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The Ramstein Wings Lounge reopened in the Ramstein Officers’ Club Dec. 5, unveiling new decor that embraces the past, present and future of Airmen here.
The renovation came at the request of Brig. Gen. Patrick X. Mordente, 86th Airlift Wing commander, who explained he wanted a place for his Airmen to congregate — a place they could be proud of, relax, and share mentoring moments with fellow Airmen and service members.
“The lounge needed a new look … I wanted to recognize the Airmen of today who have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and focus on the accomplishments of what Team Ramstein does,” Mordente said. “This was our opportunity to reshape the lounge for our Airmen; to see it complete is better than I could have imagined or hoped for.”
The room now hosts custom tabletops that feature unit patches, canvas photos taken from missions Ramstein has supported in the last 13 years and an extra large billiards-style table, called a snooker table, specifically designed to play the game “Crud,” a tradition that dates back to the early 1980s with Canadian forces pilots.
“When you walk into the lounge you’ll see action photos from all of the wings that make up Team Ramstein, from Airmen loading and jumping out of aircraft to (explosive ordnance disposal) team training — all things today’s Airmen can relate to,” Mordente said. “This is a place where we can come together as Airmen to socialize, get to know one another, cross-talk and use it as an opportunity to act more as a family — the thing I love about the Air Force.”
Trish Dotson, volunteer spouse and lead designer for the renovation, was asked to redesign the lounge. Armed with Mordente’s vision, she took the dream and created the new lounge from start to finish in only 10 days.
“We wanted to get more Airmen in here,” said Dotson, who is also the president of the Ramstein Officers’ Spouses Club. “We want the younger crowd in here to make it their own, be more involved and be able to have fun in an environment they can be comfortable in.”
For more information, call the Ramstein Officers’ Club at 06371-47-7621 or 480-7621.
