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Jennifer H. Svan

Vice President Mike Pence visits with servicemembers at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, early Friday morning, Oct. 18, 2019. Pence stopped at Ramstein on his return flight to the U.S. from Turkey.<br>Brian Ferguson/Stars and Stripes
Vice President Mike Pence visits with servicemembers at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, early Friday morning, Oct. 18, 2019. Pence stopped at Ramstein on his return flight to the U.S. from Turkey.<br>Brian Ferguson/Stars and Stripes

Pence visits servicemembers at Ramstein after negotiating Turkey agreement

The vice president’s trip was aimed at getting Turkey to stop its military offensive in northeastern Syria, a campaign it began more than a week ago to rid the border of Kurdish fighters controlling the area.

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Patricia Hannon, left, a reading specialist at Hohenfels Elementary School in Germany, is pictured with Dell McMullen, the DODEA-Europe director, on Sept. 25, 2019, in Hohenfels, Germany. Hannon is one of five recipients of the NEA Foundation's 2020 Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence.<br>DODEA Europe
Patricia Hannon, left, a reading specialist at Hohenfels Elementary School in Germany, is pictured with Dell McMullen, the DODEA-Europe director, on Sept. 25, 2019, in Hohenfels, Germany. Hannon is one of five recipients of the NEA Foundation's 2020 Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence.<br>DODEA Europe

Hohenfels reading specialist is first DODEA teacher to win $10,000 education prize

Patricia Hannon, a reading specialist at Hohenfels Elementary School, uses her her music background to help kids in kindergarten through third grade overcome reading difficulties.

Bradley Reese Haile and Jacob Blackburn died in a car crash on Spangdahlem Air Base. <br>Facebook
Bradley Reese Haile and Jacob Blackburn died in a car crash on Spangdahlem Air Base. <br>Facebook

Air Force identifies airmen killed in Spangdahlem car crash

Bradley Reese Haile, 19, and Jacob Blackburn, 20, were airmen first class assigned to the 52nd Civil Engineer Squadron. They were killed Monday morning when the car they were in hit a stationary object before bursting into flames.

Students at Vicenza High School in Vicenza, Italy, are pictured in class in the spring of 2019. The school was one of three Department of Defense Education Activity schools to be named National Blue Ribbon schools.<br>Facebook/Vicenza High School
Students at Vicenza High School in Vicenza, Italy, are pictured in class in the spring of 2019. The school was one of three Department of Defense Education Activity schools to be named National Blue Ribbon schools.<br>Facebook/Vicenza High School

Three DODEA schools earn coveted ‘Blue Ribbon’ for high achievement

Three Department of Defense Education Activity schools, including two in Europe, have been ranked among the highest-performing U.S. schools, DODEA announced this week.

Two airmen were killed and one was injured Monday, Sept. 30, 2019, in a car accident on Spangdahlem Air Base?s perimeter road.<br>Stars and Stripes
Two airmen were killed and one was injured Monday, Sept. 30, 2019, in a car accident on Spangdahlem Air Base?s perimeter road.<br>Stars and Stripes

Spangdahlem airman recovering after fiery crash that killed two other servicemembers

Two airmen were killed and a third was injured in the crash near Spangdalem Air Base’s passenger terminal on Monday morning.

The law center at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. An Air Force staff sergeant will spend five years in jail for secretly recording seven women, including several airmen whom he worked with or befriended, while they visited or stayed in his home.<br>Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes
The law center at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. An Air Force staff sergeant will spend five years in jail for secretly recording seven women, including several airmen whom he worked with or befriended, while they visited or stayed in his home.<br>Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes

Airman jailed for secretly filming women as they undressed, showered in his house

Staff Sgt. Andrew P. Rogers admitted he used cameras hidden around his off-base house to film more than half a dozen women who stayed with him or house-sat for him while he was away.

Students work in class last spring at Kaiserslautern High School, Germany. A year after it opened, black mold was found in one of the wings of the state-of-the-art school, forcing it to be closed.<br>Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes
Students work in class last spring at Kaiserslautern High School, Germany. A year after it opened, black mold was found in one of the wings of the state-of-the-art school, forcing it to be closed.<br>Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes

Mold and water force partial closures at two new schools on bases in Germany

Black mold was discovered in one of the walls at Kaiserslautern High School last spring, while a water leak was detected last week under the floor in the Vogelweh Elementary School’s first-grade “neighborhood."

