Twitter
Facebook
On Jan. 18, 786th Civil Engineer Squadron Airmen said “Auf Wiedersehen” to one of their most dedicated local national employees, Franz Pfaffenrath.
With 47 years of service to the Air Force mission, Pfaffenrath is a living piece of U.S., NATO and European history, not to mention an expert on the more than 1,300 facilities and nearly 5,000 acres making up the KMC.
Pfaffenrath was born and raised on his father’s potato farm in Sembach. He played soccer and was a sprinter on the track team before being drafted into the Bundeswehr (German army) in 1965. Soldat (Private) Pfaffenrath served as a “Panzeraufklärer,” or armored reconnaissance troop.
After his time in the military, Pfaffenrath began working at Kleber Kaserne as an electronics mechanic for the Army and Air Force Exhange Service on Jan 23, 1967.
In 1976, he graduated with his master’s in electromechanical engineering, earning his registration as an “Elektromechanikermeister,” which allowed him to teach, install, repair and certify electronic equipment and appliances. To this day, he maintains his professional registration and operates an appliance repair business in his hometown as a passion and hobby.
After earning his degree, Pfaffenrath became the first German supervisor of the Einsiedlerhof Appliance Shop, which maintained and serviced more than 32,000 electric appliances.
In 1987, he served as the housing maintenance superintendent until he accepted a position as the facility manager for Sembach Air Base in 1989. Over the next six years, Pfaffenrath oversaw the transfer of Sembach Air Base from an independent wing to a satellite of the 86th Airlift Wing. After re-aligning Sembach, Pfaffenrath joined Team Ramstein in 1995 under what was then the 86th Civil Engineer Squadron. In his tenure at Ramstein, Pfaffenrath has seen the squadron pendant change from the 86th CES to the 786th, then 735th, back to 86th, and finally landing on the 786th CES.
While here, Pfaffenrath has witnessed the base transform from a Cold War fighter base to what is now one of the Department of Defense’s largest air transportation, logistics, and command and control hubs. He has been a key advocate for the base and has played a role in managing relationships with the local and district governments in the Kaiserslautern area.
Although Pfaffenrath has participated in numerous large projects, such as the construction of the $151 million Kaiserslautern Military Community Center, he says his greatest career accomplishment was the oversight of the construction and installation of Ramstein’s centralized distribution heating system in 1996. This system replaced a series of independent coal and gas-fired boilers into a centrally controlled line that delivers gas to heat exchangers in each individual facility.
Through the years, Pfaffenrath has worked with thousands of Air Force active duty, civil service and host nation employees. He has seen first-term Airmen become chief master sergeants and lieutenants who returned to command the 786th CES as lieutenant colonels. In his tenure, Pfaffenrath has worked with more than 30 CE squadron commanders and chiefs, including the former Air Force civil engineer, retired Maj. Gen. L. Dean Fox, when he commanded the 66th CES at Sembach Air Base from 1986 to 1989.
When asked about the difference between the Air Force now and in 1967, Pfaffenrath said, “Today, operations are much higher tempo; everything is fast-paced, and there is no time to think.”
His biggest nugget of wisdom he wishes to impart on his successors is, “Don’t overreact, and don’t forget that you were young once!”
After Pfaffenrath’s retirement, he plans on spending his time enjoying his hobbies, which include hunting, fishing and camping, and spending time with his wife of 43 years, Hella, and their son, Christian, daughter, Kristin, and four grandchildren, Annaca, Fabian, Sebastian and Key.
The 786th CES and the entire Air Force CE community congratulate Pfaffenrath on his career accomplishments and thank him for his 47 years of loyal service.
