Spangdahlem opens Pitsenbarger Heritage Room

Published March 5, 2015
By Airman 1st Class Timothy Kim
52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs

SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- The 52nd Fighter Wing officially opened the Pitsenbarger Heritage Room to the base population with a ribbon-cutting ceremony March 4 at the Pitsenbarger Airman Leadership School here.

The school named the room in honor of U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class William Pitsenbarger, the first enlisted Airman to be posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross medal in 1966, later upgraded to the Medal of Honor in 2000.

U.S. Air Force Col. Lars Hubert, 52nd FW vice commander, U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Thomas Cooper, 52nd Mission Support Group superintendent, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Roberto Oregon, Pitsenbarger ALS commandant, and U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Kalob Hinners, Pitsenbarger ALS instructor and heritage room creator, performed the ceremonial ribbon-cutting.

Hinners headed the conception, planning, construction and designing of the heritage room - a two-year long plan he hoped would help Airmen remember their heritage and military history.

"I think it's important to recognize the history - where we came from," Hinners said. "It comes down to the facts in the Airman's Creed: 'I am faithful to a proud heritage, a tradition of honor and a legacy of valor.' The minute we forget our past is the minute we're irrelevant in our future because we tend to forget our past mistakes."

Hinners and fellow Pitsenbarger ALS instructors stress the importance that Airmen should always remember their heritage, history and military roots.

"Airmen on all bases, if they ever get a chance to visit Spangdahlem, should check out the Pitsenbarger Heritage Room," said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Iesha Edwards, Pitsenbarger ALS instructor. "It is part of our customs and courtesies. When Airmen graduate from Basic Military Training, they get the customs and courtesies there, but tend to forget the heritage. If we forget our heritage and forget our past, what is our future going to look like? We are here fighting for freedom and democracy, and the Airmen before us died to ensure we have those freedoms today. We need our Airmen to not forget where we came from so that we know where we're going."

The heritage room is located on the second floor of the Pitsenbarger Airman Leadership School building.

The staff welcomes tours only when classes are not in session. Tours tailored for children may include an interactive coloring book and candy.

For more information, contact the Pitsenbarger ALS at DSN: 452-9455 or 0656561-9455.

For more photos of the event, click here for the Flickr photo set.