349th Wing Vietnam Era Patriot – Lifetime Commitment of Service and Participation

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Donald P. Mora
  • 349th Aerospace Medicine Squadron
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  When you begin your journey to Travis Air Force Base as a Reservist preparing to enter the gate on any given drill weekend, what enters your mind? Are you excited to be wearing the uniform, look forward to a new computer based training module to ensure you are ready if called upon, or just looking forward to the relationships with all of the other reservists like yourself that make the 349th Air Mobility Wing a great place to serve?

According to the Miriam-Webster Dictionary, service is defined as the following: Ser·vice (noun) the occupation or function of serving or the work performed by one that serves good. Contribution to the welfare of others or the act of serving as a helpful act.

So what does service mean to you?

For Master Sgt. Peggy Kelly of the 349th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, June 26, 2012 will mark more than 31 years of service to the United States Air Force and 27 years of service to the 349th Air Mobility Wing. Kelly is one of many men and women who work behind the scenes in support the overall 349th Wing mission to provide combat ready Airmen and expeditionary support to the war fighter. It is only through service, active participation and commitment that the 349th could have received 15 Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards and continues to thrive as the largest Associate Wing in the USAF Reserves with more than 3000 members flying three large airframes to support the USAF global mission.

At 18 years of age, Kelly enlisted into the Air Force and directly contributed to the Vietnam War effort while serving on active duty from April 16, 1971 - April 15, 1975. She attended basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, and continued on to technical training at Lowry AFB, Colo., as a Still Photographic Laboratory Specialist Technician.

When asked why she volunteered to serve in the Air Force, she replied, "My Navy dad wanted all five of his kids to join the military to see what the world was like outside of our little town of Paradise. My two older brothers, my younger brother, and my baby sister all joined the Navy. My family joke is: I thought the family needed a little class so I joined the USAF."

In 1971, the USAF was a different place for a woman. Women were assigned to the Women in the Air Force which was a program formed in 1948 by President Harry S. Truman allowing women to serve directly in the military. The WAF program ended in 1976 when women were accepted into the Air Force on an equal basis with men. As the first WAF member simultaneously assigned to the (all male) 1365th Photo Lab Squadron at McChord AFB, Wash., Kelly helped start the first base women's volley ball team and since there were no other women teams in any other squadrons on base, the "McChord 62nd WAF" volley team had only male squadrons to compete against. They finished first place after an undefeated season. The McChord AFB paper reported the win with "Gals Upset Guys" headline.

Let's also note that in 1971, only single women without children could enlist in the Air Force, so Kelly had to request permission and attend classes to get married. At that time pregnancy was an automatic discharge - fortunately for Kelly in 1974 the rule changed allowing her and her husband to start a family. After contemplating career goals and family needs, Kelly completed her first enlistment and took a break in service for 10 years.

Kelly joined the USAF Reserves on June 6, 1985 and has been assigned to Travis for 27 years. She cross-trained to become a Medical Technician assisting with physical exams, working deployment lines for countless Operational Readiness Exercises, and real world deployments from the final days of the Cold War, the Persian Gulf War, along with Operations Enduring Freedom/Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn.

Throughout the years, Kelly continued to serve in the unit at whatever was assigned to her since participation and commitment were values she adopted, and was known for. She led the unit Motorcycle Safety Program since 1990, was a Basic Life Support Instructor for CPR, served as a National Registry Emergency Medical Technician and a unit EMT Coordinator since 1992, as well as, the unit Vehicle Control Officer since 1996.

As part of the 349th AMDS, serving two weekends per month, Kelly performed additional duties during one weekend and supported physical exams on the other weekend, allowing her to work in multiple roles within the unit. Additionally, Kelly volunteered to support community events including the Vacaville Pop Warner Football Program, ambulance support for air shows, and attended Career Day events promoting military professions in schools throughout Northern California. When asked why she loved to serve, she stated, "I have been fortunate to be able to give a portion of my time to help others, since helping others is part of the fabric of my being. Service was always easy, especially when surrounded by so many people that work hard to accomplish the mission".

Kelly is married, has three children and three grandchildren. Over half of her life has been dedicated towards service to the USAF and ultimately to the United States of America. Without individuals like Kelly who work to support the USAF and the mission of the 349 AMW, this great nation that we all proudly serve would be degraded by each individuals contribution to our way of life.

Post retirement, Kelly will re-acclimate to civilian life and looks forward to teaching her grandchildren to sew, bake, learn piano and play all sports, including of course, VOLLEYBALL!



Master Sgt. Peggy Kelly received the following awards and decorations during her 31 years of service:

Meritorious Service Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
AF Outstanding Unit Award with Valor Device and 11 Oak Leaf Clusters
AF Good Conduct Medal
Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Metal with 7 Oak Leaf Clusters
National Defense Service Medal with 2 Stars
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
AF Longevity Service with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with Silver Hour Glass and M2 Device
USAF NCO PME Graduate Ribbon with Oak Leaf Cluster
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (Rifle)
AF Training Ribbon