2013 Year-In-Reflection

  • Published
  • By TSgt. George Cloutier
  • 439th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE, Mass. --  Another year has come and gone -- 2013 is history and 2014 is here. Here's a look at some of the events that made up 2013.

Winter Storm "Nemo"- Feb. 8
A Nor'easter lasting more than 12 hours forced the base to cancel its February A UTA as nearly two feet of snow blanketed the area. Westover weather forecaster Doug Fortin said 20 inches of snow had fallen as of the morning of Feb. 8. Areas in Massachusetts and Connecticut reported as much as three feet of snow from the storm.

Mobile Tail Enclosure - April 1
Crews broke ground for the $5 million mobile tail enclosure. The MTE is a moveable structure on rails that protects maintenance workers from the renowned New England cold weather. The MTE is the largest structure of its kind in the Air Force.

AFRC Commander visit - June 4
Lt. Gen. James Jackson, commander of the Air Force Reserve Command, visited Westover and toured several squadrons on base, accompanied by the new AFRC Command CMSgt. Cameron Kirksey. Lt. Gen. Jackson visited Westover to see first- hand how fiscal constraints were impacting Airmen.

Congressional visit - June 24
Congressman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) spoke to 40 civic, business and military leaders who gathered on the flight line during a ceremony announcing Westover's $24 million contract to fund a new fuel hydrant system. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded Westover the contract. The Defense Logistics Agency is funding the system

Furloughs - July 8
Congressionally-mandated furloughs of more than 700 civilians locally and some 680,000 Department of Defense civilians worldwide began July 8. Civilians here were required to take 11 days of unpaid leave between July 8 and Sept. 30, resulting in a 20 percent pay reduction during that period. The furloughs were part of Department of Defense-wide budget cuts due to sequestration.

SECAF Visit - July 25
Acting Secretary of the Air Force Eric Fanning visited Westover to observe how furloughs and sequestration were affecting the Air Force. During his visit, the acting secretary toured the nation's largest military aircraft, flew a C-5 simulator, and spoke to more than 450 people during an Airman's All Call.

F-15 fighters - July 30
Roughly a dozen F-15 fighter jets arrived here July 30 as part of a temporary relocation while the runway at Barnes Municipal Airport underwent several months of repairs. The F-15s, assigned to the Massachusetts Air National Guard's 104th Fighter Wing, flew training missions out of Westover for about five months.

"Excellent" inspection - Aug. 12
Command officials announced that the Patriot Wing earned an excellent rating base-wide on its Consolidated Unit Inspection. Inspectors looked at nearly all base functions. They also inspected operations and support at Westover of the newly-arrived F-15s from the 104th Fighter Wing.

Brig. Gen. selection - Nov. 13
President Barack Obama nominated Westover's wing commander among 11 Air Force Reserve colonels to be promoted to the rank of brigadier general. Col. Steven Vautrain has been wing commander at Westover since August 2011.