Local national traces footsteps of ancestors at Lajes Field

  • Published
  • By Eduardo Lima
  • 65th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
LAJES FIELD, Azores --  The 65th Air Base Wing has a proud heritage, and since World War II, countless local national workers have chosen Lajes Field as their work place. The Romeiro family is an example of three generations who have helped develop our tradition of excellence.

Senhor Arsénio Romeiro, a native and current resident of the town Serreta, is a financial analyst in the 65th Comptroller Squadron and is the latest of his family to be employed with the U.S. forces at Lajes for the past 22 years.

Before joining the 65th CPTS in 1996, he also worked with the Army and Air Force Exchange Service and the 729th Air Mobility Squadron.

His father, Senhor Aristides Romeiro, started working at the base in 1955, coincidentally at the comptroller's office. He started as a cost accounting clerk, and retired in 1993 after 38 years of service as a budget analyst.

Arsénio's grandfather, Senhor Hircano Romeiro, also worked at Lajes Field as a ground aircraft fuel provider for 15 years in the fuel company at the time, Socony-Vaccum, until he retired in the mid 1960s.

The youngest of the three family members loves his job at the base. "I like my job and feel I've achieved my goals job-wise since I've reached the top of my career," said Arsénio Romeiro.

His father, Aristides Romeiro, also remembers the time he spent working for the U.S. Air Force at Lajes.

"If I were 18 years-old again, I would take the same options," he said. "It was excellent to work at the base in all aspects, namely at the wage level and professional training, both locally and in the U.S. I'm very happy and proud that my son took advantage of the opportunities the base offers and works in the same organization I worked in before--it's just great."

Senhor Arsénio Romeiro is married and has two children and is very active in his community. He teaches Sunday school to eighth graders and is also a musician of the Serreta Philharmonic Band, the oldest of its kind on Terceira Island.

This is just a glimpse of one local national family, which has served numerous years to help the wing accomplish its mission.

Although the mission has changed over the years, their dedication has stayed constant.