Staff Sgts. Antonio Gallegos, left, and Andrew T. Kraft, are pictured with their Belgian Malinois military working dogs, Diesel and Sky, respectively, on Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.<br>Crystal Pyle
Staff Sgts. Antonio Gallegos, left, and Andrew T. Kraft, are pictured with their Belgian Malinois military working dogs, Diesel and Sky, respectively, on Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.<br>Crystal Pyle

Military working dogs are given a final send-off at Ramstein

Hundreds of personnel lined the streets of Ramstein Air Base Friday to give a salute to two military working dogs as they left base, secure in their kennels in the back of a van, for their last ride.

Senior Airman Chris Barrier from the 124th Security Forces Squadron gets his waist measured during his annual fitness assessment in Apr. 2015. The Air Force is considering administering the abdominal circumference test at a separate time from the rest of the physical fitness assessment.<br>Cassie Morlock/U.S. Air Force
Senior Airman Chris Barrier from the 124th Security Forces Squadron gets his waist measured during his annual fitness assessment in Apr. 2015. The Air Force is considering administering the abdominal circumference test at a separate time from the rest of the physical fitness assessment.<br>Cassie Morlock/U.S. Air Force

Air Force mulls fitness assessment changes to reduce risks from rapid weight loss

The Air Force is currently looking at implementing a fitness test policy like the Army’s, which encourages commanders and supervisors to allow a minimum of seven days between the two components of the test.

Daniela Therre-Ost, left, and Andre Jank, center, paramedics with the German Red Cross Emergency Medical Services, were presented with Certificates of Appreciation by Col. Jason Edwards, U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz commander, in Baumholder, Sept. 9, 2019. Therre-Ost and Jank helped save a baby's life on the base in August.<br>U.S. Army
Daniela Therre-Ost, left, and Andre Jank, center, paramedics with the German Red Cross Emergency Medical Services, were presented with Certificates of Appreciation by Col. Jason Edwards, U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz commander, in Baumholder, Sept. 9, 2019. Therre-Ost and Jank helped save a baby's life on the base in August.<br>U.S. Army

German paramedics who saved American baby’s life honored by US Army

A Baumholder soldier's baby was unconscious when paramedics came to help.

A woman and child show their appreciation for a mime who appears to be sitting on air in Warsaw's old market square in Poland.<br>Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes
A woman and child show their appreciation for a mime who appears to be sitting on air in Warsaw's old market square in Poland.<br>Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes

europe quick trips

Birthplace of Chopin, Warsaw is brimming with history, culture in a less-crowded setting

Warsaw is easy to navigate, with fewer crowds than some of its more famous European counterparts. It offers a wealth of interesting history and architecture, not to mention more bang for your buck when shopping with the Polish zloty.

The entrance to the 350-room lodging facility section of the Kaiserslautern Military Community Center is seen in an undated photo. DOD lodging rates for TDY and PCS stays are expected to rise as the services prepare to convert funding for all lodging costs to nonappropriated coffers. <br>Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes
The entrance to the 350-room lodging facility section of the Kaiserslautern Military Community Center is seen in an undated photo. DOD lodging rates for TDY and PCS stays are expected to rise as the services prepare to convert funding for all lodging costs to nonappropriated coffers. <br>Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes

DOD lodging rates set to go up as facilities prepare to be self-sustaining

Operators of several lodging facilities used for official Defense Department travel are still adjusting their room rates less than a month before the military stops receiving taxpayer dollars to sustain the accommodations.

Along with students and staff from Sembach School Age Center, U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz Commander Col. Jason Edwards, left, and Command Sgt. Maj. Brett Waterhouse officially open the facility at Sembach Kaserne in February 2019. A damaged water line shut down services to the center and other buildings Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019. <br> Erinn Burgess/U.S. Army
Along with students and staff from Sembach School Age Center, U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz Commander Col. Jason Edwards, left, and Command Sgt. Maj. Brett Waterhouse officially open the facility at Sembach Kaserne in February 2019. A damaged water line shut down services to the center and other buildings Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019. <br> Erinn Burgess/U.S. Army

Damaged water line shutters Sembach schools, day care for at least two days

A damaged water line that shut down services to two base schools and a day care center at Sembach on Wednesday has been repaired, officials said, but those facilities will remain closed through Thursday while water samples in the line are tested.

