies over the Nevada Test Range during a routine training mission at Nellis Air Force Base, Aug. 15.
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HIGHFLYING
TRAVIS2 TRAVIS TAILWIND September 2, 2022 Nicholas
Nicholas Pilch/U.S. Air Force photos
Senior Airman Zachary Rufus/U.S. Air Force
BELOW: U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Gilberto De La Cruz Rivera, 60th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels laboratory technician, tests fuel for the correct ratio of additives at Travis Air Force Base, Aug. 24.
Squadron helps fuel the Air Force
See FUELS Page 14
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TRAVIS TAILWIND
Content published in Travis Tailwind is not necessarily the official view of, nor is it endorsed by, the U.S. government, the Department of Defense or the Department of the Air Force. The appearance of advertising in the publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute an endorsement by the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force or the Daily Republic of the products or services advertised.
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“We have four pump houses, which means we can fuel up to 12 aircraft at a time,” said Eric Larson, 60th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels hydrants opera tor. “This is dependent on those pump houses delivering fuel through our underground sys tem to the four different sections of theOverramp.”thepast three years, two events have spurred the need to evacuate the flight line. In Au gust 2020, the LNU Lightning Complex Fire was spreading rapidly enough to be a danger to
Serving Travis Air Force Base and the surrounding community 1250 Texas St., Fairfield, Calif. 94533 707-425-4646 | Fax 707-425-5924
60TH AIR MOBILITY WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE — When thinking about refueling aircraft, it is likely only the actual fuel used gets any con sideration.However, the 60th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels man agement flight or Petroleum, Oils and Lubricants at Tra vis keeps our aircraft in the air. Within fuels, there are nine sec tions and every airman in the flight is stacked with the skills to project American power – anytime,Theanywhere.flightisbroken into nine sections: fuels service center, fu els distribution, fuels equipment maintenance, fuels facilities, fu els hydrants, fuels cryogenics, fuels laboratory, fuels training and support and fuels knowledge operations.Fuelsmanages and accounts for the delivery of approximately 60 million gallons of fuel annual ly, valued at more than $184 mil lion. They can store up to 14 mil lion gallons on base and in a busy week run 187 separate opera tions delivering 1.4 million gal lons of fuel to aircraft on the flight line. At the heart of the operations, the fuels service center dis patches, tracks and is account able for every gallon of fuel on base. Being in their small of fice feels like a situation room, but eerily silent. There’s a dis patcher taking constant calls and having back-and-forth conver sations on handheld radio, an accountant doing constant math and a noncommissioned officer in charge keeping the crew on top of “We’reeverything.here to make sure there are no missed go-times,” said Staff Sgt Noah Luntz, 60th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels controller, or other plac es would call him the dispatcher. With an inventory of liquids larger than life, specifically, more than 14 million gallons at a time, the fuels shop tests every batch to ensure quality of prod uct and correct ratio of additives. “We’re testing the fuel quali ty as well as make sure the fuel is blended with additives and double check that the correct ratio is added,” said Staff Sgt. Chris topher Lukawecz, 60th Logistics Readiness Squadron noncom missioned officer in charge of the fuels laboratory. “It’s anoth er form of quality control, ensur ing there’s no additional contam inates and, more importantly, keeping our mission going.” Jet-A with additives F-24 Fuel is delivered via underground piping and stored in massive storage tanks owned and main tained by contractors near across base. Then, fuel is trans ferred to Petroleum, Oils and Lubricants bulk storage tanks, tested and then delivered to the fuels pump houses. Fuels hydrants controls the distribution of fuel into all of the aircraft parked the Travis flight line. Whether aircraft are only passing through or they’re as signed to Travis, fuels hydrants have the capabilities to ensure they get the fuel they need.
ABOVE: After delivering fuel to a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, Senior Airman Roy Huston, 60th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels distribution operator, logs units delivered at Travis Air Force Base, Aug. 24.
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An F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 64th Aggressor Squadron, flies over the Nevada Test and Training Range during a routine training mission at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Aug. 15. The principal testament to the value of the aggressor program is the consistent dominance of the U.S. Air Force during recent conflicts.
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Novavax was well tolerated in clinical studies, with the most common side effects being injec tion-site tenderness, headache, muscle pain and fatigue of short duration.
