Photo By Sgt. Ashunteia Smith | Children from Arche Noah Kindertagesstätte receive a short hands on lesson with the...... read more read more
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ILLESHEIM, Germany -- The laughter of young children rang across the streets of Illesheim, Germany, as school kids lined up along the gate near the entrance of Storck Barracks, a small U.S. installation within the town. This is the first opportunity for a lot of the students to interact with U.S. Soldiers.
“The children wanted to see what’s behind the fence; they wanted to see the American Soldiers,” said Helga Moser, community liaison for the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade.
Twenty-two children, from Arche Noah Kindertagesstätte, took the short 10-kilometer journey along with their teachers, as part of a school field trip to the base Storck Barracks. The U.S. has a long-standing agreement with Germany to have U.S. troops permanently stationed within the country as part of their alliance in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
“The Germans have been hosting us here, letting us use their area and fly all around. So it was a nice opportunity to give back, especially to the little kids,” 1st Lt. Alexandra Deets, a pilot with Bravo Company, 2-1 Aviation Regiment, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, which is currently deployed throughout Europe in support of Atlantic Resolve.
The first stop for the children was the military police station, where the MP’s explained their role on the base and how they are very similar to their local polizei. They finished the demonstration by putting on a show. The children’s eyes widened as the lights flashed and swirled on the top of the police car.
Seemingly eager to tour the rest of the post, the children gathered as they were led around the base. During the first portion of their tour the children saw the local Shoppette, the Troop Medical Clinic (TMC), and the old elementary school. Moser compared each building to something that the six-year olds would be more familiar with; giving them a better understanding.
As the children continued to walk, they stumbled upon one of the largest playgrounds on the post. At the sight of multiple large slides and an array of playground equipment, the children’s’ faces lit up.
Moser spoke about how the German playgrounds are very different than the American playgrounds, lacking in size and variety.
“They had never seen a playground like it,” said Moser.
The children quickly dashed towards the playground, abandoning their backpacks at their teachers’ feet. The sound of their laughter bellowed through the playground as they ran and played.
After playing for about an hour, the children decided to take a much needed break and grab a snack. and during the break, Moser took the opportunity to explain the significance of Storck Barracks. Moser explained that, at one point, the installation and the surrounding towns were home to numerous American children who were given the opportunity to attend school with the German children.
Once tummies were full and everyone had cooled off a bit, the children continued their visit. Along their way, the children had the opportunity to take a peek inside the gym during, a quick bathroom break.
As they continued their voyage, there was a thunderous noise , they immediately looked up, as an Apache helicopter zipped by.
Moser spoke about how the children often wonder what is flying above their sandbox.
“They always see or hear the aircraft flying by. Now they’ve had the chance to actually see it close up,” said Moser.
Visibly antsy with anticipation, the children made their way to the hangars where they were greeted by Soldiers from 1st CAB and three different aircraft operated on Illesheim.
Deets, along with other Soldiers, explained to the children what each aircraft is used for and allowed them to climb inside the aircraft. The children even had the opportunity to climb inside the cockpit and push a few buttons.
“It’s something unique that I don’t get to share with many people,” said Deets. “It was very rewarding to be able to share this moment with the community that’s been hosting us.”
Wrapping up their tour, the kids traveled across the airfield to visit the Fire and Rescue Station. While there, they proceeded to get a short lesson about the different types of fire trucks used on post from the airfield firefighters and even got a chance to see exactly how far the hose on the truck could spray.
The sidewalk wasn’t the only thing that got wet that day. After getting permission from their teachers, the students ran through the sprinkler system and splashed in a mini pool that the fire and rescue station set up, as there day on base concluded.
| Date Taken: | 07.24.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 07.25.2019 06:49 |
| Story ID: | 332940 |
| Location: | ILLESHEIM, DE |
| Hometown: | BURGBERNHEIM, BAYERN, DE |
| Hometown: | FORT RILEY, KANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 484 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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