Warrior Airman - changing the face of the Air Force, Global War on Terrorism

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Dilia Ayala
  • 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo., --  As the Global War on Terrorism rages on, the changes it has caused are irreversible. The enemy is no longer a visible target and the battlefield seems to have lost its boundaries.

Today, brothers and sisters in arms from across the military services are changing the face of war, fighting side-by-side to bring freedom to those who have never known it. As the youngest of the sister services, the Air Force is commonly known for its air power, but like all things over the last few years, it too has changed. Today, Airmen are delivering a full spectrum of support, conducting operations in places beyond the cockpit of an aircraft or from behind a computer desk.

Airman 1st Class Broch Travis, intelligence operations specialist, is one such Airman. Currently, deployed from the 509th Operations Support Squadron here to an "in-lieu-of" position in Camp Fallujah, Iraq, Airman Travis is a member of Multi-National Force-West working hand-in-hand with members of the Marines, Navy and Army to fight the war against Iraqi insurgents and the Global War on Terrorism.

For about six months now, Airman Travis has been providing key intelligence information to meet information operations objectives for the MNF-W area of operation. In plain terms, Airman Travis has been filtering countless Iraqi media reports from throughout the country daily and disseminating relevant data via briefings, and writing articles for an Iraqi magazine that is translated into Arabic as part of the MNF-W information operations campaign. However, unlike many Airmen in his careerfield, Airman Travis has had the opportunity to train for and augment his Marine counterparts as a member of the base perimeter guard force during his deployment.

"(My state-side and deployed jobs) are different for the fact that they are separate missions, but the same for the fact that they both require a significant amount of research and analysis," said the Littleton, Colo., native. "The guard force is completely different, but still, I use my skills as an intel Airman to analyze trends in the Iraqi's day-to-day activities so that I can know when something is wrong or different.

"Living, working and fighting beside Marines is the most rewarding part," Airman Travis continued. "The training I received from the Marines has been awesome. They trained me on crew-served weapons and, my personal favorite, the M79 grenade launcher, which I use as my secondary weapon when I am on guard duty.

"Working with the other services has been very rewarding," he said. "I have gained insight on how other services operate and also their general mentality. It has forced me to grow as an Airman. I have not only been fighting beside these Marines, Soldiers and Sailors, but have also been a representative for the Air Force in how we operate and react under pressure."

With only two years in the military and 20 years old, Airman Travis is the youngest enlisted member of his deployed team, however, if not told, a person would never know the difference between him and one of his counterparts because of the quality of his work.

Recently, Airman Travis was the sole Airman of 15 servicemembers coined for excellence by none other than the commanding general of MNF-Iraq, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus.

"(Airman) Travis is an amazing performer - I am proud to have him on the team," said Marine Lt. Col. John Worman, Multi-National Force-West information operations officer. "Most impressive is his overall attitude, work ethic and personal initiative. Airman Travis has impressed me well beyond my expectations. He must have Marine Corps blood in his veins because he certainly acts like one."

Before Airman Travis' arrival, his deployed team did not know who would be coming and what service he or she would be from, but they looked forward to his arrival.

"This billet is for an intel analyst, and the request for forces could have been filled by any service," said Colonel Worman. "(Before his arrival,) I had no preconceived notions - I was intrigued by our sister service being engaged on the ground, in support of the Marine Corps, and wasn't sure what to expect, but was happy to have an individual to perform the job at hand. I embraced the opportunity to work with the Air Force. Our shop has all services interacting daily, to include civilian contractors. So far it has been an overwhelmingly positive experience."

One can not tell when the Global War on Terrorism will end, but the changes taking place as a result of it are evident. Today hundreds of Airmen are attending ground combat skills training, preparing them for Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom deployments outside their normal Air Force specialties. The story of Airman Travis is only one of the many still waiting to be written.

"This has been the most motivating time of my life," Airman Travis said. "It has been a life-changing time where I have learned things about myself that will help me be a better person and Airman. Being out in the town and seeing and experiencing the Iraqi way of life has been very eye-opening. I have seen a town build a school from the ground up with just 15 men and their sons. Seeing the progress that is being made and the difference our presence has made here is very rewarding.

"We are not merely the 'chair force' and 'desk jockeys' any more, we are warriors. Airman now must be prepared to fight," Airman Travis added. "We are all in this fight together and the enemy does not discriminate what service you are in."