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Airmen assigned to the 86th Airlift Wing and 435th Air Ground Operations Wing hosted Air Force Chief of Staff Civic Leaders April 17 to 18 on Ramstein.
The Air Force CSAF Civic Leader program is a liaison initiative for military members to relay information back to American civilian leaders supporting the Air Force.
The group is comprised of a variety of members from Guam to the continental U.S. who have a wide array of different backgrounds, with one common passion for service to Airmen and their families. Civic leaders are elected through nomination by major command commanders and are then channeled up to the CSAF, who makes the final selection.
During their visit, they received a unique opportunity to peek behind the scenes at what it takes to keep Ramstein’s diverse missions going and meet the Airmen who make it happen.
“This really gives us a broad perspective of what’s going on with the national security interest that we have here and the wonderful mission that the Airmen carry out each and every day,” said Brad Hegeman, Air Force Chief of Staff Civic Leader group member. “It’s an absolute privilege to be able to see this firsthand so we can better understand the challenges that face this particular (area of responsibility) and be a better advocate back to the American public. … That’s really the ultimate goal of our civic leader group, to figure out ways we can better support the Air Force and, most importantly, support the Airmen and their families.”
The guests got a chance to have lunch with Ramstein Airmen, tour a C-130J Super Hercules simulator and then climb aboard the actual aircraft to see what it’s like inside the plane. Not only were they able to take a seat in the cockpit but they additionally saw the capabilities of the 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron and the 86th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels flight.
They also received a tour of the air traffic control tower, getting a direct view of Ramstein’s busy flightline, and visited with Airmen from the 435th AGOW who set up a hangar display showcasing their different units and their respective missions.
Brig. Gen. Jon T. Thomas, 86th AW commander, explained his intent for the tour to the group.
“I want to take a little bit of time to tell some stories,” Thomas said. “Stories about the Airmen you’re meeting with and the missions that they accomplish from Ramstein Air Base. You will find it fascinating how significant the things that they achieve in the Forward, Ready, Now presence that we have.”
Thomas spoke about some of the recent successes across the Air Force that Team Ramstein has impacted, such as providing key support to the ordered departure of dependents of service members and Department of Defense civilian personnel stationed in Turkey.
Col. Andra Kniep, 435th AGOW and 435th Air Expeditionary Wing commander, also spoke to the gathered leaders, thanking them for investing time to meet Ramstein Airmen.
“Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedules to come all the way here to Ramstein,” Kniep said. “It’s great to have you here to come out to meet our Airmen. … I think what you’ll see today is that we are part of a championship team, and I think what you’re going to learn is that every Airman matters. Hopefully you see by some of the Airmen you’ve been talking to here that we have some of the best Airmen in our Air Force.”
The CSAF Civic Leader program is just one way the Air Force funnels innovation from Airmen to U.S. leaders.
