MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Hopefully, you’re lucky enough to have a job where coworkers think of themselves as family, but some jobs require a special bond just for survival.
The military is one of those, and this week’s Pass It On takes us to one of the few active military operations in the Memphis area, one we don’t hear about often enough considering the heroic work they do every day.
Eight C-17s make up the 164th Airlift Wing at the Air National Guard Base at Memphis International Airport.
Almost every day, several of these C-17s are on a mission somewhere in the world, often in dangerous places like the Middle East.
What happened during one of those missions prompted Colonel Eric Micai and Chief Master Sergeant Kenny MacFeggan to email us about one of the unit’s part-time first lieutenants.
First, a home Travis Moseley and his wife Alex rent in Bartlett, fell victim to that terrible flooding in September.
The losses were huge, and included the couple’s car.
Then, just two months later, while on deployment, Alex had an accident and fell through the roof of their garage.
It was a terrible fall which left Alex’s back broken in four places and her skull was fractured.
Doctors said she might never walk again.
Meanwhile, Travis was in Germany, on his way to a base in the desert.
“He was halfway around the world on a mission supporting our operations in the Middle East and we got a hold of him via phone about his wife. He was obviously very concerned.”
All the way up the chain of command, Travis’s military family went to work, and he was home at his wife’s side within 24 hours.
She’s doing much better, but safe to say it’s been a rough and expensive few months.
“A lot of these guys, a lot of the stuff they do goes unnoticed sometimes, and this is just a way we can recognize one of our folks who’s dedicated their life to the service of their country.”
We couldn’t agree more.
MacFeggan summoned Travis from his work to Pass It On. Travis’ fellow guardsmen and superiors filled the lobby, and were excited they could help.
“He would do the same for someone else, so I’m glad we were able to help him out. Right now he’s calling his wife and saying, ‘Honey, you’ll never believe this!’ Probably what he’s doing right now.”
Travis is now working full-time as a technician, and Alex continues to make good progress from that nasty fall.