Konrad Braun, area director, USO Kaiserslautern, Col. Jason Edwards, U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz commander and Megan Rivera, manager of the Baumholder USO, top row, left to right, and other dignitaries, cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the new USO center on Smith Barracks in Baumholder, Germany, Sept. 9, 2019.<br>MICHAEL ABRAMS/STARS AND STRIPES
Konrad Braun, area director, USO Kaiserslautern, Col. Jason Edwards, U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz commander and Megan Rivera, manager of the Baumholder USO, top row, left to right, and other dignitaries, cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the new USO center on Smith Barracks in Baumholder, Germany, Sept. 9, 2019.<br>MICHAEL ABRAMS/STARS AND STRIPES

USO returns to Baumholder after more than a decade's absence

A former French army bathhouse at Baumholder, Germany, now serves as a place for U.S. soldiers and their families to unwind and connect while off duty after the USO returned to a hilly outpost northwest of Ramstein Air Base for the first time in more than a decade.

Visitors to Bad Duerkheim?s Wurstmarkt festival sing along with a traditional German oompah band. U.S. military police are warning Americans to not drink and drive if attending what is considered the world?s largest wine festival.<br>Stars and Stripes
Visitors to Bad Duerkheim?s Wurstmarkt festival sing along with a traditional German oompah band. U.S. military police are warning Americans to not drink and drive if attending what is considered the world?s largest wine festival.<br>Stars and Stripes

'Drink safely and have a plan' at Bad Duerkheim wine fest, US officials urge

Americans are being urged by U.S. military officials to drink responsibly and ‘have a plan’ if they attend what’s been billed as the world’s biggest wine festival in Bad Duerkheim, Germany.

In Germany, $46.6 million is at stake to replace Robinson Barracks Elementary School. The school opened in 1953 in a building that previously held a military hospital for U.S. forces after World War II. U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart<br>U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart
In Germany, $46.6 million is at stake to replace Robinson Barracks Elementary School. The school opened in 1953 in a building that previously held a military hospital for U.S. forces after World War II. U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart<br>U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart

DOD school projects grind to a halt in Germany, Japan and stateside for border fencing

Plans to replace or renovate nine Defense Department schools — most of them overseas — have been shelved under the Pentagon’s move to divert $3.6 billion in military construction funds to pay for part of President Donald Trump’s border wall.

Poland President Andrzej Duda, center, and his wife, Agata, greet U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, as the Pences' car arrives at the presidential palace in Warsaw, Poland, on Monday, Sept. 2, 2019.<br>Brian Ferguson/Stars and Stripes
Poland President Andrzej Duda, center, and his wife, Agata, greet U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, as the Pences' car arrives at the presidential palace in Warsaw, Poland, on Monday, Sept. 2, 2019.<br>Brian Ferguson/Stars and Stripes

Pence says US committed to expanding military presence in Poland, details still thin

The U.S. and Poland are moving ahead with a plan to add another 1,000 U.S. troops to the country, perhaps by the end of this year, said Vice President Mike Pence and Poland’s President Andrzej Duda at a joint news conference Monday.

Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a ceremony honoring the 80th anniversary of the start of World War II in Warsaw, Poland, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019<br>Brian Ferguson/Stars and Stripes
Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a ceremony honoring the 80th anniversary of the start of World War II in Warsaw, Poland, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019<br>Brian Ferguson/Stars and Stripes

Pence speaks of close US-Poland bond during World War II remembrance

Germany invaded Poland on Sept. 1, 1939, triggering a war that lasted nearly six years and killed more than 70 million people.

Soldiers deployed to the Polish military base in Powidz are served food at the dining facility, Aug. 27, 2019. <br>Brian Ferguson/Stars and Stripes
Soldiers deployed to the Polish military base in Powidz are served food at the dining facility, Aug. 27, 2019. <br>Brian Ferguson/Stars and Stripes

Troops living deployment-style in Poland as US military ramps up presence in region

Months after Washington and Warsaw agreed to boost the number of American troops in Poland, questions remain about where they will come from, how many will eventually arrive and how long they will live in conditions that remind them of combat deployments.

