HAVE YOU READ YOUR KA TODAY?
January 9, 2015
Volume 39, number 1
Ramstein’s Year in Review
Photo by Senior Airman Timothy Moore
Welcome to Ramstein Air Base! Ramstein is home to the 86th Airlift Wing, 435th Air Ground Operations Wing, 521st Air Mobility Wing, 3rd Air Force, and U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa. Throughout 2014, Team Ramstein’s missions have been varied and plentiful, whether taking care of Airmen and their families, building and strengthening partnerships with NATO, or providing exceptional combat airlift to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces. This Year in Review is just the tip of the iceberg that is Team Ramstein’s accomplishments. Enjoy, and make sure your story is represented next year!
Check passport validity before making travel plans Recently, a U.S. citizen assigned to Ramstein traveled to the U.K. (a non-Schengen country. See below for a list of Schengen countries) and was denied re-entry to Germany because his U.S. passport expired in less than three months. Take note of the following travel requirements. Entry into any of the European countries in the Schengen area for
short-term tourism, business trips or in transit to a non-Schengen destination requires a passport be valid for at least three months beyond the intended date of departure. For example, if a person will be staying in any of the Schengen countries for one month, their passport must be valid for four months from the date of arrival. The Schengen area comprises 26 European countries that have abolished passport and other types of border controls at their common borders, which means the area serves as a
NEWS
Watch out for black ice, especially while driving on bridges.
SCHOOLS
Tip of the Week
single country for international travel purposes with a common visa policy. If a person is a qualified visitor for tourism or business with a valid U.S. passport, they can enter the Schengen area without a visa for a period of three months within each six-month period. Countries in the Schengen area are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands,
A Day in the Life, Pages 12 & 13
Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Although not a part of the Schengen area, the countries of Cyprus and Croatia also require a passport validity of three months beyond the planned date of departure. The European Union is not alone in implementing such a requirement. Since there are other countries that require passports to be valid for some period after the intended date of See PASSPORT, Page 2
HEALTH
Courtesy of 786th Force Support Squadron Passport Office
Schools around the KMC, Page 18
What to do when you have the flu, Page 22