Recognizing newly promoted Army noncommissioned officers has been a
ceremonial tradition since the NCO creed became official in 1986. 

That tradition was continued in U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart March 4,
when 15 Soldiers were officially inducted into the NCO corps during a
ceremony in the Patch Community Club.Read More

U.S. Africa Command welcomed its newest senior enlisted leader during a ceremony March 11 on Kelley Barracks.

Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Jack Johnson Jr. assumed responsibilities
from Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Ripka during a ceremony officiated by U.S.
AFRICOM Commander Gen. Carter Ham, who took command March 9.Read More

The Stuttgart Community Spouses Club hosted its Spring Bazaar March 18-20. Thousands of people converged upon Patch Barracks to shop, eat and socialize during the club’s annual fundraiser. Proceeds from the bazaar are returned to the Stuttgart military community in the form of scholarships and financial support to clubs, schools and other worthy causes.Read More

I commanded the 3rd Infantry Division out of Fort Stewart as part of
the surge in Iraq in 2007-’08. During that time, 153 Soldiers died in
combat. I pray for their families every day. Their loss is something I,
as a leader, have to live with.

For any leader, the loss of a Soldier hits hard. But the loss that
survivors experience is magnitudes deeper and wider because they have
lost not just a Soldier, but a friend, a son or daughter, a husband or
wife, a father or mother.Read More

Q: I am considering buying a used vehicle while I am stationed in Germany. Is there anything I should know before I do so?Read More

Beginning April 25, applicants for Army jobs in Stuttgart should apply
online through USA Jobs and not the Army Resume builder at Civilian
Personnel Online.

The transition from the Army’s hiring software, Resumix, to another
automated recruitment tool, the Office of Personnel Management’s USA
Staffing, has begun and will be completed in Europe by April 30.Read More

Medical/Dental Issue: Defense Department Civilian with Exceptional Family Member Scope: Current Defense Department Policy 1315.19 allows DOD civilians an option to bring their family members outside the continental U.S. regardless of gaining installation’s ability to support family member’s special needs. Family members needing care bring undue stress and strain toRead More

Former Marine Kurt Garcia is no different than many of his
contemporaries. In his almost 28 years of military service, he made 13
permanent change of station moves, served in the U.S., Asia and Europe,
endured numerous long separations from his family, and underwent
intense, physically challenging training.  

But he can’t transfer his Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits to his 12-year-old son, Dominic, or his 10-year-old daughter, Gabrielle.Read More

It was a bitter cold evening in Prague, Czech Republic. On the main
entrance steps of the Military Church of St. John of Nepomuk, three
members of the Czech army guard of honor stood stoically on each side
of the door with rifles and fixed bayonets. The Prague Castle Guard
regimental band brass sextet — which normally only plays for state
ceremonial events — added to the formal ambiance.Read More

Headquarters, U.S. European Command, recognized its top service members
and civilian employees of 2010 in a ceremony held Feb. 10 on Patch
Barracks

Rear Adm. Charles W. Martoglio, EUCOM chief of staff, praised the 15
service member nominees and 22 civilian nominees in front of their
co-workers, friends and family inside a packed Patch Community Club.
Martoglio praised the nominees for providing quality support to the
Department of Defense during a critical period for the U.S.

Read More

Being fit is more than just lifting weights.

In fact, a person’s total fitness includes their emotions,
spirituality, and the ways in which they interact with their family and
friends, according to the Department of the Army. That’s why the DA
designed the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program: to measure the
overall fitness of Soldiers, family members and DA civilians in the
areas of physical, social, family, emotional and spiritual fitness.Read More