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***image1***After 600 volunteer hours redecorating one of the Kisling NCO Academy seminar rooms, the 86th Airlift Wing celebrated its final work in a room dedication ceremony Feb. 22.
The room transformation was initiated by a former U.S. Air Forces in Europe command chief who encouraged USAFE wings to adopt one of 10 seminar rooms in the academy and demonstrate pride in their wing by redecorating it.
“In each seminar room there’s a distinct feel and a flavor of that wing and what its mission is. A student gets a good visual picture of what USAFE does and who the leadership is,” said Chief Master Sgt. Mike Warner, Kisling NCO Academy commandant.
The main focus of the 86th AW’s warfighting decor is a three-part mural that captures its mission areas. Master Sgt. Paul Karstendiek, 786th Security Forces Squadron, painted the murals into the shapes of continents and countries that the wing operates in. The scenes include 86th Airmen, paratroopers, Ravens, communications warriors and aeromedical evacuation teams “responding to a contingency” in Europe, Africa and Greenland.
Katy Kane, wife of Col. Robert Kane, 86th AW commander, who also helped conceive the overall design, used a 3-D stenciling technique to make the walls look like they were made of cinder blocks.
“The combined effect produces a sense that you are in a war zone looking out through holes blasted out of the wall and watching the men and women of the 86th get the mission done,” said Master Sgt. Gary Durrence, 1st Communications Maintenance Squadron first sergeant and team leader of the 10-month project. “We wanted to come up with a design that would truly represent what the wing does and how well we do it.”
The “We Got It” mural won the “Best of Show” award in the fine arts category in Ramstein’s 2004 Arts and Craftsman Contest in November.
“This project was in many ways a perfect team building and leadership exercise for our NCO team,” said Colonel Kane. “We had brainstorming sessions, painting sessions, compromises, sometimes we did things over and most important we optimized the various talents of each member of the team to produce award winning results.”
Other improvements included a new base paint, a smart board for power point and movie projections, a wing shield, bios of the wing’s commander and command chief, and four collages that hang on the back wall, telling the story of the wing’s four groups.
“The men and women of the 86th Airlift Wing have certainly raised the bar in sponsoring this classroom,” said Chief Warner. “We can’t thank them enough for their support of Kisling NCO Academy. The enlisted leaders of tomorrow will enjoy the warfighting spirit this room evokes.”
