TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – When asked what drives her to excel in her Air Force profession, Senior Airman Aundrea Britt, simply believes in helping people.
As a 60th Aerial Port Squadron Air Transportation Operation Center information controller, Britt emphasized how much opportunity the Air Force has given her to pave her own pathway in life. She takes pride in being able to be a positive example for other Airmen.
“To be able to be a road map and be guidance for someone else in any way, shape or form, I think, is what motivates me at the end of the day,” she said.
That drive to help others, among an extensive list of accomplishments, led to her being the recipient of the Col. Gail Halvorsen Award, an Airlift/Tanker Association-sponsored award that recognizes an Airman from the air transportation career field who has sustained an elevated level of excellence in aerial port operations.
The award was based on Britt’s actions in 2020 at her previous position as a passenger service agent, supporting operations at the passenger terminal here.
It was there where her love of helping people was constantly tested and nurtured.
In a year fraught with what seemed like a never-ending news cycle of one dramatic event after the other, Airmen at Travis AFB played a pivotal role working to support the behind-the-scenes operations necessary to ensure rapid global mobility was being executed regardless of the obstacles that these events might have imposed.
In the early months of 2020, when the outbreak of COVID-19 was emerging out of Wuhan, China, the U.S. had to repatriate its citizens out of the country. Travis was one of the military installations selected by the Department of Defense to temporarily house and quarantine those citizens. This allowed various government health agencies to assess the global situation surrounding the emerging virus in those early days.
Britt and her team repatriated more than 900 U.S. citizens.
She was also selected to support a mission involving the logistical movement of the President of the United States. For her efforts, Britt was personally recognized by the Secret Service with a letter of achievement.
In addition, she has processed thousands of passengers, helped move thousands of tons of cargo, and supported hundreds of missions integral to the U.S. Air Force’s mobility mission.
“It genuinely brings me joy to just be something that I didn’t always have,” Britt said. “I’m happiest when I’m helping people.”
“I always strive to be better than what (I was) yesterday,” she said. “If you can sleep peacefully after looking in the mirror and knowing that you’ve done a good job, cool. Go to sleep.”
Britt formally received the Col. Gail Halvorsen award during the A/TA Symposium held at the Orlando World Center, October 28-31, 2021.