David Vergun DOD NEWS
The Defense Department is offering Novavax as an option for Covid-19 vaccinations. The Food and Drug Admin istration on Aug. 19 updated its July 13 Emergency Use Autho rization for the Novavax Cov id-19 vaccine to include individ uals 12 years of age and older. “We now have a range of Co vid-19 vaccines available at our military medical treatment facil ities, and they all provide strong protection against hospitaliza tion, severe illness and death,” Dr. Michael Malanoski, deputy director of the Defense Health Agency,Othersaid.vaccines that DoD of fers or has offered are those from Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Johnson & UnvaccinatedJohnson.service mem bers can indicate their prefer ence of which vaccine they’d like, Malanoski said. “If they’d like to be vaccinat ed with Novavax, and it’s not im mediately available, we’ll make sure the service member can be vaccinated with the Novavax vaccine within a few days,” Malanoski said. The Novavax vaccine uses technology that has been used in other vaccines required by the military.Novavax is not authorized for use as a booster dose at this time, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Although all [Covid-19] vac cines teach our immune sys tem to recognize the spike protein on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, Novavax is unique compared to other avail able Covid-19 vaccines in that it is a protein subunit vaccine,” Air Force Col. Tonya Rans, chief of the Immunization Healthcare Division at the Defense Health Agency,“Proteinsaid. subunit vaccines are a traditional platform of vac cines and have been used for de cades to prevent disease,” she said. “Examples of vaccines which use this platform include the current shingles [Zoster] vaccine, Hepatitis B, and [HPV] vaccine. The platform used by Novavax does not use mRNA or DNA technology and does not enter the nucleus of cells.”
Seaman Jackson Adkins/U.S. Navy CorpsmanHospital
3rd Class operations.trialsdelivery18-monthasmaintenanceopportunitywindowforStationis8,Norfolk,NavalGymatCovid-19administersCasassaJosephavaccinetheMcCormickonboardStationApril2021.FordinportNavalNorfolkascheduledofforpartofherpostsetandphaseof
Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic file Parth Patel gives a Covid-19 vaccination shot at Hogan Middle School in Vallejo, Sept. 23, 2021.
Novavax Covid vaccinations now available
4 TRAVIS TAILWIND September 2, 2022
The 735th Air Mobility Squadron performs en route maintenance, working primari ly with C-17 Globemaster III and C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft fly ing through Hawaii on Air Mo bility Command missions. Se nior Master Sgt. Justin Stanford, aircraft maintenance unit su perintendent, explained that C-17 engine failures at en route locations are rare due to engine reliability and monitoring prac tices.Tech.
515TH AIR MOBILITY OPERATIONS WING JOINT BASE PEARL HAR BOR HICKAM, Hawaii — It’s rare that the 735th Air Mobility Squadron, located at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, is called upon to change an en gine on a C-17 Globemaster III. But on Aug. 19, the squad ron’s maintainers put their skills to the test, teaming up with the 15th Maintenance Group to re place the engine on an aircraft from Joint Base ElmendorfRichardson, Alaska.
U.S. AIR FORCESeptember 2, 2022 TRAVIS TAILWIND 5 We Salute THOSE WHO SERVE We’ve been serving Solano County since 1973. We appreciate the many years of business with our customers and repeat customers. Military Discounts Gratefully Given $19,649$21,929$22,998 $23,788
Amelia Dickson
Sgt. Derek Lescord, a flight line expeditor, recent ly joined the 735th Air Mobili ty Squadron and said working on the engine change was a great way to get to know his new team and new “Beingbase.pretty new to Hickam, it was amazing to work with my new shop, my leadership, and the other agencies – specifical ly the awesome folks in the 15th MXG engine back shop,” Les cord said. “It was a great learningTheexperience.”15thMaintenance Group, also based at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, maintains their own fleet of C-17 aircraft and were able to jump in to assist the 735th Air Mobility Squadron team with completing the engine change quickly and safely. The 15th Maintenance Group provid ed equipment, personnel and ex pertise.“Doing an engine change is a very complex task,” Stanford said. “This opportunity allowed us to demonstrate our capabili ties while gaining vital training, helping our maintainers get the reps required to do this task in the future without assistance.”
735th AMS performs rare en route C-17 engine change
The 735th Air Mobility Squadron operates the freight terminal, Air Mobility Command passenger terminal and en route aircraft maintenance at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The squadron falls under the 515th Air Mobility Operations Wing.
Amelia Dickson/U.S. Air Force U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Derek Lescord, assigned to the 735th Air Mobility Squadron, inspects a C-17 Globemaster III engine before installation at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Aug. 19, 2022.
Tactical Combat Casualty Care was created by the Com mittee on Tactical Combat Ca sualty Care, which is composed of 42 voting members across the Air Force, Army, Navy and Ma rine Corps. These members use research data and real-world expertise to develop the best practices for medical response.
