Manas Airman receives surprise call from president

  • Published
  • By Maj. Damien Pickart
  • 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan (AFNS) --  "This is the White House switchboard, can you hear me OK?"

With that, Senior Airman Victoria Drefs was finally convinced that her fellow Airmen in the 376th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron's petroleum oil and lubricants shop were not playing another prank on her.

Airman Drefs, a native of Armour, S.D., and three-year Air Force veteran, was one of two deployed Air Force members selected to receive a Thanksgiving Day morale call from President George W. Bush.

"They're always joking around so when they told me a few weeks ago that I was selected to receive a call from the president, I thought, "Yeah right," Airman Drefs said. "I guess they weren't joking this time."

The POL Airman deployed to Manas Air Base in early September for four months from the 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano Air Base, Italy. Since arriving, Airman Drefs has supported the wing's refueling mission by pumping more than a million gallons of fuel into its fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers. She is currently the only POL Airman projected to reach the 2-million gallon milestone before her deployment ends in early January.

"When asked by leadership to select one of our Airmen, it was an easy decision," said Master Sgt. Cleven Allen, the 376th ELRS fuels superintendent. "Airman Drefs really stands out among her peers. When I first talked with her, I was impressed with how genuine, humble and motivated she is. Throughout her deployment, she hasn't just stepped up to the plate; she's has set the standard."

After being placed on hold for several minutes by the White House switchboard operator, Airman Drefs was patched through to the Camp David switchboard, and then the president came on.

"Hello Victoria, happy Thanksgiving," the president said. "How are you being treated?"

"It was amazing to hear his voice on the other end and asking me how I was doing," Airman Drefs said. "He asked that I tell all the troops here at Manas happy Thanksgiving. When I asked him what he was doing, he said he was excited to be spending the day at Camp David with his two beautiful daughters and his wife. He also said it was a highlight of his to call the troops at Thanksgiving and Christmas."

The surprise call was Airman Drefs' second encounter with the president this year; both the result of Air Force deployments.

"I was selected with a handful of other POL Airmen to support the president's visit to Liberia in February 2008," Airman Drefs said. "We fueled Air Force One and the president's helicopters. He passed pretty close by us and I got some pictures of him. Now I got to talk to him. It's been pretty remarkable."

Following her call, she was placed on hold and the White House switchboard operator called her father, Michael Drefs, who was just waking up 12 hours earlier in Armour, S.D. Compliments of the president, Airman Drefs was given an unlimited morale call to anywhere in the world.

"I had to call my dad and tell him about this," she said. "I don't think he realized who was on the line before I came on, but when I told him I just got off the phone with the president, he thought that was a pretty neat little experience. This was certainly the highlight of my deployment to Manas."

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