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Civic leaders tour Travis during Air Force Week

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Matthew Bates
  • Air Force News Agency
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AFPN) --  As part of Air Force Week California, an honorary commanders' tour was held June 7 at Travis Air Force Base.

The event brought local civic leaders to the base to see first-hand how Airmen prepare for deployments. The visitors sat in on a deployment briefing, were issued Kevlar helmets and body armor and were given a tour of the base's readiness facilities.

"It's nice to have this opportunity to come out here to the base and see how the military operates," said Bert Gaulke, honorary commander of the 572nd Contingency Response Group. "Many of us have never had any experience with the military, so an event like this really lets us see what you guys do on a daily basis."

The event was designed to be both educational and entertaining.

"What we're really trying to do as part of Air Force Week is to let the community know what we do here at Travis and we do every day in supporting the global war on terrorism," said Lt. Col. Rick Williamson, the 21st Airlift Squadron director of operations.

At one point during the tour, members of the 60th Security Forces Squadron staged a mock attack on the civic leader's bus. Dressed in Middle Eastern attire and armed with AK-47 assault rifles, several role players boarded the bus in an attempted kidnapping ploy.

However, members of the base's SWAT team quickly arrived on the scene to deal with the "terrorists."

Still, the attack, which was not announced as part of the tour, came as a surprise to many of the civic leaders on board the bus.

"It was more intense then what you see in the movies," Mr. Gaulke said. "It got real intense in a hurry."

Most of the visitors were also surprised at how much was involved in preparing Airmen to deploy. But this, said Colonel Williamson, was the goal of this event and Air Force Week overall: To educate the local community on what Airmen do on a daily basis.

The remainder of the event included a tour of a C-17 Globemaster III, a lunch consisting of Meals-Ready-to-Eat and a visit to the Travis Air Museum.

Air Force Week wrapped up June 9 and 10 with the Capital City Air Show in Sacramento. The event featured the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron's
Thunderbirds.