As Iran conflict drags on, families near Travis Air Force Base face growing uncertainty

By Kenny Choi

It has been nearly a month since U.S. and Israeli airstrikes began in Iran.

As the war continues, veterans and families of service members are questioning whether the conflict will escalate further, or whether the peace talks President Trump has referenced will actually lead to a breakthrough.

The Fairfield community surrounding Travis Air Force Base knows all too well the realities and uncertainties that come with wartime.

At Yasu’s Tailor Shop, Jessica Lee-Vedder carefully alters a piece of military clothing. The steady hum of the sewing machine is familiar. So is the anxiety that can come with war.

Lee-Vedder says she has lost count of how many conflicts the United States has been involved in over the years. 

For more than four decades, the Korean immigrant has worked at the shop near Travis Air Force Base, hearing countless stories of loss, sacrifice and heartbreak from military families and service members.

“I pray, that’s all,” she said.

As bombings, aerial assaults and threats involving the U.S., Israel and Iran continue, with no definitive end to the war in sight, Lee-Vedder says she prays for the safe return of those called into combat.

“Some people lose their sons, husbands and wives. Everybody, right?” she said.

A new Pew Research Center survey found that about four in 10 Americans approve of President Trump’s handling of the conflict, while 61% disapprove.

Jonathan Collier, a veteran from Pittsburg who served nearly 10 years in the military, said he is deeply worried about what continued escalation could mean for American troops.

“He’s putting American service members in jeopardy for whatever he wants to do,” Collier said.

He added, “I wouldn’t even join the military if it was now. If I had to join now.”

Congressman John Garamendi, who represents the area, along with other Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee, called Friday for a public hearing and for the Department of Defense to testify about the war in Iran.

For Lee-Vedder, the uncertainty is personal in its own quiet way.

Each time someone drops off a uniform to be altered or pressed, she wonders whether that person will safely return.

As the conflict unfolds, that uncertainty is only growing.