Friday, April 10, 2026 l Vol. 51, Number 15
AIRMEN RETURN TO TRAVIS Page 2
SERVING TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE AND THE MILITARY COMMUNITY OF SOLANO COUNTY
UC BERKELEY CADETS VISIT TRAVIS Page 3
TRAVIS
SAPR TEAL RUN AT TRAVIS Page 7
TAILWIND A product of Daily Republic
CHASE
MISSION Senior Airman Sebastian Romawac/U.S. Air Force file
Lt. Col. Tyler Keener and Senior Airman Yendi Borjas fly Thunderbird 7 over Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz., March 23. Thunderbird 7 is the photo chase aircraft that captures
aerial imagery of the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds will perform at Travis Air Force Base April 25-26.
Maj. Gen. Malcolm Grow left legacy of compassion for USAF medicine Robert Hammer
MHS COMMUNICATIONS
Roderick Tapnio/U.S. Air Foce file
A multidisciplinary team of Golden Bear Medics, including active-duty and civilian personnel, participate in a simulated patient care scenario during a Nurse Skills Fair at David
Grant USAF Medical Center at Travis AFB, March 24. The training focused on critical tasks such as blood transfusion management and patient assessment.
Nursing fair helps Golden Bear Medics sharpen skills Roderick Tapnio
DEFENSE HEALTH NETWORK CENTRAL
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE — Nursing professionals from the 60th Medical Group, the “Golden Bear” medics, enhanced their clinical warfighting skills during a recent multi-day RN Skills Fair at David Grant USAF Medical Center. The event was designed to sustain critical nursing and technical competencies
through focused, handson training. The skills fair brought together a diverse team of active-duty service members, civilians, and contractors to practice essential medical tasks in a controlled, low-pressure setting. The training reinforces foundational knowledge and ensures the entire team remains prepared to respond effectively to medical emergencies, both at home and in
deployed environments. Originating from an identified need by frontline nursing staff to maintain proficiency across both clinical and non-clinical roles, the event was developed internally to build confidence and competence. “The goal is to provide a supportive environment where staff can refresh their skills and gain handson experience without the pressure of a real-world emergency,” U.S. Air Force
FALLS CHURCH, Va. — As the first surgeon general of the U.S. Air Force, Maj. Gen. Malcolm C. Grow charted a course that defined modern military medicine for future airmen. His leadership and innovation built the foundation of the Air Force Medical Service, and the Malcolm Grow Medical Clinics and Surgery Center honors his namesake by delivering exceptional military health care today. Grow had already proven himself as a physician, researcher, and leader long before the U.S. Air Force became a separate military department in 1947. During World War I and World War II, he saw firsthand the unique physical and psychological stresses flight crews faced – shaping his belief, and dedication to ensuring medicine meets warfighters where they serve, whether air, land, or sea.
‘Sudden decision’ led to a military career
Capt. Katie Larkin, a 60th Inpatient Squadron clinical nurse and one of the event organizers, said in an article that first appeared for the Defense Visual Information Distribution Services. “It helps ensure our team is ready when it matters most.” Throughout the fair, participants rotated through multiple stations covering core competencies such as
After graduating from Jefferson Medical School in 1909, Grow began to establish himself as a physician in Philadelphia – but he yearned for more. In the 1910s, a discussion with friend Dr. Edward Egbert, chief surgeon of an American Red Cross hospital in what is present day Ukraine, led Grow to seek a medical commission to support the World War I-era Russian Army, allied with France and Great Britain, where qualified doctors were needed. Egbert told him that by joining the fight, “you will gain experience in surgery in a few months that you could not get otherwise in years and years of private practice,” Grow recounted in his biographical writing. “I made a sudden decision. I resolved to go to Russia.” Then in February 1917, he was appointed a captain in the U.S. Army’s Medical Reserve and served in the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe in 1918-19. He was commissioned into the Regular Army Medical Corps in 1920. He later served as chief flight surgeon for the Army Air Corps from 1934 to 1939. During this time, in 1935, Grow cofounded
See Golden, Page 2
See Grow, Page 3