TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Airmen at Travis Air Force Base, California came together to commemorate and celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month with a closing ceremony, Oct. 15, 2021.
U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Antonio Araiza, 89th Airlift Wing command chief, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, sent a video as the key note. He spoke about his time as an airman and shared a personal experience about when he was left cleaning while everyone else in his shop took a break to play cards — he felt Airmen could all learn from this scenario. Araiza used the story to educate the crowd on inclusion and emphasized that if Airmen see situations similar to his, where he was left out, use our voice to speak up because we are better together, he said.
CMSgt. Erick Fierro, 60th Air Mobility Wing interim command chief, welcomed all who attended and reminded everyone that although this is the end of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we can celebrate our heritage every day.
“Reconnection is the key word when we come together for these types of events,” said Fierro. “These celebrations bring us back to our heritage and predecessors.”
National Hispanic Heritage Month is annually celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.
If you’d like to learn more about this story and others like it, visit https://www.travis.af.mil/Information/Diversity-and-Inclusion/
