Loadmaster's call with the president makes for a memorable Thanksgiving

Published Nov. 26, 2010
By Staff Sgt. Stefanie Torres
386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Deployed Airmen broke bread here Nov. 25 for the Thanksgiving holiday, taking time away from their normal duties to celebrate with food and friends, but a phone call from the president of the United States made it an especially memorable day for one C-130 loadmaster.

Senior Airman Nicole Kazimer, assigned to the 737th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, was one of a handful of servicemembers chosen throughout U.S. Central Command to talk with President Barack Obama on Thanksgiving Day.

"I'm so nervous," Airman Kazimer said as she waited on hold with the White House while sitting in the Operations Building at an undisclosed air base here. But she was all smiles throughout the brief conversation, during which Mr. Obama thanked her for her service.

"He said he was very proud of the things we do out here," Airman Kazimer said. "I feel like it was a great honor to get this call."

Airman Kazimer first heard about the opportunity to talk with the president on her 21st birthday, a mere two weeks before Thanksgiving. After flying a routine airlift mission, she received an urgent message to visit her first sergeant, which made her a little uneasy.

"I thought I was in trouble," Airman Kazimer said. "I didn't know why the first sergeant wanted to see me, but I assumed it was bad."

But the point of the meeting was just the opposite. Her worries turned into skepticism -- and then excitement -- after hearing she was being nominated for the call.

"I thought it was a joke," she recalled. "I said, 'Are you serious? No, really. Why am I here?' "

After the initial shock, she immediately called her parents, both of whom also serve in the Air Force (and for whom Mr. Obama also expressed his appreciation Nov. 25).

"They were very excited," she said. "I didn't know what I was going to say, so my mom told me to research everything about him."

Airman Kazimer's supervisors thought she would be a perfect candidate for the Thanksgiving Day call, based on her exceptional skills and attitude.

"She is a hard worker with great performance," said Master Sgt. John Zahn, a C-130 loadmaster who oversees Airman Kazimer at the 737th EAS. "I think this is an awesome way to recognize her dedication."

The commander of the 386th Expeditionary Operations Group here agreed.

"Senior Airman Kazimer represents the spirit and commitment of our young aircrew who fly our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen to and from the battlefield every day," said Col. Scott Brewer. "The daughter of two Air Force enlisted members still on active duty, her desire is to follow in her parents footsteps and be part of an even bigger family that is contributing to the defense of our nation."

As a C-130 loadmaster, Airman Kazimer flies airlift missions in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and New Dawn, delivering troops and supplies to destinations across the U.S. Central Command's Area of Responsibility. Loadmasters often fly into austere locations in marginal weather with minimal ground support, facing a spectrum of enemy threats like small-arms fire, anti-aircraft artillery and surface-to-air missiles.

The 737th EAS is part of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, which serves as the primary airlift hub for coalition forces in Iraq and provides theater airlift services across Southwest Asia. Home to more than 2,000 Airmen, the 386th AEW has transported over 500,000 troops and civilians so far this year and airlifts approximately 3,000 tons of cargo per month aboard C-130 and C-17 aircraft.