Everyone has "defining moments" in their lives. For me, one of those moments came when I was in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm. As I watched the contrails of two Patriot missiles blast into the night sky to intercept a Scud missile, I felt a sense of pride in our military that is beyond words.

Returning to Travis Air Force Base to serve out my Air Force career, I never lost that feeling of pride in service and in Solano County. Everywhere here are patriotic citizens who support the Air Force with unquestioned loyalty and respect, year after year. I can understand why 24 bases were closed in California communities, but not here.

Now, however, things are changing. I'm dismayed by the actions of some of our political leaders. Instead of protecting and defending Travis on all issues, they are promoting their own political agendas and putting the long-term future of the base at risk. I have specific examples.

How many people know that there is a Metropolitan Transportation Commission airport planning committee that is eyeing Travis to take civilian traffic from the San Francisco airport? And who is aware that Supervisor Jim Spering is representing Solano County on this committee and is promoting this idea, with no thought to the impact on Travis' military mission, now or in the future?

Commercial aircraft uses are a takeaway for Travis and a giveaway to others at the expense of military training and effectiveness. Yet Jim Spering and Supervisor Mike Reagan push this idea, trying to get traction for reasons of their own. It's a flimsy excuse to say, as Spering recently did, that "Travis can say no." Why are we even asking? What is the benefit to Travis? There is none.

The wind turbine issue is another example of misguided leadership. I've criticized Mike Reagan on this, and with good reason. Instead of having a meaningful discussion about the aviation safety problems being caused by wind turbines, Reagan simply dismisses any concerns as a "phony save Travis" issue. And yes, Mr. Reagan did receive a campaign donation from the wind turbine developer.

Consider that a few years ago, when the Nature Conservancy was looking to buy land near Travis to create wetlands habitat, opponents saw this as a potential restriction on future Travis expansion. The battle cry was "encroachment by wetlands," with Mike Reagan coining the phrase. Then last year, a developer proposed to create a wetlands habitat directly under the Travis' flight paths that would likely create a bird safety hazard to Travis' planes. The landowner who proposed it is another Reagan campaign contributor, and not a word of protest from Mike was heard. Whether this is a double standard is open to debate, but there is nothing "phony" about this potential risk to Travis planes.

If a politician says they are a staunch defender of Travis, they can't be selective on issues. On every issue, consistently, they have to be there. This is my point. Mike Reagan says he supports Travis, but on tough local issues, he sides with developers or his campaign contributors every time. To this day he says his highest priorities are the general plan, the Delta and growing jobs. It seems obvious to me he is in denial that Travis is an important issue for him to worry about.

This is a defining moment for citizens of Solano County, and specifically for voters in the 5th Supervisorial District. We must have leaders we can depend on all the time, every time, on Travis issues. Anything less disrespects the admiration and pride we have for what it means to call Solano County home to Travis Air Force Base.

To elect a consistent supporter of Travis, I say look elsewhere than Mike Reagan.