SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- The 52nd Civil Engineer Squadron is combining Spangdahlem’s priority of taking care of Airmen with the task of keeping the base clean using their newly redesigned Eifel Pride program that began June 19, 2017, here.
Eifel Pride improves base appearance while also helping Spangdahlem’s first-term Airmen to in-process and become more familiar with their new duty station.
Under the new restructure, Airmen attend the two-week program prior to entering the newly overhauled First Term Airmen Course. Previously, Airmen first arriving on location were put into FTAC where time to complete in-processing was constrained.
Master Sgt. Michael Benoit, 52nd CES operations engineering superintendent, said during in-processing, Airmen are required to complete numerous appointments, approximately 15 computer based trainings, a newcomers brief and sexual assault prevention trainings.
“If it wasn’t for the program they would be trying to complete these tasks at their job,” said Staff Sgt. Randall Saylor, 52nd CES Eifel Pride instructor.
Saylor said CBTs take nearly 30 hours to complete. Then when you add in the time it takes away from supervisors chauffeuring the new Airmen to their appointments around base, you can really start to see the value in it.
“Me personally, I would rather focus on learning my job,” said Airman 1st Class Marco Paez, 52nd Communications Squadron client systems technician. “It’d be hard to that do when you have to go to all of these appointments. Eifel Pride gives you two weeks to knock all that stuff out so you have nothing else to worry about except your job.”
In between CBTs and appointments, Eifel Pride members are tasked with beautifying the base. Airmen walk in groups on designated routes to clean up trash and debris.
“It gives Airman a dedicated time to learn the base and to get familiar with it,” Saylor said. “Now they know where the housing office is, or where the passport off is located.”
In addition to helping Airmen adjust to their new home, the program makes sense financially.
Benoit said having Airmen participate in the beautification process instead of hiring contractors saves Spangdahlem nearly $100,000 a year.
Benoit said during free time members get a chance to have leadership roles while volunteering for different base organizations, but what is even more beneficial is what the program instills in the Airmen.
“We wanted to add that pride piece back,” said Benoit. “It’s not just picking up trash, what you’re doing is making that place where you work and live beautiful.