And the whole time I was reading that I was thinking, oh man, I have a very warm spot in my heart for Travis AFB. How dare any-one do that.
How can you just try to wreck anything so lovely?
I was inside there twice. Both for short periods of time. And I would like to have stayed a lot longer. It was a transfer spot for us. We were there a few days before flying off to Tokyo and there for a about two weeks after returning and it was like heaven to us. So wildly spacious, inviting and comfortable. It is a very sweet Air Force base. The vibes of the place are modernistic, accommodating, and competent. Simple lines. Simple geometry. It's like a painting. The atmosphere is light, the colors soft green and blue, the air temperature is perfect, the breeze pleasant the smell inviting. The plants are sparsely spaced exotic trees and shrubs. It is spotless. It is effortless.
The place we were put up was larger than needed. A very long low building, one of several identical arranged parallel. The walk to the parking area is long and pleasant. I feel safe in saying we all loved the place.
And this whole time I was imagining the base situated south east of San Francisco, but that's wrong. Fifty years later I realize the base is actually north of Concord and Antioch but very nearby. There is a lake in between them. My brother owned a house in both of those places and I had no idea Travis is so close.
Retirees from the base like to stay close to it. They populate the town of Fairfield immediately west of the base.
It's such a bummer that none of the videos and none of the photographs that I see online match my description.
How can everybody and reality be so wrong?
Why doesn't anything fit?
None of them capture the feeling of that all five of us kids had watching television positively enthralled with Petticoat Junction, Wild Wild West, Green Acres and Mission Impossible all in English!
OMG. Everybody speaks English. We were thrilled.
It's impossible for me to convey how awesome that is.
Skip the first part of this video, the lady is complaining about being tired. I don't care!
We were never tired. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. It was too fun. Too exciting. Are you kidding me? This is California! This is Travis! This is America.
I recall our place being completely clean. And I mean spotless. No extra anything. A perfect Spartan existence. Transcendental. Pure. Sunlit. I don't even recall a stove or refrigerator or washer and dryer. Just space and simple modern furniture. I'm sure they were there, I just didn't see them.
Airman Stone was one of the guys who foiled a terrorist attack on a French train. This is just one thing that Travis is known for. They do a lot of airlifts. They're famous for that. Travis is Airlift Central.
Back then, airmen wore fatigues but not camouflaged. My dad was always in uniform but rarely fatigues. He was rather imposing.
Northwest of S.F.
North of and in between Concord and Antioch
It's smaller than I imagined.
I don't know, but one of these looks like the type of building where we were put up.
The Travis welcoming video does not show the outside of the base, only the surrounding area and rooms inside buildings. None of the videos do the base justice. None of them capture the atmosphere that makes the base so lovely in recollection. None of the photographs show what I recall. None of the colors are right. None of the simple scenery is right. None capture the breezy atmosphere. None convey the attractive vibes of the place. None of them capture how fantastic it feels to an American in America. To me, Travis means America.
8 comments:
I've never been there but I remember Travis from my Air Force days as being high on the list of desirable duty locations.
My Uncle Rick was stationed for a while in Travis. We lived over the hill and to the south end of the Santa Clara Valley (when it was so still rural and agricultural), so we were able to visit.
He was an officer and pilot. Lt Colonel... I think. I'll never forget when he got permission for us go and see the plane he was flying at the time. It was GINORMOUS!!! A C5 Galaxy. We felt like ants.
Uncle Rick was a little guy and we were amazed that he could fly such a BIG plane. Flying something that large just seems like magic.
Note. I'm not a plane expert so my photo link may not be correct. It's the size I was trying to convey. Big!
The big plane in the pic is indeed a C-5A Galaxy.
I was at the day old bread store right under the glide path into Moffett Naval Air Station in Mt. View and a C-5A flew over. I involuntarily ducked - I was used to seeing aircraft flying low and slow at that location, but the C-5A is so huge it messes with your sense of perspective - I thought it was about to fall on me.
Public Sector Americans are definitely America's upper class.
That said, why did the woman in that first video have to say, "Anyways?" That ain't classy!
The AN-225 flew over my house one night. It was like watching an ocean liner go over your head. The oil companies use the Ukranian Antonovs because the DOD won't allow their cargo lifters for commercial use, even after being retired from military use.
Ack... I forgot about the M variant. That's not a C-5A, but a C-5M.
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