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GERMERSHEIM, Germany — U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz leadership received an immersion tour of Germersheim Army Depot and Coleman Work Site, Mannheim, to get a firsthand look at the installations’ vital missions and responsibilities, Aug. 10.
USAG RP Commander Col. Jason Edwards and Command Sgt. Maj. D. Brett Waterhouse first visited the Germersheim facility, which was originally used as a U.S. Army storage area for World War II equipment and rolling stock. Today, Germersheim serves as a major logistics distribution and warehouse hub within Europe with more than 200 trucks transiting through the depot daily.
During the tour, garrison leadership also met with tenant organization managers from Defense Logistics Agency, Defense Commissary Agency and the Army and Air Force Exchange Service to learn more about their organizations and how they support the critical missions in the European Command, Central Command and Africa Command areas of operation.
“The new garrison commander and command sergeant major received several operational briefs and facility tours from our tenants DLA, DeCA and AAFES. These briefs and facility tours demonstrated the enormous logistical support mission the installation provides,” said Leonard Chanler, Germersheim Army Depot manager. “They recognize the teamwork between the agencies and appreciate the security and force protection safeguards in place, protecting the installation and employees.”
Afterward, the leadership team traveled 57 kilometers northeast to Coleman Work Site, which is one of U.S. Army Europe’s locations for Army Pre-positioned Stock, where thousands of vehicles and pieces of equipment receive depot-level maintenance or full reset, are staged and stored, and eventually disseminated back to Army combat brigades rotating in and out of Europe. Easy autobahn access, seven kilometers of railhead track and a barge site only 15 minutes away makes this USAG RP asset an integral part of the Army’s premier Strategic Readiness Platform overseas.
“This site is vital to the Army Pre-Positioned Stock operation,” said Coleman Work Site Manager Matt Wheeler, who gave the garrison leaders a windshield tour of the central receiving and shipping point, railhead, wash rack, fuel point, base operations, fire station and numerous contractor operations. “I’m glad Colonel Edwards and Command Sgt. Major Waterhouse took time out of their busy schedules to visit our installation to hear what we do, meet our professionals and learn how we contribute to the U.S. Army Europe mission.”
At the end of the day, the commander said he was impressed with the missions and the people at both installations.
“There is a great geographic dispersion between our critical resources, and we work diligently to pull all of that together and make our complete operation effective,” Edwards said. “More than anything, the quality of our individuals we have at our facilities is second to none and the reason they run so seamlessly is due to their effort. Over my 22-year career, I’ve seen few locations that can match the professionalism that I see at these remote sites. They are secured, protected, efficient and they are in great hands.”