Master Sgt. Aaron Sauke, 779th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron loadmaster, completes his engine startup checks on a C-130 Hercules prior to departure at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, Aug. 4, 2019. All but one of 113 C-130 Hercules aircraft inspected for wing cracks have been returned to operations.<br>Michael Mason/U.S. Air Force
Master Sgt. Aaron Sauke, 779th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron loadmaster, completes his engine startup checks on a C-130 Hercules prior to departure at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, Aug. 4, 2019. All but one of 113 C-130 Hercules aircraft inspected for wing cracks have been returned to operations.<br>Michael Mason/U.S. Air Force

Most C-130s returned to flying after Air Force completes inspection

The Air Force has completed inspections of more than a quarter of its fleet of C-130 Hercules transports, which were pulled from flying operations after the discovery of signs of cracking on the wing joints.

Gen. John W. Raymond, the commander of Air Force Space Command and the Joint Force Space Component Command, at an all-call on July 2, 2019, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. R<br>Clayton Wear/U.S. Air Force
Gen. John W. Raymond, the commander of Air Force Space Command and the Joint Force Space Component Command, at an all-call on July 2, 2019, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. R<br>Clayton Wear/U.S. Air Force

Space Command to relaunch this month, officials say

The capabilities of the Pentagon’s first new combatant command in 10 years will include missile warning, satellite operations, space control and space support.

Alyssa Kidd comforts Beckham Kidd while the family comes together for the renaming of the Weapons Load Training facility at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., to the Kidd Weapons Load Training facility in honor of the late Tech. Sgt. Joshua L. Kidd Aug. 16, 2019. Kidd was killed last fall in an attempted break-in of his vehicle outside his home in Bossier, La.<br>2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
Alyssa Kidd comforts Beckham Kidd while the family comes together for the renaming of the Weapons Load Training facility at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., to the Kidd Weapons Load Training facility in honor of the late Tech. Sgt. Joshua L. Kidd Aug. 16, 2019. Kidd was killed last fall in an attempted break-in of his vehicle outside his home in Bossier, La.<br>2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs

Barksdale dedicates facility to slain airman, addresses safety after string of off-base murders

Tech Sgt. Joshua Kidd was one of five members of the Barksdale community to be murdered since June 2018, according to the Air Force.

Airmen assigned to the 409th Air Expeditionary Group watch as a C-130J Super Hercules taxis in at Nigerien Air Base 201, Agadez, Niger, Aug. 3, 2019. The C-130 landing marked the next step in airfield evaluations at the base.<br>Devin Boyer/U.S. Air Force
Airmen assigned to the 409th Air Expeditionary Group watch as a C-130J Super Hercules taxis in at Nigerien Air Base 201, Agadez, Niger, Aug. 3, 2019. The C-130 landing marked the next step in airfield evaluations at the base.<br>Devin Boyer/U.S. Air Force

Air Force begins flight operations at remote post in Niger

The Air Force has begun limited flying operations at a remote outpost in the southern Sahara Desert in Niger, where U.S. airmen recently built a 6,200-foot runway to support intelligence gathering in West Africa.

This street on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, shows a typical neighborhood on base, Aug. 14, 2019. Under a new program being rolled out to ease a chronic child care shortage, military spouses who volunteer and qualify to be family child care providers will get priority placement for base housing in the Kaiserslautern area.<br>Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes
This street on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, shows a typical neighborhood on base, Aug. 14, 2019. Under a new program being rolled out to ease a chronic child care shortage, military spouses who volunteer and qualify to be family child care providers will get priority placement for base housing in the Kaiserslautern area.<br>Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes

Ramstein offers families base housing in exchange for providing child care

To move to the top of the waiting list for on-base housing, families must sign a contract agreeing to provide child care of up to 50 hours a week per child, for up to six children, for at least 18 months.

Students enrolled in the Army's Captains Career Course participate in a simulated natural disaster field training exercise at Camp Bullis, Texas, in May 2019. Officers are now required to take the standardized GRE test when they're enrolled in the CCC.<br>Jose Rodriguez/U.S. Army
Students enrolled in the Army's Captains Career Course participate in a simulated natural disaster field training exercise at Camp Bullis, Texas, in May 2019. Officers are now required to take the standardized GRE test when they're enrolled in the CCC.<br>Jose Rodriguez/U.S. Army

With new Army policy, officers take standardized GRE test during Captains Career Course

A new Army policy means officers have to take the Graduate Records Examination, or GRE, when they’re taking the four- to six-month Captains Career Course. Not everyone thinks the move will have the results the Army is looking for.

