Congressman Garamendi Commends Travis Air Force Base’s 60th Air Mobility Wing on Outstanding Unit Award and Celebrates Air Force Birthday with Beale AFB Community

WALNUT GROVE, CA – Today, Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA-03), a Member of the House Armed Services Committee, congratulated Travis Air Force Base’s 60^th Air Mobility Wing (AMW) on receiving the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for “exceptionally meritorious service” from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014 from Secretary Deborah Lee James. Throughout the one-year period, these Airmen flew more than 1,600 missions, delivered more than 16,500 tons of cargo, and offloaded more than 159 million pounds of fuel during in-flight refueling in support of contingency operations and humanitarian relief. Also, last week, the Congressman met again with General Darren McDew, Commander of Air Mobility Command, while both were at Travis Air Force Base and with Major General John “Jack” Shanahan, Commander of the 25^th Air Force, which oversees Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), while they were at Beale Air Force Base.

“Congratulations to the Airmen of Travis’s 60^th AMW. They earned this award through remarkable service to our nation. For that, we are all greatly appreciative,” said Congressman Garamendi. “Every day, we are reminded of how the Travis and Beale Air Force Bases missions strengthen our national security. Travis, the ‘Gateway to the Pacific,’ moves military assets around the world at a moment’s notice. Beale’s ISR mission serves as our ‘eyes in the sky,’ providing essential real time information to our military. Travis and Beale Airmen distinguish themselves through professionalism, determination, and discipline befitting these immensely important missions.”

The 60^th AMW is the largest air mobility organization in terms of personnel in the Air Force. They are responsible for strategic airlift, air refueling, and aero-medical evacuation missions. Since 1965, the Travis Wing has achieved the Outstanding Unit Award 21 times.

On Wednesday of last week, Congressman Garamendi and his staff met with the Commander of the Air Mobility Command, General Darren McDew prior to the General’s briefing with the Solano community on tanker recapitalization (click here for a press release on a previous meeting). On November 14^th, General McDew will keynote a briefing in Washington, DC of the bipartisan House Air Mobility Caucus, which Garamendi co-chairs.

This past Saturday, Congressman Garamendi and his wife Patti participated in the Beale Air Force Ball to celebrate the Air Force’s 67^th Birthday. At the event, Congressman Garamendi met with members of the Beale and Yuba-Sutter community, including Colonel Doug Lee, Commander of Beale’s 9^th Reconnaissance Wing, and Major General John “Jack” Shanahan, Commander of the recently formed 25^th Air Force, which oversees ISR missions (click here for press release on a previous meeting and the 25^th Air Force’s alignment).