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Editor’s note: the following letter
was submitted to the 435th Air Base Wing Public Affairs Office by a
family who travelled through Ramstein following their departure from
Lebanon.
Words cannot describe my gratitude and appreciation to you and to
everyone at the air base in Ramstein, Germany. My son Danny (15), my
daughter Amanda (11) and I were among the evacuees from Lebanon, then
Cyprus, on July 26, 2006 through Ramstein.
The Air Force men and women were extremely attentive, helpful and very caring and comforting.
Starting in Cyprus, the service men and women were pleasant and helpful
on the plane. Upon our arrival at the base I couldn’t help but notice
the high level of organization and details your staff had gone through
to make our visit very smooth. Being a teacher myself, I cannot but
notice the teaching skills that your commanders have. To mention a few:
signs, charts, coloring papers for the little kids, movies, calling
cards, etc.
Let us not forget to mention the other units whose presence added to
our comfort and care, the medical unit, the food unit (especially
the coffee), the free sample table, the beds and blankets, the
immigration team, etc., and to top it all, I was impressed with the
presence of a translator. But the final touch, the icing on the cake,
was when your staff helped put a smile on a child’s face whose birthday
was that day. They managed to throw a last minute party with cakes and
hats where everyone was invited. How can you top that?
Everything ran so smoothly, it made the long hours feel very short.
When I left the air base I felt like I left friends behind. It was a
sad feeling. I could not believe it, I should be happy I am going home
with my kids, but yet, I felt sad and surprised that within a short
period of time these people entered my heart with their warmth, help
and immense respect they showed us.
The Air Force chaplain was very attentive to all, he and his staff kept
on briefing us and carefully updating the chart (I loved it) which
helped me make arrangements for my final destination – Boston.
I know now, that I have a long lasting friendship with the Air Force men and women at Ramstein.
I would appreciate if you could relay this message to all of the service men and women who helped that day.
With our deepest appreciation,
Rita, Danny and Amanda Hajjar
