U.S. ARMY GARRISON WIESBADEN
HERALD UNION herald-union.com
Feb. 18, 2021
Garrison commander hosts virtual workforce engagement session Vaccine rollout, questions addressed Command Climate; reaffirms ongoing as a part of virtual meeting commitment to dignity, respect Lisa Bishop U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden
Col. Mario Washington, U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden commander, reviewed the voluntary nature of COVID-19 vaccination efforts and provided resources for vaccine consideration as a part of a virtual workforce engagement meeting Jan. 22. “We are rolling into the vaccination phase of COVID-19,”Washington said. “What we are really doing is providing you with information to inform your decision.” “This is voluntary,” he clearly stated at the opening of the vaccine section of the meeting. According to Washington’s presentation, “the distribution process is phase-driven to protect our military community from COVID-19 as quickly as possible.” The first phase for healthcare workers and first responders is ongoing; the next phase for highly deployable forces in Europe and high-risk populations is underway. Information on subsequent phases will be released as the information is made available. “All vaccinations are a significant part of maintaining mental and physical fitness in fulfilling your commitment to serve and defend our nation,” according to the presentation. However, because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Emergency Use Authorization of the two-shot Moderna vaccine, the Army cannot mandate its use on Army personnel. “When formally licensed by the FDA, the DoD may require a vaccine for military personnel or personnel in specific fields, as is the case for the influenza vaccine.” “Again, I cannot make anyone take this shot,” he said. “I want to be very clear on that. It is a personal choice. However, this vaccine has been vetted with a 94% effective rate.”
Washington’s presentation acknowledged that questions about side effects and how long the vaccination lasts remain considerations. Mild side effects seen in the clinical trials (such as fever, chills, tiredness and headache) have been observed in the Army’s initial rollout phase, including in Europe. “The vaccination process is an important step in the process back to normalcy,” he said. “Army leaders have full confidence in the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine.” Washington fielded several questions from the virtual audience of almost 200 garrison workers. Gordon Ferguson, physical security specialist at the garrison, asked, “Sir, after the second shot, then what? Mask? No mask? Lock down? Not locked down?” Washington responded, “I get the
See ‘Vaccination’ on Page 2
Lisa Bishop U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden
Col. Mario Washington, U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden commander, hosted a virtual workforce engagement meeting to review the garrison’s climate survey and answer community questions Jan. 22. The one-hour meeting alternated between Col. Washington and German translators, making the meeting accessible to both the English and the German-speaking workforce. At the opening, he said, “I appreciate what everyone does every day; it does not go unnoticed. I am constantly impressed by the competency and thoughtfulness of this organization and how we put the community first.” Washington reviewed the tenquestion workforce climate survey with a series of shared slides. According to the results, the highest satisfaction re-
Photo/caption by Lisa Bishop, U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Public Affairs
sponse regarded seeking assistance for emotional support. “Generally speaking, as with most large organizations,” Washington said, “the biggest issue was with communications flow; communication did not flow freely from senior leadership to all levels of the organization.” He also indicated there were gaps in counseling and developmental opportunities according to survey results. “Military generally rated higher across all questions than the civilians,” he said. NAF and local national employees were the least satisfied for all areas of inquiry. “The bottom line is, we have work to do,” he said at the conclusion of the workforce climate survey slides. Washington outlined several initiatives underway to address the survey results. Command information strategies will make sure information gets distributed from the highest to the lowest levels of the organization.“It is important for everyone to understand why we are doing what we are doing,” he said. “We just brought on board a workforce development chief with a focus being initially on local nations to make sure we pay attention to their development and their developmental opportunities, not just NAF and appropriated funds,” he said. The garrison is also developing a workforce leaders’ focused summit according to Washington. Washington went on to elaborate on his continued call for dignity and respect across the organization, even when situations are challenging. “It’s easy when it’s easy; impress me when it is hard,” he said. “For me dignity and respect are not negotiable,”he stated. He said employees are accountable to standards; however, he
From his office, Col. Mario Washington, U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden commander, answers questions about the COVID-19 vaccination rollout at the virtual workforce engagement meeting Jan. 22.
FASCHING WITHOUT COVID
CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY
NCO OF THE QUARTER
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See ‘Climate’ on Page 2
