By Peter Faber
USAG Stuttgart Public Affairs
For 28 students from Schickhardt Gemeinschaftsschule, a short bus ride across Stuttgart felt like a journey across continents. The moment the students of the comprehensive, multi-grade school in Stuttgart stepped through the gates of U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart on March 10, one student summed up the excitement with a wide-eyed declaration: “I am in America now.”
Their destination that morning was the studios of American Forces Network Stuttgart on Robinson Barracks where Soldiers from the American military radio station opened their studios for a hands-on media excursion. The visit, coordinated by AFN and the USAG Stuttgart Public Affairs Office, is part of an ongoing partnership that brings German students into direct contact with American media, language, and military culture.
Students were welcomed by Staff Sgt. Darryl Briggs and Staff Sgt. Amber Cobena who introduced them to AFN’s mission of serving U.S. service members and families across Europe.
For many of the students, it was their first time inside a professional broadcast environment and their first time on a U.S. military installation.
To give them a true media experience, the group split into two teams. One team entered the radio studio, where they learned how DJs manage live programming, operate the sound board, and produce on-air content. After the demonstration, the students were invited to record their own public service announcements, which are short radio spots encouraging the German community to tune in to AFN.
For 14-year-old Alexander, hearing his own voice through professional studio headphones was unforgettable.
“I didn’t expect my voice to be so great,” he wrote afterward, still surprised at how confident he sounded on the mic.
The second group headed to AFN’s video production section, where they helped create a short commercial promoting bicycle safety. Students assisted with planning scenes, recording footage, and observing the editing process, which they described as an eye-opening look at how visual messaging is crafted for a military audience. One student described the experience as “scary, funny, and exciting all at once,” while another wrote that it felt like “a once in a lifetime experience.”
For the Schickhardt students, the visit was also a chance to use the English they have been studying with their teacher, Laura Rebstock, for the past three years.
Several students reflected on how speaking with American Soldiers, recording media content, and navigating a U.S. installation brought their classroom lessons to life. In notes shared with the Garrison Public Affairs Office following their field trip they said:
“It was fun watching the video we made. Safety is important and comes first.”
“I really liked the one-take voice recording.”
“I wish I could be friends with everyone—we learned a lot.”
“I thought it would be cool, but it was even better than I expected.”
For AFN Stuttgart, the visit was just as energizing.
Cobena said that the students’ enthusiasm reminded the team why community outreach matters.
“Now we can hopefully gain more German listeners,” she said with a smile.
The visit also reinforced the strong partnership between USAG Stuttgart and local German schools—a relationship built on shared learning, cultural exchange, and mutual respect. As the students departed at the end of the day, many said they would never forget their first time “in America”—even if it was only a few kilometers from home.