Photos during our stay in Rhein Main AB, Germany (Frankfurt)
For decades the Air Force's "Gateway to Europe," Rhein-Main Air Base outside Frankfurt closes in December 2005.

Rhein-Main Air Base is located near Frankfurt, Germany. Rhein-Main Air Base is a small base named after the confluence of the Rhine and Main (pronounced mine) rivers located to the west of Frankfurt. This small community is approximately six miles southwest of Frankfurt, in the state of Hessen.

The 469th Air Base Group is Rhein-Main's host unit, supporting 30 associate units and organizations and more than 3,000 military, civilian, contractor and family members. Its mission is to maintain an infrastructure ready for major airlift contingencies and to provide quality base operating support. US Air Force and German authorities signed an official agreement Dec. 23, 1999, to close and return the base to Germany by Dec. 31, 2005. During that ceremony, the Luftbruecke (air bridge) Memorial was also transferred to the Frankfurt Airport Company. The memorial highlights Rhein-Main's key role in the Berlin Airlift and stands as a symbol of the base's history as a strategically located airlift facility. I was fortunate to command an awesome squadron, 16th Expeditionary Support Squadron and later Detachment 3, 401st Air Expeditionary Wing, providing peacekeeping forces in the former Republic of Yugoslavia. It was a historic and memorable event in my life, plus this is where I met my lovely Frankfurt-born wife, Christine. :-)