BÜCHEL AIR BASE, Germany -- Whistles blew, dodgeballs flew and cheers echoed across the field as Airmen from four Saber Nation squadrons went head-to-head from July 18-19 in the 2025 MUNSS Olympics – a spirited two-day event aimed at strengthening bonds across the 52nd Munitions Maintenance Group.
More than 100 Airmen competed in events designed to promote friendly rivalry, boost morale and build camaraderie across the geographically separated units.
Capt. Jens Kaiser, 702nd MUNSS mission support flight commander, said the more-than-20 year-old tradition is one of the most important events of the year for the Airmen of the 52nd MMG due to the geographical separation between the group’s units.
“With the distance between us, we typically only speak with each other through video calls during meetings or over the phone,” Kaiser said. “[The MUNSS Olympics] gives us an opportunity to connect with our fellow Airmen who are also in remote locations.”
The format of the MUNSS Olympics pitted the squadrons and group staff against each other in sports such as flag football, soccer, dodgeball, powerlifting and basketball.
Airmen also had the opportunity to participate events such as esports, a scavenger hunt, and a team skills competition.
At the end of the competition, the Airmen of the 704th MUNSS, stationed at Ghedi Air Base, Italy, were crowned the overall champion of this year’s MUNSS Olympics, beating out the group’s three other squadrons to claim the Olympics’ championship trophy and bragging rights — despite having traveled farther than any other unit to compete.
“We knew it was going to be an uphill battle, but I think we really fed into that and adopted an underdog mindset that really helped us,” said Capt. Matthew Reiland, the 704th MUNSS maintenance flight commander. “For us to overcome that adversity to ‘take home the W’ is huge for our squadron.”
Competition was not the only avenue for 52nd MMG Airmen and families to connect with each other during the MUNSS Olympics. The 702nd MUNSS private organizations provided concessions to participants and events for kids, while the squadron’s club hosted group lunches and social hours that gave competitors opportunities to relax and engage with unit leaders and peers from across the group.
Kaiser said that the event would not have been possible without a team of volunteers from the 702nd MUNSS who first began working to stage the event in September of 2024.
“The team designed patches and a coin, built a schedule of events and coordinated with countless agencies to ensure this event was able to happen,” Kaiser said. “Through several iterations, the team overcame missing equipment, scheduling conflicts, and ensured coordination with our German air force hosts was done in a timely manner.”
Col. William Lutmer, 52nd Fighter Wing commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Mary Trent, 52nd FW command chief, joined the MUNSS Olympics not just to observe, but to show their support by competing alongside Airmen, cheering from the sidelines and connecting personally with members of the 52nd Munitions Maintenance Group.
For Lutmer, the event marked his first time addressing 52nd MMG Airmen in person since taking command earlier in the month.
“It’s great to be out here today,” Lutmer said during the opening ceremony. “I’m looking forward to meeting everyone who came out here today and getting to know all of you.”
The 52nd Munitions Maintenance Group (52 MMG) provides four fully capable MUNSS responsible for the ownership, custody, accountability and release of war reserve munitions supporting NATO forces. The group receives, stores, maintains, controls and employs over $6 billion of assets in direct support of NATO’s contingency, wartime and strike missions.