Kaiserslautern American, September 27, 2019

Page 1

LIFESTYLES

FEATURE

HEALTH

SPORTS

Germans celebrate Reunification Day, Page 2

86 VRS Airman earns Airlifter of the Week, Page 3

Real science vs. bro science: Safe supplement use, Page 5

Todman, Parks medalists again as Ramstein wins triangular golf match, Page 16

September 27, 2019 | Volume 43, Number 38

Read the KA online at KaiserslauternAmerican.com

Former prisoner of war reflects on capture Story & photo by Senior Airman Milton Hamilton 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

Retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Pete Camerota poses for a photo during Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Recognition Week at Ramstein Air Base, Sept. 16. Camerota was a POW for 86 days, during the Vietnam War.

In honor of Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Recognition Day, a former prisoner of war came to Ramstein Air Base, Sept. 16, to share his experience and visit one of his last duty stations before he retired. At the time of becoming a prisoner of war Retired Maj. Pete Camerota was a Captain assigned to the 22nd Bomb Squadron, 22nd Bomb Wing, at what was then designated as March Air Force Base, California. He was forced to eject from his B-52 over Vietnam on Dec. 22, 1972. “My very first thought when my

Riggers prepare for Saber Junction 19 A U.S. Army paratrooper assigned to 173rd Brigade Support Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade, cuts protective material to better shield equipment and absorb some of the shock from landing in preparation for airborne operations in Hohenfels Training Area during Saber Junction 2019. Riggers serve a foundational and critical role for all U.S. Army airborne operations. Responsible for packing every parachute, they ensure Soldiers and equipment successfully descend to the drop zone. Photo by Spc. Ryan Lucas

parachute opened was, ‘Oh my God, I’m hanging in the straps here, and Joy, my wife, is 10,000 miles away from home and she’s pregnant,’” said Camerota. Camerota then did what he was trained to do and checked the functionality of his parachute and looked for a place to land. Camerota evaded his captors for 12 days before being apprehended, after suffering from dehydration and malnourishment. “I absolutely believe the Survival, Evade, Resistance, and Escape training I went through was a big help,” said Camerota. See POW/MIA, Page 2

by Specialist Ryan Lucas 173rd Airborne Brigade With Saber Junction’s joint, multinational airborne operation fast approaching, the riggers of the 173rd Brigade, Support Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade are efficiently packing parachutes and rigging heavy equipment to drop into Hohenfels Training Area. Saber Junction 2019 is an exercise involving nearly 5,400 participants from 16 ally and partner nations at the U.S. Army’s Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels Training Areas, Sept. 3-30. SJ19 is designed to assess the readiness of the U.S. Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade to execute land operations in a joint, combined environment and to promote interoperability with participating allies and partner nations. “The riggers contribute to SJ19 by providing the airborne insertion and See RIGGERS, Page 3


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