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Four veterans who served on Sembach Air Base, including one who was in the advance group in 1952 that created the original installation, returned to the KMC for a trip down memory lane Sept. 12 and 13.
“It’s good to come here and see that it’s become so vibrant,” said retired Air Force Lt. Col. Ed Albert, vice president of the Sembach Air Base Veterans’ Organization and primary planner of the visit.
Lt. Col. Lars Zetterstrom, U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern commander, and Col. Brian Bisacre, 18th Military Police Brigade commander, hosted the group for a visit and a tour of Sembach Kaserne Sept. 12.
“These facilities are being beautifully revitalized,” Zetterstrom said, explaining some of the many projects that have recently been completed or are being renovated for the expected influx of people who will work on Sembach under U.S. Army Europe transformation plans.
Zetterstrom and Bisacre, along with many friends from the days of Sembach Air Base, joined the veterans for dinner that evening.
“I truly love Sembach. While my duty here was often hard, both myself and my wife came to feel this was the best assignment I ever had in the Air Force. So, coming back, especially with other veterans, was very meaningful,” Albert wrote in an email response to questions after the visit.
The following day, the veterans got to see their modern Air Force in action with a tour of Ramstein Air Base and mission briefing by the 1st Combat Communications Squadron.
“We had more than 150 years of military service among the veterans, so every once in a while, we should definitely be able to do that,” said Kilian Blümlein, who works for the 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs Office and provided the guided tour of the base for the veterans’ group.
