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Air Force One touched down March 29 at Ramstein bringing President Barack Obama, who came to meet with some of America’s heroes.
President Barack Obama speaks with Gen. Frank Gorenc (middle), U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa commander, and Brig. Gen. Patrick X. Mordente, 86th Airlift Wing commander, March 29 on Ramstein.
After a week of traveling through Europe and stopping in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the president made a short trip to Germany to meet with wounded warriors from the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center here.
“(Meeting the president) was such a surreal experience,” said Sgt. 1st Class Shederis Lakin, wounded warrior from the 840th Transportation Battalion, 595th Transportation Brigade. “It’s not every day a service member gets to meet the commander in chief. I feel honored to have gotten the opportunity.”
As Airmen from the 86th Logistics Readiness Squadron quickly and efficiently loaded 240,000 pounds of fuel in 33 minutes, making it a record for the fastest time to refuel Air Force One, Obama greeted and spoke with Gen. Frank Gorenc, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa commander, and Brig. Gen. Patrick X. Mordente, 86th Airlift Wing commander.
“Supporting the president is a no-fail mission,” Mordente said. “I am extremely proud of the 86th AW and Team Ramstein for providing outstanding support for the commander in chief and making this mission a success.”
Although the visit was a surprise for the wounded warriors, being able to sit down in such an intimate setting with the president was one experience they said they would never forget.
“It meant so much to me that he took time out to visit with just the wounded warriors,” Lakin said. “I was expecting to just listen to him speak in a huge room with a hundred people, but he sat down with us and talked to us one-on-one. He even asked us to say hello to our families back home. I’ll never forget that.”
Obama departed Ramstein March 29 to return home to the White House in Washington, D.C.
