Sembach Annex
Sembach Air Base, part of the Kaiserslautern Military Community, is about 45 minutes east of Ramstein Air Base and serves a population of about 2,000. It's located in rolling farm country ten miles north of Kaiserslautern, just off the Mannheim/Saarbrücken Autobahn. Also nearby are the vineyards of the Rhine Valley.
Though once the headquarters of the Seventeenth Air Force, Sembach no longer operates as an air base, and has become an annex of Ramstein Air Base. It is thus referred to as the Sembach Annex. It retains many facilities that add to the quality of life of those stationed there, and the facilities at Ramstein and Vogelweh, no doubt the most complete military communities outside the US, are only a short distance away.
For recreation there is the Fitness Center, with a basketball court, racquetball court, weight lifting room, free weights, a sauna, lockers, and shower facilities for both men and women. The Bowling Centers offer open bowling and a complete range of sanctioned leagues, from organizational through mixed doubles. Special events such as moonlight bowling and bumper bowling for youngsters are also offered, and there is a snack bar and a pro shop.
There is a sports apparel and equipment store, with high tech ski equipment, first class clothing lines, supplements, the latest in athletic shoes and all the accessories you'll ever need to be active and fit while in Europe.
The Ramstein Family Support Center has an annex at Sembach, and all personnel are encouraged to take advantage of the programs and services it offers. These include, among others, newcomer orientation, a loan locker, financial assistance, child care for PCSers, community connections, computer access, family life education, family readiness, transition assistance, employment assistance and volunteering.
Educational needs are looked after. Sembach has both an Elementary School (K-3) and a Middle School (4-8), both near government housing areas. The U.S. Army maintains an education center in Sembach and others in nearby cities for language courses and advanced studies. Several American universities offer graduate programs in the area.
The Youth Activities Program provides a home-away-from-home for children 5 to 19, with before-and-after-school programs, summer camps, field trips, dances and carnivals. In addition, there are daily scheduled programs and events.
For health needs, the clinic has a detatchment of the 435th Dental Squadron, which provides dental care for non-flying military members and their families. And the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the largest military hospital outside the USA, is only a short distance away.
The American Red Cross has offices to assist with medical reports, birth notices, spouse emergency notification during deployments and verification for emergency leave. Counseling and referrals on personal and family problems are also offered, as well as emergency financial assistance (on a case-to-case basis).
Sembach offers much to the shopper. The commissary, which is closed Mondays, has all of the standard commissary departments, plus a bakery and deli. The exchange, open seven days a week, has a selection of housewares, electronics, toys/games, gardening and sporting goods, and operates numerous facilities.
These include a Class VI store with a full line of alcoholic drinks as well as a Shoppette, a sort of convenience store with a limited stock of food (ice cream, bread, snacks, etc.), beverages, health and beauty products. There is also a movie theater, the Tiger Palace, which shows the latest films within weeks of their stateside release. And there is a VAT office at the Tiger Mall, which can help you get out of the value added tax on anything you may have bought on the German economy.
Other exchange facilities include a TKS shop which can deal with all of your telephone and cable TV needs. High speed transmission is available right now, sometimes through Telekom's DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) and also through the television cables already in place, which can be hooked up as well to computers and telephones.
There is a gas station and an auto parts store with limited supplies. Gas coupons can be bought at the exchange for off-base purchases. There is also an Auto Center, offering tools, facilities and assistance in all types of minor and some major auto repair work.
For the off duty hours, the Sembach All Ranks Club features the Cafe Americana, which serves specialty sandwiches, unique appetizer, and dinner entree; and the Keller Sports Bar, which serves drinks and snacks. The library houses a large collection of books, periodicals, audio and video cassettes and CDs.
The Information, Tours and Travel (ITT) office provides a full service travel operation to meet your needs while in Germany. Bus tours, flight arrangements, hotel, train, ferry, cruises and car rentals can be arranged, and it can issue airline tickets and boarding passes to jet you away on a vacation back to the states. Local bus tours are available from one-day express tours to Paris to 15-day excursions to several countries.
