381st IS: Ambassadors in Blue

By Master Sgt. Michael Walljasper
381st IS
Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska

The “Wall” has been down for several years now and numerous programs have been established to satisfy curiosities about how the other half lives.

Recently, at Elmendorf AFB, members of the 381st Intelligence Squadron played a role in hosting two Ukrainian visitors under the “Open Skies Treaty.”

One visitor was an officer in the Ukrainian military (colonel equivalent who worked directly under the Ukrainian Minister of Defense) and the other was a journalist who worked for a news show similar to our “60 Minutes.”

While here as part of “Open Skies,” they wanted to view Elmendorf to see how U.S. military members live. Part of their visit included a tour of Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Watts’ on-base quarters.

Watts has done considerable remodeling and self-help projects throughout his quarters. The base housing office frequently uses his quarters as a “showcase” to visiting dignitaries.

The Ukrainian officer, with the help of Staff Sgt. Kenneth Shannon serving as the Ukrainian interpreter throughout the visit, asked Watts several questions such as, why he had joined the military, what was his career field, how long had he served, how long had he been in Alaska, and why he wanted to come to Alaska. His final question was whether the nice furniture belonged to them. The colonel couldn’t believe it when Watts told him that the furniture belonged to him and his wife ... a small slice of proof that even though we won’t get rich serving our country, we are considerably better off than most if not all of our counterparts throughout the world.