Street dedicated in honor of former Security Forces Squadron NCO

  • Published
  • By Danny Monahan
  • 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
KIRTLAND AFB, N.M. --  Kirtland Air Force Base officials renamed "M Avenue" to "Griffin Avenue" in honor of Staff Sgt. Travis Griffin during a ceremony at the base theater Tuesday.

Griffin was killed in action April 3, 2008, by a roadside bomb while deployed with the 732nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron in Baghdad, Iraq.

He joined the Air Force in June 1999, and Team Kirtland's 377th Security Forces Squadron in September 2003.

During his time here, he served as an instructor, responsible for training approximately 550 Airmen on security tactics and procedures.

His wife, Krista Griffin, who attended the ceremony, spoke about him.

"Being a member of the U.S. Air Force is what Travis excelled at doing," she said. "It is why we are all here today, to pay tribute to his knowledge, his skills, his leadership and his accomplishments. He made many sacrifices each time he deployed, and he paid the ultimate price of freedom during his seventh and final deployment. Travis never believed himself to be anything special. If he were here today, he would say, 'Thanks for the sign, but I was just doing my job,' not because he would be ungrateful, but because of his humility. Whether he knew it or not, that in itself makes him special."

Approximately 200 people attended the ceremony, including Travis Griffin's mother, Christine Herwick.

"Our hope is that as you drive down Griffin Avenue, or as you cross it, that you will feel as we do, remembering Travis with a smile and a laugh, not with sadness or regret. This is what Travis would want and how he would want to be remembered," said Herwick.

Col. John Kubinec, 377th Air Base Wing commander, presented the Griffins' son, Elijah, a 377 SFS guidon, and presented Krista Griffin and Herwick each a replica "Griffin Avenue" street sign.

"It's very fitting that Griffin Avenue runs right into the wing headquarters building because Travis exemplified everything that this wing, this base and our Air Force stands for - service, sacrifice, leading from the front, and tactical skill," said Kubinec. "It didn't take me long, as I started to learn about Travis, to understand he epitomized those principles."