erald Union H Wiesbaden: Our home in Germany
Vol. XXIII, No. 3
Trick or Treat:
Soldier Show hits all the right notes
USAG Wiesbaden scares up fun night
Photo by Ela Anttila
By Shayna Brouker
Participants trick or treat on Halloween night, Oct. 31, in Newman Village. An assortment of ghastly, fun and excitingly costumed U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden members, and their guests, took part in the festivities from 5 to 7 p.m. in the garrison housing areas. For more photos of the evening, and other Halloween events around post, see ‘Halloween’ page 4.
U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Public Affairs Office
300,000.” Retired Gen. Gordon Sullivan, 32nd Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army and current president and chief executive officer of the Association of the U.S. Army, spoke to the assembled crowd after Hodges. “The military is being tested,” Sullivan said. “We need to be strong and steadfast to the values of the
It’s a tall order to tell the Army story in song, but every year, the Soldier Show does it — illustrating just about every aspect of Army life on stage through song and dance, on more than 40 Army installations around the world. This year was no exception, with the cast and crew bringing the theme “We Serve” to life at USAG Wiesbaden Oct. 29-30. Almost 1,000 community members in total attended the show. “There are some perks to being USAREUR Command Sergeant Major and tonight is one of them,” said USAREUR Command Sgt. Maj. Sheryl Lyons before the performance Friday. “This year’s theme ‘We Serve’ shows our ability to transform, transition and take care of our Families.” This year’s show also highlighted the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Ia Drang Valley, one of the bloodiest conflicts in the Vietnam War, with segments of an interview with Patrick Stephenson, an American Soldier in that battle shown between show numbers. They ranged from powerful ballads about loss and resilience, to high-energy rap battles over the pros and cons of early morning PT. “A Soldier will always be a Soldier,” remarked Stephenson during narration. A focal point of the show is also delivering messages on tough Army topics: sexual harassment and assault and suicide prevention, using the Sergeant Major of the Army’s slogan “Not in my squad.” The show was designed to resonate with everyone from active duty Soldiers to Retirees to reservists. “We based the set around being home, whether you’re in or out of the military — we’re a big Family,” said Steve Smith, tech director. His wife Nicole Coppinger is the show’s set designer. “Everyone comes back to [what looks like] Middle America.” Diversity was also on display with colorful tributes to the Army’s makeup of Asian and African heritage, amplified by the cast and crew themselves, who come from every walk of life and function in the Army. “It’s an amazing job — everyone coming from different places and backgrounds to make
See ‘Retiree’ on page 6
See ‘Soldier’ on page 16
Garrison gives back at Retiree Appreciation Day By Jacob Corbin
U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Public Affairs Office
U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden and U.S. Army Europe took time to thank its retirees at an event recently. The annual Retiree Appreciation Day was held in the Community Activity Center on Clay Kaserne and offered retirees the chance to speak to experts on various topics
Inside Disability awareness
Garrison hosts event. See page 3.
Nov. 5, 2015
and hear from senior leaders from both organizations. After a video describing the mission of USAREUR, Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, commanding general of USAREUR, started the event by speaking to the assembled retirees and thanking them for their service. Hodges described the mission of USAREUR and how it intends to “make 30,000 Soldiers feel like
Working dog training
Learn more about this ‘ruff’ training. See page 9.
Zombie 5k
Ghouls, ghosts, monsters and others take part in Halloween run. See page 10.