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February 22,
2005
[Have an opinion about the issues discussed in this article?
Sound
off in our Discussion Boards.]
By Jessica Inigo
Stars and Stripes, European Edition
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| (Raymond T. Conway / S&S) First lady Laura Bush greets
teachers and students at Gen. H.H. Arnold High School in Wiesbaden,
Germany, on Tuesday. |
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WIESBADEN, Germany — First lady Laura Bush gave a 20-minute speech
to cheering students in the auditorium of Gen. H.H. Arnold High
School on Tuesday.
In the pep rally-like atmosphere, the first lady gave thanks to
the students for making their military families strong and offered
some advice.
More than half of the school’s student body volunteered to stay
late after school to hear, and possibly meet, her.
“I don’t know why everyone didn’t come. This is a great opportunity,”
said sophomore Elizabeth Smith, 15.
Elizabeth was one of the 400 students to sign up for the visit
out of the 600-student populace.
“Her visit shows the students that the government really does care
about things other than politics,” Elizabeth said.
Standing before a wall of desert camouflage, American and German
flags, and the student leadership, Bush stressed the importance
of having a strong family base at home for deployed troops. She
said that base makes the difference in their parent’s deployment.
Bush asked students to remember what their parents are doing during
these missions.
“Your moms and dads are providing whole villages their first taste
of clean water. … Thanks to your parents, little girls in Afghanistan
who have not had an education at all are going to school for the first
time in their lives,” she said.
 |
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| (Raymond T. Conway / S&S) First Lady Laura Bush speaks
to a packed house of teachers and students at Gen. H.H. Arnold
High School. |
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Chris Garcia, an Air Force technical sergeant in the Junior Reserve
Officer Training Corps, said he has been stationed with his family
in Germany for the past 13 years and agrees with the first lady that
a strong family makes for a strong servicemember.
“My favorite part was when she congratulated the men and women serving
overseas,” he said.
Bush impressed many students when she went into specifics. She congratulated
the football team for its recent Division I championship; noted
how hard “Frau Pow’s” German class was; and sent well wishes to
senior Paul Fry, who will be attending the U.S. Air Force Academy
in Colorado.
“She was dead on. She really did her homework to become familiar
with our school,” said Amanda Fischer, 16.
Bush left the students with three bits of advice: Treasure your education
and keep it going throughout life,learn from your mistakes, and appreciate
the little things in life.
Before leaving the stage, Bush gave the seniors a little nod by
warning the lower classmen to keep their feet off the Warrior school
crest. The seniors erupted in applause.
“Her speech struck me in good way. She gave us motivation and confidence,”
said 11th-grader Alan Carrillo, 16. He said he’d be sure to stay
away from the crest.
After the speech, students clamored around the first lady for brief
conversations and pictures.
To top off the event, “American Idol” runner-up Diana DeGarmo sang
several songs and signed autographs for ecstatic fans.
 |
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| (Raymond T. Conway / S&S) Singer Diana DeGarmo of "American
Idol" fame performs at Gen. H.H. Arnold High School on Tuesday. |
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“It’s to let them know how the military works; otherwise it can
seem overwhelming and confusing,” said Rochelle Phelps, a family
advocacy outreach manager.
Heartlink at Misawa is part of the Air Force’s integrated delivery
system. The first class was held in January 2003 and is offered
every four months to spouses of servicemembers, civilians and contractors
new to the military way of life, organizers said.
“Part of it is just understanding how the military functions,” said
Anne Turnbull, Family Support Center community readiness technician.
“When you have active-duty folks working 12- and 14-hour shifts,
understanding the mission of the military and what drives that mission
… it’s generally much easier for them to be flexible with the hours
the spouse spends away from home.”
Among the speakers Friday was Col. Don Weckhorst, 35th Fighter Wing
vice commander.
“You probably know this, but it’s not an 8-hour job,” he told the
wives. In today’s Air Force, “it takes everyone to do this job.”
The spouses also reviewed how to prepare for a Noncombatant Evacuation
Order and how to decipher a military leave and earnings statement.
But the best guidance may have come from seasoned military spouses.
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Several officers and their wives joined the Heartlink class for
lunch, including Karen Weckhorst, and Debie Radloff, wife of Misawa
Naval Air Facility commander Capt. Wayne Radloff, who also stopped
by.
Karen Weckhorst’s advice to young, military spouses: “They’re a
lot stronger than they think and they can do it.”
To that, Debi Radloff added: “Don’t be afraid to ask your neighbor
for help. … You’ll be surprised how helpful people can be.”
Natalie Bilger said she felt fortunate that her husband, Senior
Airman Joseph Bilger, had yet to deploy five years into his Air
Force career. When Bilger noted that she hadn’t seen her family
in more than a year, Weckhorst said: “You’ll find, too, that the
military, they can become your family.”
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