Partnership maintain NCO corps one NCO at a time

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Armando A. Schwier-Morales
  • 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  It is another day at the Kisling NCO Academy for an ambitious senior NCO. He sits at his desk cluttered with homework, notebooks and pens in an attempt to understand and learn how to interact and relate with Airmen.

What sets him apart from the 15 other students wearing the recognizable sage green, tiger-striped U.S. Air Force uniform surrounding him, is the Ukrainian flag velcroed on the side of his sleeve.

Ukrainian army Senior Praporshchik (chief master sergeant equivalent) Roman Kuzmenko, a senior enlisted advisor was born in Slavyansk, Ukraine, and lived in the Crimea peninsula for 15 years, both areas dominated by Russian culture.

"I like Ukraine and I like the culture," he continued. "I have patriotic feeling towards Ukraine because I want my children to grow up there. I want to improve the country,"

When the conflict started, Kuzmenko's family severed ties with him for staying loyal to Ukraine.

"My mother, brother and grandfather currently live in the conflict zones," said Kuzmenko slowly with a slight pause. "I am the only one who is fighting against the Russian invasion."

Kuzmenko is attending the U.S. Air Force Kisling NCO Academy, Kapaun Air Station, Germany, to learn alongside his U.S. Air Force peers.

Kuzmenko served his country when Crimea was annexed. This lead him to a new position with the Ukrainian joint staff as an NCO development specialist.

Working with the new department offered him an opportunity, a chance to improve his skills with the Air Force.

Kuzmenko entered the NCO Academy in August 2014 as the first full-time Ukrainian student. His study at Kisling was part of an agreement between the Department of Defense, European and African nations to develop and train NCOs.

"I understand that it's very important to know the personal values and how to operate with this knowledge in our relationships, teams, environment and inside our units," Kuzmenko said.

He added that he may be facing more than the separatist forces when he returns home to develop a Ukrainian NCO corps, which was originally modeled after the Soviet Army.

"We have to grow our military, and we will do it," said Kuzmenko. But on the other side, he said there may be pressure and natural resistance to change.

"I need to share the ideas I learned (at NCOA) in the right way ... because we can't change in one day," he continued. "I need to adapt the ideas to my nation's mind set, environment and to our military experience."

Kuzmenko will receive his graduation diploma alongside 14 other Airmen Sept. 11.