Staff Sgt. Cheyenne Lewis/U.S. Air Force
“The committee sits down and looks at what is and isn’t working,” said Air Force Staff Sgt. Ashley Madry, 325th Medi cal Group noncommissioned of ficer in charge of education and training. “They do research and compare it to [previous wartimes]. After evaluating the numbers, TCCC is shown to save moreThelives.”actions of first respond ers or a fellow wingman often make the difference between life or death after an airman is in jured on the “Switchingbattlefield.toTCCC gives us a wider variety of skills that can be utilized on the battlefield,” said Air Force Senior Airman Bertrand Vicks, 325th Fighter Wing safety technician. “It’s not just because this can be better used in real-world scenarios, but because there may not always be medics available. This allows the average airman the ability to provide a basic level of life-sav ingAnothercare.” change associated with the switch to Tactical Com bat Casualty Care is the teaching style. Aside from some instruc tional videos, Tactical Com bat Casualty Care is primarily taught“Myhands-on.favorite part of train ing [service members in] TCCC is the hands-on skills training,” Vicks said. “Personally, I think you learn more from a hands-on environment versus written training. I will work with you un til you pass and have the neces saryAirskills.”Force Staff Sgt. Eric Dow ell, the 325th Medical Group’s noncommissioned officer in charge of education and training, compared the new combat casu alty care as being Self Aid Buddy Care “on “Sincesteroids.”thedevelopment of TCCC, the U.S. military now has the best casualty survival rate recorded in history and is now the accepted pre-hospital care across DoD,” Dowell said.
Staff Sgt. Cheyenne Lewis
Staff Sgt. Cheyenne Lewis/U.S. Air Force U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Alan 21.Florida,ForceTyndallbandageaafterinhasBertrandSeniorchecksGarciathatAirmanVicksfeelinghishandapplyingpressureatAirBase,July
Tactical care training improves survivability
Tactical Combat Casualty Care, which implements the best medical practices in battle field trauma care, is now replac ing Self Aid Buddy Care tech niques for providing basic care to wounded airmen before they get to a medical facility. Comparisons to previous ver sions of pre-hospital care show massive hemorrhages are the leading cause of preventable death across the Defense De partment. Because of this, Tacti cal Combat Casualty Care train ers use the acronym “MARCH” to help service members re member which order to provide care to increase a wounded ser vice member’s chances of sur vival.“The five skills associated with TCCC are ‘M’ for massive bleeding, ‘A’ for airway and resuscitation, ‘R’ for respiration, ‘C’ for circulation and ‘H’ for hypothermia,” Vicks said. “Because people can die from mas sive bleeding and hemorrhages at a faster rate, that needs to be addressed first. There’s no point in treating hypothermia if some one dies from blood loss.”
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE6 TRAVIS TAILWIND September 2, 2022
U.S. Air Force Senior JulyBase,TyndallCasualtyTacticalteachestechnician,Wing325thBertrandAirmanVicks,FightersafetyaCombatCareatAirForceFlorida,21.
325TH FIGHTER WING
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“I hope seeing women in se nior leadership positions, wheth er in the civilian or military world, demonstrates you can meet your professional and per sonal goals,” said Brig. Gen. Jeannine Ryder, San Antonio Market director, chief nurse of the Air Force, and the first fe male commander of two Air Force“Ourwings.military institution con tinues to prove that if you obtain the education, experiences and expertise, regardless of race, re ligion, gender, sexual orientation or background, there is opportunity to lead at the highest level,” RyderThissaid.message is particular ly timely as the nation recently commemorated Women’s Equal ity Day on Aug. 26. Each year the date marks the 1920 adoption of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, granting wom en the right to vote.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE8 TRAVIS TAILWIND September 2, 2022 Elaine Sanchez BROOKE ARMY MEDICAL CENTER PUBLIC AFFAIRS
While countless groundbreak ing women paved the way, an allfemale leadership team is blaz ing new trails in modern military medicine.Asafirst for military medi cine, there’s a female commanding general and deputy/vice commander at the helm of the 59th Medical Wing and Brooke Army Medical Center, as well as an all-female command team at the San Antonio Market.
“It’s hard to imagine that at the start of our nation, only 6% of citizens had the right to vote in some states,” said Brig. Gen. Deydre Teyhen, market deputy director, chief of the Army Med ical Specialist Corps, Brooke Army Medical Center com mander, and the first Army physical therapist promoted to brigadier general. “As a nation, we’ve decreased many barriers to improve voting rights.” The military, in particu lar, has excelled in ensuring all service members have their constitutional right to vote, whether stateside or overseas, through initiatives such as the Federal Voting Assistance Pro gram and unit voting assistance officers.“It’s amazing what our mili tary has done to ensure that all who defend our nation are able to have their voices heard and counted,” Teyhen said. The observance of Women’s Equality Day also marks the cul mination of a massive civil rights movement by women that start ed in 1848 at the world’s first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York. Since then, countless women have bro ken glass ceilings and barriers to equality. Some are listed in his tory books, while others are un named but not forgotten.
