President Obama visits wounded warriors at Ramstein

by Staff Sgt. Sara Keller
86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

4/1/2014 - RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany  -- Air Force One touched down at Ramstein Air Base bringing President Barack Obama, to meet with some of America's heroes March 29.

After a week of traveling through Europe and stopping in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the president made a short trip to Germany to meet with wounded warriors from the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center here.

"[Meeting the President] was such a surreal experience," said Sgt. 1st Class Shederis Lakin, a wounded warrior from the 840th Transportation Battalion, 595th Transportation Brigade. "It's not every day a service member gets to meet the commander in chief, I feel honored to have gotten the opportunity."

As Airmen from the 86th Logistics Readiness Squadron quickly and efficiently loaded 240,000 lbs of fuel in 33 minutes, making it a record for fastest time to refuel AF-1, Obama greeted and spoke with Gen. Frank Gorenc, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa commander, and 86th Airlift Wing commander, Brig. Gen. Patrick X. Mordente.

"Supporting the president is a no-fail mission," said Mordente. "I am extremely proud of the 86th AW and Team Ramstein for providing outstanding support for the commander in chief and making this mission a success."

Although the visit was a surprise for the wounded warriors, being able to sit down in such an intimate setting with the president it was one experience they said they would never forget.

"It meant so much to me that he took time out to visit with just the wounded warriors," said Lakin. "I was expecting to just listen to him speak in a huge room with a hundred people, but he sat down with us and talked to us one on one. He even asked us to say hello to our families back home. I'll never forget that."

President Obama departed Ramstein to return home to the White House in Washington D.C. March 29.