A year in review

  • Published
  • By MSgt. Andrew Biscoe
  • 439th AW Public Affairs
WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE --  Multiple weather disasters and a June Operational Readiness Inspection topped the news for Westover this year.

The June ORI capped years of training, checklists, exercises, drills, and Airman's Manual memorization as more than 450 Airmen headed to Alpena, Mich., for the Air Force's flagship readiness exercise. Air Mobility Command inspectors gave the wing an overall strong satisfactory rating, while noting superior performers who highlighted the Patriot Wing's hard
work during the inspection.

An unprecedented string of extreme weather affected the scope of Westover's operations through 2011 - and in one such case, drove most personnel off base for several days.
The most serious weather by far, however, occurred on June 1, when two tornadoes sliced through Springfield, West Springfield, Westfield, and Monson, Mass. Chicopee and Westover did not end up in the path of the tornadoes, which toppled trees and flipped houses
like toys.

A microburst thunderstorm struck the base in July, destroying the C-5model near the front gate, while the real aircraft on the flight line emerged unscathed.In the midst of the weather events, the 439th Airlift Wing's senior leadership changed hands. Col. Steven Vautrain took command of the Patriot Wing on the August A UTA from Col. Robert Swain Jr., who had been commander since June 2008.

Two weeks later, flight and maintenance crews evacuated all but two of the fleet of C-5s at Westover in late August, anticipating Hurricane Irene. Although the storm's eye hovered directly over western Massachusetts, the base escaped serious damage.
 
A freak Nor'easter Oct. 29 dumped nearly a foot of snow on the entire region. Heavy snow coated leaves still on trees, causing catastrophic damage in communities surrounding the base. Trees collapsed under the weight of the snow, leaving millions in the Northeast without power.

The massive storm's wake brought in power crews from all over the United States, some of which were billeted on base. Power was out for several hours, unlike nearby towns, which were in the dark for over a week. And in July, during a routine afternoon workday, offices and buildings shook as an earthquake centered in West Virginia jarred the eastern seaboard. No damage resulted from the tremor, but the event rounded out a year that many will remember will remember with one
word: "extreme."