Education office, commissioning town hall

Story and photo by Airman 1st Class Michael Stuart
86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Pamela Fiorito, 86th Force Support Squadron education services specialist, speaks to Airmen about the opportunities available to them for their commissioning journey during a town hall briefing Dec. 10 on Ramstein.
Pamela Fiorito, 86th Force Support Squadron education services specialist, speaks to Airmen about the opportunities available to them for their commissioning journey during a town hall briefing Dec. 10 on Ramstein.

The Ramstein Education Office, Company Grade Officer’s Council and the Base Career Advisers joined forces to provide Airmen with an opportunity to seek commissioning advice during a town hall briefing Dec. 10 at the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Conference Center.

The briefings held at the conference center allowed those who are interested in commissioning to hear from and question prior enlisted officers of different ranks and careers in an open forum style briefing.

“Quarterly meetings allow us to accommodate our customers and give them a lot of the information that’s out there,” said Pamela Fiorito, Airman & Family Readiness Center education services specialist.

During the meetings, Airmen are informed of the various commissioning programs such as Officer Training School, Air Force ROTC, Air Force Academy and the Leaders Encouraging Airmen Development program.

Second Lt. Scott Vander Ven, 24th Intelligence Squadron mission operations commander, said the LEAD program was developed by Air Force leaders to encourage motivated enlisted Airmen to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Upon completion of the program, LEAD Airmen commission as second lieutenants with a Bachelor of Science degree and enter active duty to train as pilots, engineers, intelligence officers, doctors and become the future leaders of the Air Force.

“In the town hall briefings, the education office provides a brief outline of all the commissioning programs, and then we have a panel with prior-enlisted officers who have successfully navigated the commissioning progress,” Fiorito said. “The panel members share their stories and answer questions about the process.”

In order to assist Airmen with career development, the education office has brochures that provide information which would normally only be provided through one-on-one counseling sessions.

“Our goal is to pair Airmen up with a prior enlisted officer for mentorship and assistance throughout the commissioning process,” Fiorito said.

For more information, contact the education office at 480-2032 or via email at 86fss.ramsteineducationcenter@us.af.mil.