A C-130 Hercules flies over Ramstein Air Base, Germany, in July 2019. Nearly one-fourth of the Air Force's fleet of C-130s is being pulled for inspection after ''atypical'' cracks were found on the lower center wing joint during scheduled depot maintenance, Air Mobility Command announced late Wednesday.<br>MICHAEL ABRAMS/STARS AND STRIPES
A C-130 Hercules flies over Ramstein Air Base, Germany, in July 2019. Nearly one-fourth of the Air Force's fleet of C-130s is being pulled for inspection after ''atypical'' cracks were found on the lower center wing joint during scheduled depot maintenance, Air Mobility Command announced late Wednesday.<br>MICHAEL ABRAMS/STARS AND STRIPES

Cracks found in Air National Guard C-130 wing parts prompt partial grounding of fleet

The cracks on the lower center wing joint were discovered on an Air National Guard C-130 H-model at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., during depot maintenance.

Brig. Gen. Gregory Brady receives the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command colors from Lt. Gen. Christopher Cavoli, U.S. Army Europe commander, during the change of command ceremony held at the Kleber Kaserne in Kaiserslautern, Germany, Aug. 7, 2019.<br>Christopher Dennis/Stars and Stripes
Brig. Gen. Gregory Brady receives the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command colors from Lt. Gen. Christopher Cavoli, U.S. Army Europe commander, during the change of command ceremony held at the Kleber Kaserne in Kaiserslautern, Germany, Aug. 7, 2019.<br>Christopher Dennis/Stars and Stripes

Germany thanks outgoing US missile defense commander with rare award

The outgoing commander of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, Col. David E. Shank, received the Silver German Armed Forces Cross of Honor prior to handing over command of the AAMDC to Brig. Gen. Gregory J. Brady.

The Air Force announced Aug.1, 2019 it will stop operations for one day over the next 45 days so commanders can discuss suicide prevention and mental health with airmen.<br>
The Air Force announced Aug.1, 2019 it will stop operations for one day over the next 45 days so commanders can discuss suicide prevention and mental health with airmen.<br>

Air Force units will pause operations to address alarming suicide rate

If airman suicides continue at their current pace, this year’s deaths by suicide in the service would far eclipse last year’s. In 2018, 60 active duty airmen, 17 Air National Guard and three Air Force reservists died by suicide for a total of 80 airmen.

Soldiers of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command salute as they pass in review at the conclusion of the unit's change of command ceremony at Daenner Kaserne in Kaiserslautern, Germany, Wednesday, July 31, 2019. Maj. Gen. Christopher O. Mohan took the reins of the 21st TSC from Maj. Gen. Steven A. Shapiro at the ceremony.<br>MICHAEL ABRAMS/STARS AND STRIPES
Soldiers of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command salute as they pass in review at the conclusion of the unit's change of command ceremony at Daenner Kaserne in Kaiserslautern, Germany, Wednesday, July 31, 2019. Maj. Gen. Christopher O. Mohan took the reins of the 21st TSC from Maj. Gen. Steven A. Shapiro at the ceremony.<br>MICHAEL ABRAMS/STARS AND STRIPES

Army’s two-star sustainment command in Europe gets a new leader

Maj. Gen. Christopher O. Mohan took command Wednesday of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, a unit whose role has greatly expanded across Eastern Europe. Mohan, a career logistician, replaces Maj. Gen. Steven Shapiro.

Stacey Butler, right, a clothing designer with the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center's Air Force Uniform Office, measures Capt. Taylor Harrison's maternity Airman Battle Uniform in 2017. The Air Force is seeking feedback on its maternity uniforms through an online survey.<br>Brian Brackens/U.S. Air Force
Stacey Butler, right, a clothing designer with the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center's Air Force Uniform Office, measures Capt. Taylor Harrison's maternity Airman Battle Uniform in 2017. The Air Force is seeking feedback on its maternity uniforms through an online survey.<br>Brian Brackens/U.S. Air Force

Air Force seeks feedback on new maternity uniforms

All women in the Air Force will receive an email about the survey, but only those who have worn the new maternity uniform or are currently wearing it will be invited to complete the full questionnaire.

