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“After being born and living in Germany for 18 years, I gave up
everything to come to this country I knew nothing about,” Senior
Airman Brian Kamphaus said. “I renounced my German citizenship to be
here and gave up everything I had.”
His father retired from
the U.S. Army and began work in Germany as a defense contractor.
Brian Kamphaus was born and raised as a German citizen, never having
stepped foot on American soil until he was 18 years old when he
arrived in San Antonio for basic military training.
“Around
my 18th birthday, my father relocated to Hawaii for work, taking my
stepmom and two younger siblings with him. At that point, I had to
decide what I was going to do,” Senior Airman Brian Kamphaus said.
“Do I stay in Germany and do what I’ve done my entire life? Or do I
do something a little crazy; go to a country I’ve never been before
and join the military? I jumped head first into the unknown and I
would do it all over again.”
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July 19, 2017 - Senior Airman Brian Kamphaus, a 92nd Logistics
Readiness Squadron material management journeyman, joined the
military following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather
and has been serving in the Air Force for more than three years,
making the most of every possible minute. (U.S. Air Force photo by
Senior Airman Sean Campbell)
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Senior Airman Brian Kamphaus follows a long history of
family service including his grandfather, retired Chief
Master Sgt. Clarence Kamphaus, who served 33 years, first in
the Army, then Army Air Corp and finally the Air Force. He
served in World War II, the Korean and Vietnam conflicts and
was a Prisoner of War for a short time. Three bronze stars
later, he retired and then served 22 years in civil service.
“He’s the one I look up to most. I didn’t appreciate him
while he was around and now that he is gone, I wish I
would’ve spent more time with him, picking his brain and
listening to his stories,”
Kamphaus said. “I strive for his excellence every day.”
His grandfather was the force behind Kamphaus’ decision
to join the Air Force.
“I originally wanted to join
the Navy, be a Seabee and build schools in Africa,” Kamphaus
added. “When I spoke to my grandfather over the phone, he
said if I wanted to join the service I will join the Air
Force and there was no other way about it.”
Three and
a half years later, Kamphaus has excelled in his career and
the whole Airman concept. He was selected for Senior Airman
Below the Zone, received the Lance P. Sijan U.S. Air Force
Leadership Award and American Legion Spirit of Service
Award. Kamphaus has also been recognized for his dedication
to the Spokane County Fire District and his local community
as a volunteer firefighter.
“Senior Airman Kamphaus
is the embodiment of what the Air Force and DoD describe in
commercials,” said Staff Sgt. Julio Arroyo Mercado, 379th
Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Central Repair
Facility lead. “He is a person with the determination,
passion, perspective and hunger many of us have inside, yet
fail to embrace. Kamphaus comes from a hardworking lineage
of people who were accomplished dreamers. He is a visionary,
he is insatiable.”
In April 2017, Kamphaus was
returning to base after lunch when he noticed an excess of
vehicles on the side of the road. As he approached the
stalled traffic, he noticed a vehicle had turned onto its
side and slid into a ditch. Kamphaus pulled over to see how
he could assist. When he arrived on scene, he recognized
Tech. Sgt. Carlos Torres Figueroa, 92nd Force Support
Squadron Honor Guard NCO in charge, tending to the patient.
“I approached Tech. Sgt. Torres who had hands on the
patient and was actively engaging with him,” Kamphaus recalled. “The patient
had blood on his hands and a deep laceration across his
face. While Torres performed a trauma assessment, I secured
his spine until emergency responders arrived.”
When
emergency responders arrived on scene, Kamphaus and Torres
assisted in securing the patient in a cervical spine collar
to stabilize his head and neck. The patient was then loaded
into an ambulance and taken to a local hospital.
Kamphaus and Torres are both firefighters with the Spokane
County Fire District. They have had several months of formal
training, certifications and qualifications ranging from
types of motor vehicles, structural fire types and emergency
medical technician practices.
“Kamphaus committed to
the four-month long fire academy on top of volunteering his
time in the community and working more than 40 hours a week,
without ever missing a day,” Arroyo said. “When he stopped
to help during the accident, he returned to base covered in
blood and apologized for the delay. He said all he needed
was time to change and he would return to work. His
commitment, dedication and sacrifice doesn’t surprise me at
all, it’s just who he is.”
“I tell myself every day
that I will never turn my back on people who need my help. I
will go out of my way to help if someone needs it. It’s
called being human,” Senior Airman Brian Kamphaus said. “We
have to look out for each other, we really do.”
By U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Mackenzie Richardson
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2018
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