Photo By Tech. Sgt. Nicole Leidholm | Retired Chief Master Sgt. Martin Church looks over Travis Air Force Base, Calif., on...... read more read more
Subscribe
By Staff Sgt. Timothy Boyer
60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - You see them at the gym, the exchange, the pharmacy and the commissary. They are known for their pride in their accomplishments, which can often be seen on their hats.
They are veterans of the U.S. military.
They are not only proud of their military service, but they are also proud of those who continue to protect the country.
One such veteran is retired Chief Master Sgt. Martin Church, who witnessed an accident that changed Travis Air Force Base, served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He worked as military police and as a mechanic on some of the first computers.
Born in 1930, he grew up in Bastrop, La., a town of no more than 7,000 people. The town's economy was tied to a local paper mill.
"One of my ambitions was to make something of myself," Church said. "If you didn't work in the paper mill, you didn't do anything."
In 1948, at the age of 18, Church joined the newly formed U.S. Air Force.
Church said his original intent was to join the Army, but his father's war experiences motivated him to join the one-year-old Air Force instead.
"My dad was in the Army during World War I and told me his stories," he said. "It took him about five minutes to talk me out of the Army."
Church began his 26-year career in the air police, similar to today's security forces. He served at Travis AFB, called Fairfield-Suisun Army Air Base upon his arrival, from 1950 to 1955. During that time he served as a military policeman and served in the Korean War.
The name of the base changed to Travis AFB after Brig. Gen. Robert Travis crashed a B-29 Super Fortress on Aug. 5, 1950, an event Church recalls to this day.
"I was at a drive-in theater that used to be at I-80 and Texas Street in Fairfield with a friend," he said. "We knew there was some kind of emergency when a fireball lit up the screen so brightly we couldn't see it. We left the movie and went back to the base to help wherever it was needed. Since patrolmen were already at the crash site, we helped fill the voids in securing the gate and other patrols."
The Air Force lost a good leader, Church said. "We were all saddened and felt terrible for his family," he said.
Few people had a bad word to say about Travis, Church said with a smile on his face as he reflected on his first commander.
"He was hard, but fair," he said with a chuckle. "He would run stop signs on purpose to see if air police would pull him over. If we didn't, he would call the boss and chew him out. He figured if we would pull him over, we would pull over anyone - and that is what he wanted when people were breaking the law."
Travis led by example, showing fitness as a priority by walking to work most days, Church said. Church's memories of Travis are fond ones.
"He was a people person," Church said. "That's one thing I can say for him."
After finishing his time at what became Travis AFB, Church went on to retrain into computer maintenance, which was his job during the Vietnam War.
When he was working on computers in the ΚΌ60s, they required a 200-square-foot building to house only two computers, Church said.
"The only time the job was affected by being in Vietnam was when a piece of shrapnel went through the memory banks - we had to get to work," he laughed.
From a retiree who lived history to the young Airmen who are creating history today, Church has advice.
"Learn as much as you can," he said. "Become as good as you can be. Don't worry about promotions - if you know your job, eventually the promotion will come."
| Date Taken: | 03.08.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 03.08.2012 17:18 |
| Story ID: | 84944 |
| Location: | TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 91 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Retiree witnessed General Travis crash, Korean, Vietnam wars, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
