RHEIN-MAIN AIR BASE, Germany — The day the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 is one Senior Airman Anke Dzincielewski will never forget.

There was a lot of celebration and everyone in her neighborhood took to the streets to take part in the merriment. But the teenager didn’t know that when the dust settled - and the infamous wall became a black chapter in German history - her life would change forever.

“Airman D,” as co-workers call her, was born and raised in Kleinmachnow, East Germany, a small town on the southwest corner of Berlin, in the shadow of the notorious wall.

The tall, blue-eyed airman was deployed from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., to Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, for Operation Enduring Freedom. As part of the 16th Expeditionary Support Squadron, she helped prepare airmen for tours in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Returning to Germany brought back memories.

Dzincielewski never dreamed East and West Germany would one day reunite. She had begun an apprenticeship in data transfer and accounting in September 1989. Two months later, the Berlin Wall fell. East Berliners surged into the West. Dzincielewski went across to see what it was like and to eat ice cream.

“The first few months were great - everyone was partying like a big family,” she said. “But after about a year, the problems started.” The former East Germany couldn’t immediately leap into western economic standards and that caused confusion, unemployment and unrest. Despite the hard times, life for the young woman continued as usual.

She joined a German-American bowling league and, in 1993, met Steve Dzincielewski, a U.S. soldier. They dated for several years and married in 1999. After finishing her apprenticeship, Dzincielewski began working for the U.S. government and ended up in Kaiserslautern, a community with a large American military population. She found she liked Americans and their way of life.

“Germans have one way of doing something. To them, that’s the only correct way to do it,” she said. “Americans are different. They have no worries. It’s really a different lifestyle.”

She liked American life so much she wanted to do more. So both she and her husband joined the Air Force. He switched services and is a Reserve communications officer with the U.S. Air Forces in Europe commander’s support staff at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

When she entered basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, Dzincielewski was eager, to say the least. “I was so proud to be in the military,” she said. “I couldn’t wait to get the uniform.”

Dzincielewski was 27, 10 years older than most of her fellow recruits. The younger airmen cried and wanted to go home, she said, but Dzincielewski loved the training because she’d already left home. “It was amazing,” she said. “We grew up enemies, and now we were wearing the same uniform.”

In Kleinmachnow, her parents are proud of her achievements and let everyone know. “They show everyone my picture from basic training,” she said. “They think it’s great that I’m in the U.S. military.”

When she joined the Air Force, Dzincielewski wanted to serve four years and then see if she liked service life enough to stay. “Now I know I’ll definitely reenlist,” she said. “But I may change career fields because I want to work with computers. ” In the meantime, she’s earning a degree in computer network administration and management from National American University in Rapid City, S.D.

At Rhein-Main Air Base, Dzincielewski issued equipment — bags, helmets, flak vests and sleeping bags — to deploying troops supporting operations in the Balkans.

“She’s my most motivated troop,” said Capt. Richard Macalino, the squadron commander. “She’s happy just to be a part of our great armed forces — an inspiration to us all. And every now and then, she reminds us how fortunate we are to be Americans and to be able to enjoy the freedom that we have,” he said.

Her Rhein-Main supervisor, Master Sgt. Robert Atherley said, “I cannot say enough about her dedication to duty and the love she expresses in becoming an American citizen. I’m truly blessed to have such a professional working for me.”

It’s all part of fitting in with the American way of life she’s come to love.

“I know I want to become an American,” she said. “There are so many possibilities. You can do anything you set your mind to do. I’ve found a new home.”