Congresswoman Fallin assesses Altus Air Force Base

  • Published
  • By Kenneth Scarle
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  The 97th Air Mobility Wing welcomed Fifth District Congresswomen Mary Fallin Thursday as she toured the installation for her assessment of the state's military readiness.

Congresswoman Fallin is currently the only Oklahoma member of the House Armed Services Committee in Washington and has spent the last few months visiting military facilities in the state as part of her position to oversee military readiness, training, logistics and maintenance programs. She said she wanted to come to Altus to get a good overview of the critical missions being performed by our Airmen.

"I have to say I'm very impressed with all that I've seen today," Fallin said, "and to learn that there are so many different countries dependent upon the training of pilots here, the refueling efforts, the medical efforts - just to see the total picture of the missions being performed at Altus Air Force Base reassures me that we're doing a super job here in Oklahoma. And I'm very proud of this base."

Congresswoman Fallin was greeted by Wing Commander Colonel David Allvin and then proceeded to tour the base. Fallin said one of the few needs she saw at the base was the fire station.

"One of the things we did talk about was the Fire Department and the needs to have a bigger building here on the base," Fallin said.

Next, the tour arrived at hangar 285 for a briefing on the Voluntary Protection Program, which promotes effective worksite-based safety and health. "I saw some tremendous efforts being done on worker safety and processes and bringing the employees in with the employers, especially in the area of safety and workers compensation," Fallin said.

The trip concluded with static tours of a C-17 Globemaster III and KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft. Fallin said she appreciates the hospitality of the base in helping her to fulfill her job on the Armed Services Committee.

"One of the things I wanted to do here was see what we need at this base," Fallin explained, "how we as a state can support it." She continued, "we can support the mission of our men and women in war and take that information back to Washington and be able to represent our needs here."