September 11, 2015
Kaiserslautern American
Page 3
EO implements new sexual orientation policy by Staff Sgt. Leslie Keopka 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs The Department of Defense implemented a change to the military equal opportunity directive in June to resolve unlawful discrimination complaints based on sexual orientation. Prior to the change, there were five stand-alone categories that fell under EO: race, color, sex, national origin and religion.
“This (policy change) is one more door that has opened to inclusion,” said Bryan Osborne, 86th Airlift Wing EO director and alternative dispute resolution manager. “This is a huge step forward for our Air Force, the DOD and for America.” Throughout history, the U.S. military went through a time when women weren’t allowed to serve and African Americans weren’t allowed to become pilots. This change is just one more step toward opening the door to finally
seeing all men and women are treated equal, Osborne said. If a service member is having an issue in their unit that cannot be resolved by utilizing their chain of command, they are encouraged to seek help with the EO office. “The EO office has so much to offer,” said Tech. Sgt. Shajita Rios, 86th AW EO adviser. “We have the latitude to clarify and address allegations, offer follow-up assistance or even serve as neutral third parties to work out disputes using facilitation and counseling methods.”
renovation, from Page 1
$40,000 with the goal of supporting national military strategy and enhancing the operational readiness skills of military personnel while providing substantial benefits to host country populations. For a little more than 30 days, the U.S. Air Force engineers worked side by side with their Georgian counterparts to completely renovate a gymnasium, install new toilets, fix and paint the walls of the first floor hallway and even build a completely new access ramp from scratch. Many disabled children attend the school, so better access for those children was a top priority throughout the project. Capt. Parnaoz Svanidze, headquarters, Georgian Land Forces, who assisted with many aspects including logistics and scheduling of the project, said one of the main focuses for the project was to renovate the school and attached gym for the children with disabilities because most of the disabled children that live in Gori attend Public School No. 4. “I’m so grateful to work with Americans again,” Svanidze said, who served in Operation Enduring Freedom and worked side by side with U.S. Marines for six months in Afghanistan. “I like working with (the Air Force engineers) because they work really hard and know exactly how to do it. I can tell they do it from the heart because they know that everything they’ve done is for the children and for the future.” During the ceremony, the
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Cole Kasten, 52nd Civil Engineer Squadron pavement and heavy equipment operator, mixes cement for a ramp at Public School No. 4 Aug. 28 in Gori, Georgia.
sounds of the neighborhood school children could be heard throughout the crowd, laughing, giggling and whispering in anticipation. They were excited to see all the new updates to their school. As the last words were spoken, and the crowd dispersed to take the grand tour, a group of kids weaved through the crowd and headed straight for the new gym. “The gym in the school has been used as a safe haven for these kids in the neighborhood for years,” said Tech. Sgt. Brendan Allen, 435th Construction and Training Squadron and Georgia Humanitarian and Civic
Assistance project manager. “When we got here the kids couldn’t even play here without pieces of the wall falling down on them. Now it’s safe.” The gym has been completely redone. The floors and walls were completely remodeled; the basketball backboards replaced; new lighting was installed; and a fresh coat of yellow paint for the walls and white paint for the high ceilings were applied. “This whole project has been an amazing experience,” Allen said. “My guys worked really hard the entire time. I don’t want to go, but I know we can leave here knowing we helped the children, and
BIO-CLEANING VAT-forms PET ODOR REMOVAL accepted Kaiserstr. 54 a (across from City Hall) • 66849 Landstuhl • Tel.: 06371-61 22 11 Spittelstr. 3 (near Stiftsplatz) • 67655 Kaiserslautern • Tel.: 0631-37 35 60 10
EO advisers are there to assist and clarify the information and ensure members understand the new policy; they will address cases of sexual orientation discrimination the same as they do for the other five categories. “It is our job to take care of Airmen and get their minds off any negative human relations climate issues,” Rios said. “We want to help get them back on the mission and do what they do best.” To date, there have been no sexual orientation com-
plaints made on Ramstein. Osborne credits commanders for engaging with their units and spreading awareness. “In my 33 years of federal service, I have never met a commander or director that does not care about his or her people,” Osborne said. “They want to make sure the people who take care of the mission are taken care of.” Military or civilian personnel can contact EO with any questions or concerns at 489-8534 or they can email 86aw.meo@us.af.mil.
we can be proud of our work.” This HCA project is roughly one of 15 projects that will be done this year throughout the European and Eurasian regions and has trained military engineers from the Army, Navy, Marines, active-duty Air Force, Reserve and National Guard forces in the past. The team explained that their time spent in Georgia has been extremely rewarding and has given them an appreciation for hard work. “It’s extremely impressive how hard the Georgian engi-
neers worked,” Allen said. “Without their support, we definitely wouldn’t have been able to get as much done in that amount of time, and we’re extremely thankful for it.” The children played basketball in their new gym until the sun set behind the mountains that overlook Gori. Although the crowd had cleared and their teachers were home, they lined the railing in front of the school, laughing, playing cards and just being together. They have their safe haven back, and it’s better than ever.