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After more than two years working for the U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern Army Community Service as the mobile station and program manager, as well as being the glue for families and Soldiers before and after going downrange, Bruce Malone will soon be taking the job of his dreams for the American Battle Monuments Commission.
“(Here at ACS) I got Soldiers and families prepared for their loved one to go downrange, and when they came back I helped reintegrate them back into the community to a normal life,” he said. “In the meantime, I worked with all of the family readiness groups; I provided training and support with whatever Soldiers needed. I wrote some contracts, ran the relocation program here, a little of everything.”
Mr. Malone served 24 years in the Army as a bandsman-musician.
“It was the best job you can have. I’ve played Army and I’ve played rock star. I’ve met kings and queens and presidents, and I’ve gone out and been deployed with troops downrange,” he said.
There are 24 overseas cemeteries within the ABMC that serve as resting places for almost 125,000 American war dead. Now, after submitting an application and completing one of the hardest French tests Mr. Malone has ever endured, he will take the reigns as an assistant superintendent for the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in France. And the job is a perfect fit for him.
“It’s almost like everything I’ve done has pointed to this direction. I have a grandfather buried in the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Belgium. I qualify as next of kin and have been to numerous ceremonies. My career in the Army as a musician involved me in ceremonies all the time; therefore, I have a great knowledge on how to put different kinds of ceremonies together,” he said. “I have had the opportunity to meet VIPs and presidents so I know how to handle situations with them. Throughout my time in the Army, I’ve developed
leadership management skills so I will have no problem managing the staff. Then, adding to all of that, moving constantly taught me how to repair and handle the maintenance. With all of this, I have a history degree and am absolutely fascinated with military history.”
Mr. Malone will be working with about 20 local staff on the 113-acre cemetery. It contains the largest number of graves of American military dead from World War II, with a total of 10,489 Soldiers buried there.
“In a lot of cases, you look at it as hallowed ground. The cemeteries are on the actual places where battles took place. The Soldiers remain there with their comrades, with their buddies,” he said. “For the later part of my Army career and working here at ACS for the garrison, my job has been working for and taking care of Soldiers. I’m still going to do that, (but) a little differently because these Soldiers don’t talk back. But they’re heroes to me. I’m really looking forward to the opportunity.”
Mr. Malone heads to a job that suits his skills and interests perfectly, said Michelle Thomas, ACS director for USAG-K and Mr. Malone’s former boss.
“That was his thing: history, history, history,” Ms. Thomas said. “He has a wealth of historical knowledge.”
The ABMC’s gain is Kaiserslautern’s loss, she said.
“He is one I definitely did not want to lose … just a great employee,” Ms. Thomas said.
This proves to be another experience that is only available while living in Europe, Mr. Malone said.
“To stand at the top of the hill at the Lorraine cemetery in front of the big chapel and look out and see all of the white crosses is breathtaking,” he said. “You can see the cemeteries on TV or on the Web sites, but you’ve got to go see one in person, you’ll get goose bumps.”
Mr. Malone departed the garrison in early July.
