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by Airman 1st Class Taylor D. Slater
86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs 
The 72nd Annual Air Force Ball is scheduled to be held tomorrow starting at 5 p.m. in Building 2018 also known as the Dual Bay Hangar.
U.S. Air Force Maj. Maria Vazquez, Air Force Ball committee president, said the ball has been in the works since November 2018. The theme for this year’s ball is “Operation Varsity” with the slogan, “Ready to Lead the Fight.”
The theme ties in with the upcoming Operation Varsity 19-3 exercise scheduled for Sept. 23-27, and parallels with World War II Operation Varsity, which took place over Germany in 1945.
“Celebrating the tradition and heritage of the Air Force is very important, because knowing where we came from helps us see where we’re going,” said Vazquez.
Vazquez said continuing the tradition and educating on the past is especially important for new Airmen.
This year the AF Ball e-invite was sent out to the base populace in mid-August. All service members and civilians with base access were invited to attend. Ticket prices ranged from
30-70 dollars depending on an individual’s rank or civilian grade.
For AF Ball attendees with children, local Child Development Centers pitched in to offer childcare services from 5-10 p.m. This allows parents a night out while having peace of mind that their child is safely supervised. For more information about how the CDCs are helping extend their services on Saturday, contact the CDC at DSN 480-6011.
For pre-teens and teens, the Vogelweh Youth Center is offering two events called Knight for Kids and Saturday Swish. Contact the Vogelweh Youth Center at DSN 480-6444 for more information.
Roughly 1,000 personnel attended the 2018 Air Force Ball. Vazquez said they are hoping to exceed those numbers this year and were well on their way with more than 700 tickets having been sold before the deadline.
Dress code for the event is semi-formal or mess dress uniforms for military and formal attire for civilians. Party shirts are authorized after the 6 p.m. ceremony.
Vazquez said the dinner will be sit-down style with food and drinks catered by the Officer’s Club. Dinner includes both meat and vegetarian options. The USAFE Jazz band as well as a DJ will be there performing live music.
While Vazquez encourages everyone to go to the ball, she said it’s especially important for new Airmen to attend.
“You only live once, right?” Vazquez said. “I think if you are in the Air Force it is very important for every single member to go to at least one ball.”
For more information on the Air Force Ball, visit the Ramstein Air Force Ball 2019 Facebook page.
