by Janine Rodriguez
Ramstein Military and Family Readiness Center June 6, 2025
U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army personnel assigned to the Survivor Outreach Services and Air Force Families Forever, pose for a group photo. Courtesy photos
Our families know what sacrifice means. We do it every day. At the Ramstein Military and Family Readiness Center, we are committed to ensuring that the bond between service members and their families doesn’t end with funeral honors.
The Air Force Families Forever program was created to continue caring for the families of our fallen service members and to ensure their loved ones always remain a valued part of our Air Force family.
The program is based on a promise to remember, honor and connect. Janine Rodriguez, AFFF program manager, has taken that promise seriously. As a Gold Star Family, Rodriguez understands the importance of staying connected, getting resources and providing services to the survivor families.
Sheena Pinero, 86th Airlift Wing executive services specialist, right, and her husband Anthony Pinero pose for a photo.
The AFFF program offers survivors, information and referral to services, grief and emotional support, remembrance events and ceremonies and ongoing community engagement and outreach.
Some of the families might need a Defense Biometric Identification System, which provides them with installation access, and others might need social support and connection.
At its heart, AFFF is about connection making sure no surviving family member feels forgotten or alone. To do that, you have to make it personal.
“I will never forget the first time I met one of the families,” Rodriguez shared. “She told me the reason she decided to attend the event was because I called her instead of just sending an email. She said, ‘You made it personal.’ That stuck with me.”
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Townsend and his wife Lisa Townsend pose for a photo with their daughters.
Every story is different, but they are all woven into the fabric of the Air Force. We honor their memory and help their family members through remembrance ceremonies and supporting their needs.
AFFF is not just a program, it’s a call to connect. There are so many ways to support the families of our fallen, and it doesn’t have to cost anything. It could be by attending a memorial event, volunteering with survivor programs, or simply listening. Everyone in the community has something to offer. Every action matters.
For Rodriguez, the heart of AFFF is about unifying. That means connecting with other branches and building bridges with other Military & Family Readiness Centers. She’s constantly collaborating with other program managers and recently partnered with the Army’s Survivor Outreach Services representative in the Kaiserslautern area.
U.S. Air Force Capt. Derek Fabricius and his wife Erica Fabricius pose for a photo.
Because of this teamwork, families, regardless of their branch of service, have come together, built relationships and found support in each other. We are planning on continuing to collaborate. These families have experienced incredible loss, and it doesn’t matter which branch their loved one served in; they need a community. We want them to know they’ll always be welcome, whether we are meeting in Ramstein or any of the Army bases.
This year, we hosted a beautiful Gold Star Family Brunch alongside our Army counterparts. Families gathered, connected and were given the space to share feedback. Their voices are helping us improve and grow the program. We’re already working on new ideas and hope to bring more meaningful events to life in the next few months.
As we continue to serve, we carry forward the memories of those who gave all and stand with the families who carry their legacy. Because “once you’re a part of the Air Force, always a part of the Air Force.”
For more information on AFFF services, contact the Military & Family Readiness Center at our org box M&FRC: 86FSS.MFRC@us.af.mil or call: Commercial: +49 6371-47-5100/ DSN: 314-480-5100
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Our families know what sacrifice means. We do it every day. At the Ramstein Military and Family Readiness Center, we are committed to ensuring that the bond between service members and their families doesn’t end with funeral honors.
The Air Force Families Forever program was created to continue caring for the families of our fallen service members and to ensure their loved ones always remain a valued part of our Air Force family.
The program is based on a promise to remember, honor and connect. Janine Rodriguez, AFFF program manager, has taken that promise seriously. As a Gold Star Family, Rodriguez understands the importance of staying connected, getting resources and providing services to the survivor families.
The AFFF program offers survivors, information and referral to services, grief and emotional support, remembrance events and ceremonies and ongoing community engagement and outreach.
Some of the families might need a Defense Biometric Identification System, which provides them with installation access, and others might need social support and connection.
At its heart, AFFF is about connection making sure no surviving family member feels forgotten or alone. To do that, you have to make it personal.
“I will never forget the first time I met one of the families,” Rodriguez shared. “She told me the reason she decided to attend the event was because I called her instead of just sending an email. She said, ‘You made it personal.’ That stuck with me.”
Every story is different, but they are all woven into the fabric of the Air Force. We honor their memory and help their family members through remembrance ceremonies and supporting their needs.
AFFF is not just a program, it’s a call to connect. There are so many ways to support the families of our fallen, and it doesn’t have to cost anything. It could be by attending a memorial event, volunteering with survivor programs, or simply listening. Everyone in the community has something to offer. Every action matters.
For Rodriguez, the heart of AFFF is about unifying. That means connecting with other branches and building bridges with other Military & Family Readiness Centers. She’s constantly collaborating with other program managers and recently partnered with the Army’s Survivor Outreach Services representative in the Kaiserslautern area.
Because of this teamwork, families, regardless of their branch of service, have come together, built relationships and found support in each other. We are planning on continuing to collaborate. These families have experienced incredible loss, and it doesn’t matter which branch their loved one served in; they need a community. We want them to know they’ll always be welcome, whether we are meeting in Ramstein or any of the Army bases.
This year, we hosted a beautiful Gold Star Family Brunch alongside our Army counterparts. Families gathered, connected and were given the space to share feedback. Their voices are helping us improve and grow the program. We’re already working on new ideas and hope to bring more meaningful events to life in the next few months.
As we continue to serve, we carry forward the memories of those who gave all and stand with the families who carry their legacy. Because “once you’re a part of the Air Force, always a part of the Air Force.”
For more information on AFFF services, contact the Military & Family Readiness Center at our org box M&FRC: 86FSS.MFRC@us.af.mil or call: Commercial: +49 6371-47-5100/ DSN: 314-480-5100