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U.S. senators visit Airmen during Kirkuk RAB visit

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jessica Lockoski
  • 506th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
KIRKUK REGIONAL AIR BASE, Iraq --  A visit from home state senators April 16 provided a morale--and caffeine--boost for Airmen deployed here from Rhode Island and Delaware. 

Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Ted Kaufman, D-Del., ate lunch and spoke with Rhode Island and Delaware citizens, and Airmen stationed in those states, during their stop here. 

The senators were traveling "to Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan to meet with foreign leaders and U.S. military commanders and troops," according to a press release posted on Senator Reed's official Web site. 

The majority of Airmen assigned to the 506th Expeditionary Communications Squadron are assigned to North Smithfield Air National Guard Station, R.I.
"To know ... he took time to visit with us is wonderful," said Senior Master Sgt. Denise Spink-Morin, a Burrillville, R.I., native who ate lunch with the senators. "It is such a morale boost having him come all the way from Rhode Island." 

For another Rhode Island native, Senior Master Sgt. Dianna Adams, also deployed from North Smithfield ANGS, R.I., the senator's neighborly attitude reminded her of home.
"Senator Reed's ability to talk about specific communities within the state reminds me of home," the West Warwick, R.I., native said. "It is evident that he spends time getting to know the people he represents." 

Members of the 506th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron from Dover AFB, Del., also dined with the senators. 

"Meeting my senator finally put a face to a name," said Tech. Sgt. Malcom Walker, 506th ECES firefighter. "I've seen pictures of him and seen him on TV but to actually meet him and be able to talk to him was a great deal. I saw how truly sincere he was when he spoke," said the Washington, D.C., native. 

After lunch, Senator Reed offered orange and pink bags of Dunkin' Donuts coffee to the Rhode Islanders. 

Sergeant Spink-Morin said that particular brand of coffee reminds the Airmen of home because it's found all over Rhode Island and is a staple of the locals' diets. She said that because Rhode Islanders frequently rely on that coffee, it is as if people use it intravenously. 

It was a great gift, she said, but she insisted on sharing the treat with the Airmen from Delaware, who were unfamiliar with the tradition. "Hey, were from Rhode Island; we brought tons (of that coffee) with us here," Sergeant Spink-Morin joked.