Personal heroes Chief Master Sgt. Kristy Earls, the 59th Medical Wing’s command chief master sergeant and, at her last duty station, the 71st Flying Training Wing’s first female command chief, said her personal hero is Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court from 1993 until her death in 2020.“Tome, she was a champion of justice, and a legal, cultural
See FEMALE Page 9
Female leaders blaze a trail in military medicine
Elaine Sanchez/Brooke Army Medical Center Public Affairs U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Jeannine Ryder, San Antonio Market director and 59th Medical Wing commander, speaks with U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Deydre Teyhen, market deputy director and Brooke Army Medical Center commander, at BAMC, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Aug. 22.
More than just a woman in the room
People want to be considered for positions because they earned it based on their exper tise and experience, not because they need to “put a woman in the room,” Earls said. “There were times when I felt I was as signed roles or tasks that were seen as more ‘appropriate’ based on my gender as opposed to my skill or experience,” she said. “I’ve learned to give feedback and to control what I can control. I hold people accountable to their comments and follow that feedback up with ensuring I’m leading by example, continuing
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSESeptember 2, 2022 TRAVIS TAILWIND 9 and feminist icon,” Earls said. “Many of her quotes resonate with me, such as ‘Women be long in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.’”Teyhen said she has the deepest admiration for her military mentor, retired Lt. Gen. Patri cia Horoho, the Army’s first nurse and female surgeon general and first Army nurse to attain the rank of lieutenant general. “She envisioned military medicine differ ently,” Teyhen said. “Rather than a healthcare system, she strived for a system for health. She broke down so many barriers and is a legendaryRyderleader.”saidshe has been inspired by many over the course of her 30-year career, but credits the strong foundation her parents pro vided early on for her success. “They ensured we understood the impor tance of hard work, an education and a commitment to a higher calling than ourselves,” sheRyder’ssaid. parents were both educators, with her mother becoming a stay-at-home parent while she raised her three daughters. “She told me and my two sisters that we could be anything we wanted, there were no barriers due to gender, so I never thought there were any,” Ryder said. A strong foundation is essential when con fronting challenges, both personally and pro fessionally, Ryder said. “I was provided numerous opportunities, and I am grateful for each one,” she said. “If gender was an issue, or I thought it was, I en sured no one could question my work ethic, clinical or job knowledge, or dedication.”
Female From Page 8 See FEMALE Page 12
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According to U.S. Census Bu reau’s Quarterly Workforce In dicators data, women in the United States still earn 30% less than men, with the pay gap in creasing with age. And, although the gender pay gap has nar rowed since the signing of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, women still earn 82 cents for every dol lar a man earns, according to 2020 data from the Bureau of La borEnsuringStatistics.an environment of equality requires consistent ed ucation and enforcement, Earls said.“We need to be reminded of where we’ve been so that we move forward, and not back,” sheThesaid.overarching goal is to en sure everyone’s voice is valued and truly heard, Ryder said. “We need to cultivate an envi ronment of respect and dignity, even if one shares a difference in perspective. We need to lis ten more for understanding and open ourselves to differ ent viewpoints and experienc es to build our foundation of ad vocacy. We must provide a voice when someone feels they can not speak for themselves. No one should feel isolated from a community or denied an opportuni ty,” she Teyhensaid.said that “in the mil itary, there’s an old saying, ‘Bloom where you’re planted.’ Equality is when we all have the appropriate amount of ac cess to sun, soil and water, allow ing all of us the same opportuni ty to bloom. In an organization that values equity and inclusion, we all will have the right amount of sun, soil and water; then it’s up to each of us to bloom where we’re planted.” As a nation and as a military, diversity and inclusion are our strength, Ryder said. “I encourage you to take ad vantage of every opportuni ty that comes your way,” Ryder said. “Be your true, authentic self. Today, as we celebrate how far we’ve come, let’s continue to foster an environment where ev eryone has equal rights and op portunities.”
Female From Page 9
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While the nation has made progress on the equality front, as with many societal issues, there’s more work to be done.
