SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- A group of Airmen took American traditions off-base and into a local Bitburg school to help foster community partnerships between the 52nd Fighter Wing and local youth.
Airmen from the 52nd Maintenance Squadron avionics backshop spent time with students from the Otto-Hahn Realschule plus Bitburg class 18F to teach them about growing up in the United States.
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Ryan Delaware, 52nd MXS avionics technician, set up the project with the help of his landlord’s wife, Brunhilde Nonnweiler, Otto-Hahn Realschule plus Bitburg Class 18F teacher, in hopes to bridge the cultural gap between the German and American populous.
“I hope to teach the students more about American culture, but also show them how similar our two cultures are,” Delaware said. “I hope to humanize the Spangdahlem Air Base populous, to show them it’s not just a bunch of aircraft noise.”
Delaware and five other avionics Airmen held an American-style cookout for the 86 students of class 18F. The students ranged from 14 years old to 16 years old.
“The first visit I coordinated was at the school, the students taught us how to make a traditional German breakfast,” Delaware said. “For our second visit with the children, we wanted to teach them how to play American football and share the tradition of a cookout with them.”
“English has been a challenge for some of the students to learn, some of them have shown little interest,” Nonnweiler said. “Since the American Airmen have spent time with them they are more willing and excited to learn the English language. They genuinely want to know more about Americans living on the air base.”
Nonnweiler said the visits are important because they help build stronger and more positive relationships between the younger generation of Germans and the people of the 52nd Fighter Wing.