Congressmen visit Airmen to end European, Asian tour

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Eric Petosky
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
Members of the House NATO Parliamentary Assembly Delegation ended a two week trip to Europe and Asia at RAF Mildenhall June 5 with a breakfast at the Gateway Dining Facility. 

Ten members of Congress, their spouses and staff got the chance to talk with Team Mildenhall Airmen during the meal about quality of life, operations tempo and other hot topics. The discussions fall in line with the theme of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly spring meeting, “Transformation of Forces.” 

“This gives the Congressmen a hands-on view of the quality of life of Airmen,” said Susan Olson, Secretary of the House NATO Parliamentary Assembly Delegation. “Hearing about these issues from top briefers in Washington is fine, but this visit gives them a chance to get on the ground and see for themselves. Most of the delegation members have never lived the military life of deployments, leaving your spouse and kids, to go all over the world.” 

The delegation stayed overnight after the breakfast and a tour of the base, which included the air traffic control tower, fire department and a walking tour through a static display KC-135R Stratotanker. They also got a chance to speak with constituents from their home states. 

“I’m glad I was able to participate in the breakfast,” said Airman 1st Class Michael Rose, 100th Air Refueling Wing Military Justice paralegal. “It gave me an opportunity to talk to leadership and even find out a little about them. The advice they gave me was great. I learned that no matter your background, if you set your mind to it you can accomplish it. This came from the congressman that started off life as a cowboy.”