FEATURE
Airlifter of the Week finds purpose in giving back, Page 3
NEWS
86th AW participates in Flintlock 2020, Page 5
FEATURE
Bridge between Housing Office, command teams, Page 6
March 13, 2020 | Volume 44, Number 10
NEWS
‘Strong’ balance: Airman’s pursuit on how, when to fight, Page 8
SPORTS
Mountain run leads to Nanstein Castle, Page 14
Read the KA online at KaiserslauternAmerican.com
Wing Commander’s Message to Airmen, Families on COVID-19 To the men and women of the World’s Best Wing, We talk about resilience in the Air Force, and so far this year we’ve faced heightened tensions in the Middle East, extreme weather events, a major inspection, and most recently a novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) that is consuming worldwide attention. When I think about what this wing has tackled
in the span of a few short months, I can’t help but be proud of the resilience within our community. The COVID-19 disease spreading throughout Europe and much of the world is concerning, but we’re fortunate that as of the time of this writing, there were no confirmed cases of the virus in the Kaiserslautern Military Community among Department of Defense
members, families or local national employees. We’re also fortunate to have incredibly capable medical professionals at the Ramstein clinic and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center who are working closely with their German public health counterparts to ensure we have the latest information and See COVID-19, Page 2
786 CES “Dirt Boyz” keep runways clear Story & photos by Airman 1st Class John R. Wright 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs The 786th Civil Engineer Squadron “Dirt Boyz” worked around the clock to keep runways free of snow and ice on Ramstein Air Base, Feb. 27 and 28.
While a winter storm blew in, closing schools and sending most of the workforce home early, essential personnel remained to ensure no missions were impacted. A snow operations team of 17 pavements and equipment See DIRT BOYZ, Page 2
U.S. Air Force Airman Noah Carney, left, Senior Airman Amber Ingalls, Airman 1st Class Charles Zine and Airman 1st Class Ronald Williamson, 786th Civil Engineer Squadron pavements and equipment operators, pose for a photo on an Oshkosh Snow Broom snow removal vehicle at Ramstein Air Base, Feb. 28. The four Airmen are members of the 786th CES snow operations team led by Williamson.