The Air Force Deployment Transition Center at Ramstein AB, Germany, earlier this month reached the milestone of having supported more than 5,000 service personnel since it opened its doors in July 2010. The center offers a four-day program meant to ease airmen’s transition from their dangerous combat deployments back to their day-to-day lives with their families at their home stations. It commenced operations in July 10, 2010, and reached the milestone on Jan. 4, according to a Jan. 10 Ramstein release. Lt. Col. Robert Rossi, DTC commander, said the center is meant “to give you a sense that you’re going home; you’re in a good place; you’re in a good environment.” He credited the hard work of the DTC staff in making the center “an enduring capability” to help the Air Force “take care of our people.” In addition, to airmen, marines and Navy personnel have passed through the center. (Ramstein report by SrA. Aaron-Forrest Wainwright) (For more on the center, see Combat Bridge from Air Force Magazines archives.)
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.