Wounded warriors go through wheelchair rugby practice drills at the Warrior Care event at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The event, which is part of the Air Force Wounded Warrior program, is the first of its kind at an Air Force base in Europe.<br>MICHAEL ABRAMS/STARS AND STRIPES
Wounded warriors go through wheelchair rugby practice drills at the Warrior Care event at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The event, which is part of the Air Force Wounded Warrior program, is the first of its kind at an Air Force base in Europe.<br>MICHAEL ABRAMS/STARS AND STRIPES

GALLERY

‘They just get it’: Wounded airmen recover with help from their own

Caregivers, families and more than 40 warriors — active duty and medically retired airmen facing serious wounds, injuries or illnesses — participated in the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program’s Warrior Care event, the first ever in Europe.

The chips and salsa were an excellent starter at Fiesta Mexicana in Mackenbach, Germany. The chunky salsa had a good kick and tasted homemade and fresh.<br>Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes
The chips and salsa were an excellent starter at Fiesta Mexicana in Mackenbach, Germany. The chunky salsa had a good kick and tasted homemade and fresh.<br>Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes

The search for authentic Mexican food in Kaiserslautern ends at Fiesta Mexicana

At Fiesta Mexicana in Mackenbach, one of the newer Mexican restaurants in the Kaiserslautern area, cumin is in the spice rotation, as are other traditional Mexican spices, say husband-and-wife owners Eduardo Fernandez Garcia and Lydia Schamp.

Paratroopers assigned to the 435th Contingency Response Group at Ramstein Air Base jump out of a 37th Airlift Squadron C-130 Hercules over the air base Tuesday, July 2, 2019.<br>MICHAEL ABRAMS/STARS AND STRIPES
Paratroopers assigned to the 435th Contingency Response Group at Ramstein Air Base jump out of a 37th Airlift Squadron C-130 Hercules over the air base Tuesday, July 2, 2019.<br>MICHAEL ABRAMS/STARS AND STRIPES

Ramstein airmen practice parachuting skills close to home

Three dozen Air Force paratroopers dropped from a clear, blue sky Tuesday onto Ramstein Air Base’s busy airfield, getting a rare chance to practice their parachuting skills close to home.

Protesters march outside Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on June 30, 2018. Several thousand protestors are expected to demonstrate again this weekend, calling for the end of drone warfare and the closure of Ramstein Air Base.<br>STARS AND STRIPES
Protesters march outside Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on June 30, 2018. Several thousand protestors are expected to demonstrate again this weekend, calling for the end of drone warfare and the closure of Ramstein Air Base.<br>STARS AND STRIPES

Protesters to rally outside Ramstein against alleged drone operations

The annual demonstration against Ramstein Air Base, the largest U.S. military base in Germany, could include a temporary blockade of the main access road, although organizers and police say the protest is expected to be peaceful.

High school students wait for the school bus in the Ikego housing area near Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Monday, Aug. 27, 2018.<br>Caitlin Doornbos/Stars and Stripes
High school students wait for the school bus in the Ikego housing area near Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Monday, Aug. 27, 2018.<br>Caitlin Doornbos/Stars and Stripes

Planned course cuts, bigger classes at schools for military kids frustrate families, teachers

While DODEA officials are not sharing details, a union representing DODEA educators says cuts will touch nearly every school outside the U.S. and include more than two dozen course offerings across the Pacific and Europe; there will also be a reduction in the number of sections of certain classes and increased class sizes.

German immersion teacher Gabriele Arseneault talks to Landstuhl Elementary/Middle School students about a book her class read together on the first day of the 2018-19 school year.<br>Will Morris/Stars and Stripes
German immersion teacher Gabriele Arseneault talks to Landstuhl Elementary/Middle School students about a book her class read together on the first day of the 2018-19 school year.<br>Will Morris/Stars and Stripes

Foreign-language, science, culinary arts among DODEA courses on chopping block

Here are some specifics about planned cuts at base schools, from Okinawa to Germany, England to South Korea.