Air Force Surgeon General visits Travis

by Tech. Sgt. Patrick Harrower
60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

1/26/2015 - TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Lt. Gen. Thomas Travis, Air Force Surgeon General, and Chief Master Sgt. Jason Pace, Chief of the medical enlisted force, visited Travis Air Force Base and David Grant USAF Medical Center recently to meet with members of the 60th Medical Group and witness firsthand how they support the Travis mission.

"Travis is one of our major readiness and training platforms," Travis said. "All of these facilities are very important to our training programs; not only for doctors and nurses, but technicians as well. It all comes down to being able to keep the deployable staff able to support worldwide operations."

Travis added, "By concentrating on prevention and health, in addition to care, we can attain our vision that our supported population is the healthiest and highest performing segment of the US by 2025".

When it comes to combining the medical and military career fields, DGMC has the motto "Airmen First, Medics Always."

"That is my exact philosophy," he said. "I always tell medics and doctors how proud I am of them for choosing the medical profession in the Air Force, but also, when you're wearing the uniform there is an expectation that you are part of the team and you share the same culture and core values."

Travis started his Air Force career as an F-4 Phantom II pilot and when he completed his medical degree became a flight surgeon. He has been in the Air Force for over 38 years.

"Of all the years I have spent in the military, I have not seen a time where medics are appreciated as much as they are now as part of the operational capability of the US military," he said. "We have been able to keep up with and help advance in the practice of medicine, especially in the deployed setting, and in turn have kept a great military force deployable and returned many wounded, ill, and injured warriors to their families during this long war.  That is a sacred responsibility we take very seriously."

Travis left the David Grant USAF Medical Center with an assured sense of the base's medical mission and capabilities.

"I have not been here in a few years, and I leave here from this visit very reassured that our Air Force medics at all levels have the knowledge, the energy, and the dedication to meet the needs of our beneficiaries who come to this important USAF medical center, while being more than ready to deploy wherever the Nation might need us to go in the future."