erald Union H Vol. XXIII, No. 14
Wiesbaden: Our home in Germany
April 14, 2016
Garrison Flying safe with 1-214th AVN welcomes displaced families By Emily Jennings
U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Public Affairs
Five Army Families who were ordered to depart from Izmir, Turkey received a warm welcome at Wiesbaden emergency inprocessing events April 4 and 8 to help them settle into their new home. They, and hundreds of others, were recently relocated from the region due to ongoing security concerns. Col. Mary Martin, U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden commander, attended the Army Community Service’s-hosted activities, assessing the Families’ needs to provide a seamless transition. She explained to everyone that support agencies garrison-wide stand ready to meet the needs of these new arrivals, along with underscoring the importance of everyone coming together to welcome them. “They are part of the USAG Wiesbaden community now,” Martin said. Most of the Families departing Turkey were sent to Ramstein Air Force Base, in Kaiserslautern, Germany. But these five Families preferred to come here, to a community where they knew they would feel most comfortable, said Olivia Kreuttner, one of the newly arrived Family members. “We requested to come to Wiesbaden because we wanted an Army post,” she said. “I can’t say enough how truly wonderful everyone has been. And Colonel Martin has been doing everything she can to help us settle in.” The women were able to attend the briefing while their children were in school, already getting settled in to their new classrooms. The middle school made welcome signs for all of the new students, said Kathy Fox, See ‘Families’ on page 3
Inside 1-214th hosts battalion spouse event
See photos on page 16.
Photo by Nadine Bower
Sgt. 1st Class James Hooser practices using a fire extinguisher at the 1st Battalion, 214th Aviation Regiment safety stand down April 7 on Clay Kaserne. The stand down featured numerous hands-on safety demonstrations, including some on CPR and the dangers of drugs and alcohol use. For more information, see story on page 6.
Soldiers test SHARP knowledge at race By Emily Jennings
U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Public Affairs
Teams laced up their tennis shoes before dawn for an event to raise awareness about sexual assault and harassment in the Army April 1. Although they were vying for a trophy, the SHARP Amazing Race gave participants a better understanding of how they can help prevent sexual assaults. More than 200 people braved the cold drizzle that morning and completed challenges at staggered
MWR hunting course
Sport shooters take opportunity to improve skills. See photos on page 17.
heats at various locations on Clay Kaserne, followed by a set of physical challenges. Sprinting from station to station teams tested their knowledge about sexual assault and prevention. Challenges taught participants about the prevalence of sexual assault—1 in 6, another highlighted the importance of bystander intervention, and another demonstrated how alcohol can impair judgement. The event was a creative way to teach community members about a serious subject, said Bill Mottley, SHARP program manager.
“The Army has been inundated with SHARP trainings over the last few years,” he said. “This event takes the learning experience outside of a PowerPoint-driven classroom. The SHARP Amazing Race provided participants the opportunity to reinforce their SHARP knowledge without calling it ‘training.’ ” Capt. Logan McDarment, team captain for the “Bandits” from 66th Military Intelligence Brigade, who won the challenge, said the event
Pinwheels are in bloom
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, read more on page 4.
See ‘SHARP’ on page 5