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the Travis fleet and the call was made to get all aircraft to safety. Almost a year later, Operation Allies Refuge needed 16 aircraft and they deployed within days of each other. During both of these events, it was possible to accom plish the mission because of the fuel lines infrastructure orga nized under the flight line. At any given time, each hydrant tank stores up to 420,000 gallons. Externally, they are serviced every 10 years and internally, every 20. The tanks have the ability to isolate wa ter and other contaminates and drain automatically to be dis posed of properly via a septic system.Pumping fuel isn’t automatic; the airmen do that, so they need reliable vehicles capable of connecting to the fuel lines or delivering fuel and that’s where fuels equipment maintenance comes in. Fuels equipment mainte nance is home to a 29-ve hicle fleet. They have the R-11 Refueler, capable of carry ing 6,000 gallons of fuel and can distribute fuel at 600 gallons per minute. In comparison, gasoline pumps at your nearby gas station can pump around 10 gallons per minute. For a quicker pump, fu els rely on the R-12 hydrant ser vicing vehicle, which connects directly to the in-ground piping system to push up to 1,000 gal lons per minute. To fuel heavy equipment that takes diesel and cannot make the drive to the base service station, where oth er government vehicles are re filled, fuels use a C-300 ground fuel servicing vehicle. “We do all of the same vehi cle maintenance you could do on your car at home, but on a semilarger scale,” said Senior Air man Brady Ruesch, 60th Logis tics Readiness Squadro fuel’s equipment maintenance techni cian. “We’re limited to rudimen tary repairs, though. When it comes to major components and filter elements, we rely on refu eling maintenance team.”
Aug.ForceatstorageoperatingfacilitiestoreturnprepareCastrotofuelafixedtankTravisAirBase,24. See FUELS Page 15
Fuels From Page 2
Getting fuel into aircraft and large equipment, fuels pride themselves on a quick turn around, but putting fuel into air craft isn’t the only liquid fuels is keeping up with. Liquid oxygen and liquid ni trogen are pumped into every C-5M Super Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, as well. Oxygen keeps the aircrews alive and nitrogen is used to in flate tires and keep the fire sup pression system armed. Cryogenic storage is home to up to 26,000 gallons of liq uid oxygen and liquid nitro gen stored at negative 297 de grees. These tanks on base need
Nicholas Pilch/U.S. Air Force U.S. Air Force Senior Airman James Bussell and Staff Sgt. Juan
The final section of fuels is the airmen who pump the planes full of gas: the fuels distribution section. Anytime an aircraft or piece of heavy equipment needs filled, the customer calls the fu els service center and the fuels distribution section fulfills the order with no delay.
the tanks has an extensive checklist but the last resort is we empty the tank, then with a purge cart, we use a fan that sends in am bient air, we turn on some heat to clear the contaminate in the lines and tank,” said Staff Sgt. Jeremy Fitzgerald, 60th Logis tics Readiness Squadron non commissioned officer in charge of cryogenic storage. “Under perfect conditions, this takes us eight hours but could take up to 64 hours and the tank is under 24-hour surveillance during the process.”Toservice these tanks, the technicians don an impressive nine pieces of personal protec tive equipment, really giving true chemist vibes. They wear eyewear, a face shield, a hard hat, coveralls over an addition al uniform, specifically designed over boots, welders’ gloves with cotton inserts and ear protection.
Over the past year, the team had busy week after busy week, with the exception of Christmas Day where no plane or heavy equipment on base needed fuel.
Fuels Facilities services the base service station keeping all 761 government vehicles in state and federal vehicle compliance as well as ensuring they have fuel, unleaded and diesel.
routine maintenance and care as they are storing the lifeline for so many that fly missions. Some times, things happen, and ser vice is needed and one of the more difficult, but exciting prob lems the section has is when they have to purge a “Troubleshootingtank.
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Cryogenics will receive or ders from aircraft maintenance and fulfill orders by request and crew chiefs will deliver the prod ucts into the various aircraft.
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Fuels at the Logistics Readi ness Squadron is a 24-hour oper ation with 85 airmen to support the heavy mission. “The fuels management flight touches every mission set on this installation,” said Master Sgt. Jonathan Peabody, 60th Logis tics Readiness Squadron fuels superintendent. “From the fuel being provided to the emergen cy generators used to power the Medical Group to the fuel we provide the Aerial Port Squad ron’s heavy equipment used to load/unload millions of pounds of cargo each year, the fuel that’s delivered to receivers via in-flight refuel over the Pacif ic, it couldn’t happen without the men and women of (Petroleum, Oils and Lubricants). Our team’s footprint spans the entire globe.” Next time you see that white Travis Air Force Base flash on a mobility aircraft flying over your house, remember the air men at the 60th Logistics Read iness Squadron fuels flight who helped keep those wheels off the ground.
16 TRAVIS TAILWIND September 2, 2022
