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        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Senior Airman Nicole Franklin, a 424th Air Base Squadron special vehicle mechanic, inspects the no-foam system on a Striker 1500 firetruck at Chièvres Air Base, Belgium, Feb. 26, 2016. Airmen with the 424th ABS provide airfield operations support for the Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, NATO transient aircraft and distinguished visitors. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Sara Keller)Senior Airman Nicole Franklin, a 424th Air Base Squadron special vehicle mechanic, inspects the no-foam system on a Striker 1500 firetruck at Chièvres Air Base, Belgium, Feb. 26, 2016. Airmen with the 424th ABS provide airfield operations support for the Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, NATO transient aircraft and distinguished visitors. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Sara Keller)
                
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        Senior Airman Julian Ortiz-Serrano, a 424th Air Base Squadron fuels management technician, stows a hose after refilling a fuel truck at Chièvres Air Base, Belgium, Feb. 25, 2016. Romero is one of 70 Airmen assigned to the 424th ABS. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Sara Keller)Senior Airman Julian Ortiz-Serrano, a 424th Air Base Squadron fuels management technician, stows a hose after refilling a fuel truck at Chièvres Air Base, Belgium, Feb. 25, 2016. Romero is one of 70 Airmen assigned to the 424th ABS. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Sara Keller)
                
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        Staff Sgt. Nicole Walker, a 424th Air Base Squadron air traffic controller, peers out the Chievres Air Base tower in Belgium, Feb. 26, 2016. The 424th ABS operates the airfield and runways at Chievres AB while providing support to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, NATO transient aircraft and distinguished visitors. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Sara Keller)Staff Sgt. Nicole Walker, a 424th Air Base Squadron air traffic controller, peers out the Chievres Air Base tower in Belgium, Feb. 26, 2016. The 424th ABS operates the airfield and runways at Chievres AB while providing support to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, NATO transient aircraft and distinguished visitors. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Sara Keller)
                
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        Staff Sgt. Derrick Shelton, 424th Air Base Squadron airfield systems technician, repairs a radio at Chièvres Air Base, Belgium, Feb. 25, 2016. Airmen from the 424th ABS provide airfield operations support for the Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, NATO transient aircraft and distinguished visitors. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Sara Keller)Staff Sgt. Derrick Shelton, 424th Air Base Squadron airfield systems technician, repairs a radio at Chièvres Air Base, Belgium, Feb. 25, 2016. Airmen from the 424th ABS provide airfield operations support for the Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, NATO transient aircraft and distinguished visitors. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Sara Keller)
                
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        Senior Airman Derrick Kemp, a 424th Air Base Squadron firefighter, inspects his gear at Chièvres Air Base, Belgium, Feb. 25, 2016. Kemp is one of 70 Airmen stationed at the 424th ABS that provides airfield operations support for the base. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Sara Keller)Senior Airman Derrick Kemp, a 424th Air Base Squadron firefighter, inspects his gear at Chièvres Air Base, Belgium, Feb. 25, 2016. Kemp is one of 70 Airmen stationed at the 424th ABS that provides airfield operations support for the base. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Sara Keller)
                
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Chièvres AB: Separated, self-sufficientPublished March 4, 2016
                    
                    By Staff Sgt. Sara Keller
                    
                    
                    86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
            **CHIÈVRES AIR BASE, Belgium (AFNS) --**Standing at the end of the short runway, only chickens can be heard clucking from a family farm just a stone's throw away.
The morning air is dull and misty, but not as foggy as yesterday, so if you squint your eyes just right you can see clear across the small military base. Today's mission has been canceled and there's a charming calm to the base, like an old man who's lived through so much, there's just no need for the rush anymore. 
Chièvres Air Base is home to the 424th Air Base Squadron, a group of Airmen nestled in the heart of the Belgian countryside to provide airfield operations support for the Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), NATO transient aircraft and distinguished visitors.
The squadron is made up of approximately 70 Airmen, and about 18 career fields, with DV aircraft transiting through up to three times a week.
The 424th ABS, like the 65th Air Base Group in Lajes Field, Azores, and the 496th ABS in Moron, Spain, is a geographically separated tenant unit that falls under the 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein AB, Germany.  
The base is located about 20 minutes from SHAPE and almost four hours from Ramstein AB. The area, along with much of Belgium and Europe is rich in history and certainly has a story to tell.
The first airfield at Chièvres was established during World War I and was rebuilt by Germans in 1940. It was bombed more than 30 times during the World War II before Allied forces occupied the base in October 1944. In 1967, Belgian authorities turned the base over to SHAPE and it has been known as Chièvres AB since.
Occupations within the squadron range from security forces and firefighters to air traffic controllers, fuels management and vehicle mechanics. Although each Airmen at the base has a specific job, being geographically separated with a limited amount of personnel, Airmen end up getting the opportunity to fulfill multiple roles within the squadron.
"There are a lot of things Airmen do here that are unique to this location, that they wouldn't normally do at a bigger base," said Senior Master Sgt. Christopher Wagoner, the 424th ABS superintendent. "A lot of positions here are only one-deep slots, so our Airmen end up getting the chance to run programs that are normally ran by someone of a higher rank. It's actually a great opportunity for our Airmen to get experience and grow."
The 424th ABS is a self-sustaining unit; they function somewhat like a wing, just on a smaller scale. They conduct their own official physical fitness testing and even urinalysis testing. When Airmen in the squadron have questions that can't be answered or a service that the base just isn't equipped for, that's when they reach back to Ramstein AB for support.
"We do a lot on our own here but we know we can always reach back to our counterparts back at Ramstein for assistance," Wagoner said, who also doubles as the squadron's airfield manager. "We have to figure things out sometimes without the immediate mentorship we might be used to, so although it might have its challenges, it pushes us to learn things that we might have never had to."
When Wagoner isn't busy revising enlisted performance reports or managing the airfield he has the opportunity to meet every single Airman he works with and really get to know them. He knows when they put their last stripe on, their kids' names and where they just came back from leave.
"It feel likes our own little Air Force family sometimes," said Senior Airman Derrick Kemp, a member of the 424th ABS. "We're a tight-knit unit. We hang out together, workout together and help each other out with whatever we might need."
Along with the great relationships he's been able to build in his short time, Kemp said one of his favorite things about being stationed at Chièvres AB is the location in Europe and the amount of time he has to really focus on his upgrade training and growing his career. 
Being stationed at a geographically separated unit has its challenges, but being at a place like Chièvres AB will continue to give Airmen there a unique outlook on the Air Force mission as they provide world-class airfield support to their SHAPE and NATO customers.**Audio Test**Chièvres Air Base 



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