Community Services II Focus Group at the Quality of Life Conference

Grüss Gott from Edelweiss Lodge in the picturesque Bavarian town of Garmisch, Germany. My name is Thomas and I have the wonderful and unique privilege to represent my fellow Airmen and service members at the EUCOM Quality of Life conference. The overarching mission of the conference is to identify “purple” issues, or those who affect the entire European theater for all service members and their families. All delegates have converged here after soliciting and compiling inputs from our local environments in order to elevate the most pertinent concerns.

The diverse combination of personnel here is truly a wonder to behold. This is my first conference of this type and I’m absolutely impressed after just one day! All levels of the chain-of-command are represented here for the entire European theater. My grass-roots voice has the potential to carry to the upper most echelons of leadership. After hearing the opening remarks from last night’s icebreaker social to this morning’s senior leader briefings, I know that I will be heard.

My focus group is focused on Community Services to include entitlements, benefits, legal services, financial services, PCS moves, and much more. We a committed to engaging with each other to prioritize our hardest-hitting issues in a professional and meaningful environment. Already this morning we covered the walls with yellow sticky notes in order to help us get the “big picture.” I can’t wait to get back to the action and engage with the spouses, dependents, active duty, and civilians that comprise my group. Last night we were strangers, but now, we are a “purple” team.

Air Force 1st Lieutenant Thomas G. Lanigan
USAFE, 86 Airlift Wing, Ramstein Air Base, Germany