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AFDW Capital Airman: Christine Bickel

  • Published
  • By the Air Force District of Washington Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. --  Christine Bickel, Air Force District of Washington director of ceremonies and protocol, is an AFDW Capital Airman. After achieving 21 years of federal government service, Bickel will be retiring later this month.

Why did you choose to become part of the Air Force family? Following graduation from college, I married my high school sweetheart who was an Air Force officer. For 30 years, he and I experienced life as a member of the Air Force family. Approximately 17 of those years were spent residing overseas. He also served as my mentor and paved the way for my becoming a federal government civilian in 1987. Although I will officially be leaving the Air Force family in a few weeks, it will always be a significant part of me. As I reflect on not only my time working for the federal government, but also on the many years as a military spouse, I realize that a majority of my life has been associated with the Air Force. It has been a blessing.

What is your job and how does that impact the AFDW mission? I lead a 14-member staff involved in a four-fold mission of administering the Jacob E. Smart Conference Center on Joint Base Andrews, directing a ceremonial flight at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., managing the visiting general officer program and supporting AFDW senior leadership. Our ceremonies and protocol team are extremely detail oriented and set the standard for service. We are especially engaged in the ceremonial honors and operational support legs of AFDW's tri-fold mission.

What has been your most memorable or rewarding Air Force experience? Two events, in particular, stick out the most. First, while serving with the Ramstein Family Support Center, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, in the mid-1990s, I became of one of the first Air Force civilians to achieve certification as a trainer for the Army Family Team Building program. The team introduces family members to the military culture, as well as helps them achieve self-reliance and self-sufficiency within the armed services community. Second, I worked for six months as the Chief of Staff of the Air Force's trip planner from October 2005 to April 2006, and it was an interesting position. A highlight of that time period was accompanying the CSAF during a trip to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.