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Air Force medical leader retires after 39 years

  • Published
  • By Jon Stock
  • Air Force Surgeon General Public Affairs
WASHINGTON (AFNS) --  

During a ceremony filled with military tradition and reflection, the 21st surgeon general of the Air Force, Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Thomas W. Travis, retired June 5 after 39 years of service.

Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, officiated the ceremony where he stated that Lt. Gen. Travis has left a significant impact on the Air Force Medical Service and was an impressive leader who was passionate about the Air Force mission and its people.

General Welsh spoke of General Travis' remarkable career as being one of the few pilot-physician leaders to stand out through his numerous assignments in both the flying community and medical field. The overarching comment of his former commanders was that he was one of the best they have ever seen, and how this ultimately made him the best candidate for the top medical leadership assignment in the Air Force.

During the ceremony, General Welsh presented General Travis with the Distinguished Service Medal, first oak leaf cluster, for his service and personal letters of appreciation from President Obama, Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James and the Air Force Chief of Staff.

Travis also received a Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences award for his numerous contributions toward the school.

General Travis thanked General Welsh for his comments and turned his attention toward the packed room stating, "How lucky are we? How lucky to be able to hold retiree's hands as we communicate medical information, to deliver babies into the world, to ensure our high-performance systems and warriors are functioning at their best in an evolving Air Force."

Travis mentioned how much he will miss the Air Force and working with some of the greatest Air Force leaders and medics alike. 

General Travis wrapped up his comments by thanking his wife, Sally, for her love and support over the years, as well as their children, and said that he looked forward to their future time together as well as being a great grandfather to his new grandchild.

General Travis entered the Air Force in 1976 as a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He was awarded his pilot wings in 1978 and served as an F-4 pilot and aircraft commander. The general completed his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences School of Medicine, where he was the top Air Force graduate, and in 1987 he became a flight surgeon.

Travis is board certified in aerospace medicine. A command pilot and chief flight surgeon, he has more than 1,800 flying hours and is one of the Air Force's few pilot-physicians. He has flown the F-4, F-15 and F-16 as mission pilot and, the Royal Air Force Hawk as the senior medical officer and pilot.

In his last assignment as Air Force Surgeon General he was responsible for managing and providing direction to a 44,000-person integrated health care delivery system serving 2.6 million beneficiaries at 75 military treatment facilities worldwide.