Inside
STEM Camp
1-214th gets new commander
Soldier Ride
RoboWarriors camp helps to develop the next generation of engineers. See page 8.
1st Battalion, 214th Aviation Regiment, changes command, welcomes Lt. Col. Mark Kappelman. See page 5.
Soldiers of several nations gather to encourage wounded warriors in cycling event. See page 9.
erald Union H Vol. XV, No. 22
Wiesbaden: Your home in Germany
Aug. 15, 2013
Keeps getting better with time
ACS celebrates 48th birthday, local staff’s excellence USAG Wiesbaden ACS chief, speaking of her U.S. Army Garrison staff and adding that Wiesbaden Public Affairs Leary Henry and AnOffice nikka Trabucco received For nearly five de- individual recognition cades this organiza- for 2011 and 2012, retion has proven to meet spectively. “I think evSoldiers’ and families’ erybody is doing great needs, and locally its stuff.” staff has established The ACS was ofitself among the top in ficially approved as an the Army, again. Army establishment July U.S. Army Garri- 25, 1965, but it unofson Wiesbaden’s Army ficially came about in Community Service cel- 1958. It was made up ebrated its 48th birthday of volunteers who ran July 25 with food, fun, lending closets and thrift music and families, and shops, held emergency basked in the glory of fundraisers, assisted in being named 2012 ACS emergencies and proCenter of Excellence, vided training to the Category C, for the newcomers to meet the second consecutive year. needs of Soldiers and “It’s nice that all the hard work they have been families. Today, the center is doing is recognized by See Birthday on the Department of the Army,” said Jan Meert, page 3 Story and photos by Chrystal Smith
Photo by Karl Weisel
Upgraded postal system Wiesbaden postal clerk Vinson Kelley assists patron Thomas Holtman with a transaction on the new Postal Operations System Aug. 1. The new, fully automated and online system puts the Wiesbaden Postal Service Center in line with the U.S. Postal Service — the first Army unit in U.S. Army Europe to obtain the new equipment, according to Quintin Harvey, postal supervisor. Customers are asked to be patient as the staff becomes more familiar with the system which should speed service in the future, Harvey said.
Home sweet home
New program aims to inspire pride among housing residents By Chrystal Smith
U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Public Affairs Office
It may not be home for good, but for thousands of Wiesbaden residents it’s certainly home for now. And because the Army family housing areas serve as places of communion, recreation and relaxation for Soldiers and families,
garrison leaders are making extra efforts to ensure its upkeep by inspiring more pride among the residents. “The housing areas draw a lot of attention from the highest ranking officers in the community on down,” said Sgt. 1st Class Russell Warren, U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden housing noncommissioned officer, of the good and bad attention that recent practices by various residents of the five community housing areas have stirred up among leaders.
responUSAG Wiesbaden is respon sible for 1,767 housing units, which houses about 1,460 Soldiers plus their family members. “Stairwell” units usually house nine to 12 families in an average of 12,500 square feet per building; about 860 to 1,500 square feet per family. Given such close accommodations, a neglectful tenant’s residual bad habits can quickly encroach on the neighboring families’ living spaces. Frequent complaints and concerns from housing residents and See Housing on page 4
Karen Schaeffer, Army Community Service Relocation Readiness assistant, applies a painted design to the face of Zariah Colon-Pagan during the ACS birthday celebration July 25 in the ACS Cafeteria in Hainerberg Housing Building 7790.