My four years at Rhein Main was spent training and competing for the Defender Challenge, Peacekeeper Challenge, Staff Soldiers Survival Cup and any other competition that would come up. I did receive the Order of the Bayonet and have a pic that I’ll forward to the site. I enjoyed my ABGD job so much (I still have my plaque that says Cami is a color) at the Rhein that I submitted a resume to Volant Scorpion in Little Rock. I was accepted into the unit and spent the next nine years there playing in the woods. I was literally a kid having fun on the playground for 13 of my 17 years in the Air Force.

I retired early as an E-6 and was able to get into Federal Law Enforcement (U.S. Border Patrol) before I turned 37. I’m stationed in Campo, CA which is 60 miles east of San Diego at the 3,000 foot level in the mountains. Once again, I am the kid on the playground as I go to work, attend muster (guardmount), get into my assigned 4X4 F-250 and head out into the mountains to track and arrest illegal aliens and drug smugglers.

I am currently detailed (TDY) to Artesia, NM as a driving instructor. In this assignment I teach new trainees in the Border Patrol everything that involves vehicle operations from vehicle stops to high risk pursuit driving. Every time I get in my pursuit sedan and drive at high speeds on the course I think about my time in Germany on the autobahn. I am mandated to retire in 7 years with the Border Patrol.

My time at Rhein Main was one of the most rewarding and fun times I have ever had. In just the four years at Rhein Main I saw and experienced so many things. The missions were real world and the 435th SPS never stopped working to accomplish the tasking. I cherish the memories and enjoyed looking at all the pics of everyone from there. I remember when Scott Ramos first had Robby, we were training for one of the competitions so I put on the wrap so they could do some bite work. Robby had a hell of a bite. The bets I made with Doug Warren were funny now. Doug is the one that had faith in me, egging me on, talking up the bets. He always put up the money and I’d do the push-ups or pull-ups. We never lost a bet! Unfortunately I don’t have a lot of pictures from those days.

I received an email from a friend a few years ago, he said he was one of the last SP’s at the Rhein when it closed. He said our pictures from years past were still hanging on the walls.

Thanks Chuck! Thanks for the site and bringing back all the great memories. I hope all is well with everyone, be safe, have fun and get into some trouble to keep life interesting!

-Ron Ewers TSgt Ret
Senior Agent, US Border Patrol

This site is a work in progress. Please tell other 435 SPS members to contact me and add their info. Let's all reconnect. Thanks! I really appreciate it.