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A group of German reservists visit an AH-64 Apache helicopter at Katterbach Army Airfield Sept. 3. (U.S. Army photo by Andy Gracklauer, Franconian News)
Story and photos by Andy Gracklauer, special to the Ansbach Hometown Herald
ANSBACH, Germany (Sept. 11, 2015) – Former members of the German army reserves visited Katterbach Army Airfield at U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach to learn about Apache and Chinook helicopters Sept. 3.
The visiting group of eight people, who all once served the military in Germany, saw what the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade uses to fly.
First, the group saw an AH-64 Apache helicopter, where Chief Warrant Officer 2 Victor Reyna and his colleague Chief Warrant Officer 2 Chad Remala described the main functions of the helicopter and answered questions from the group. Some Germans took a seat in the cockpit of the helicopter.
After the group finished visiting the Apache, Spc. Steve Kenyon, a maintenance technician for the CH-47 Chinook helicopter, took over for the pilots and surprised the group by speaking fluent German in his Baden-Württemberg dialect. He described various parts of the Chinook including the use and function of the utility hatch among other features of the aircraft.
Last, the group got a guided tour around the housing areas of Katterbach and Urlas and ended their trip with a lunch at the food court of the main Post Exchange.
The reason for the visit was to strengthen the friendship between former German military members and the U. S. Army and to enable the group to see the changes in techniques and tactics since their time in service.
To read the story as it appears on the Army News Service, visit www.army.mil/article/155197.
