100-plus Soldiers, Family members at USAG Ansbach clean up host community streets

By Mr. Bryan Gatchell (IMCOM)November 9, 2015

Ansbach Cub Scout Pack 97
1 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Ansbach Cub Scout Pack 97 poses with their certificate for helping clean up their community. The city of Ansbach holds a city-wide cleanup annually called the Ansbach Saubär. During this year's Saubär April 5, 2014, more than 100 Soldiers a... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Fencing
2 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers and Family members walk along a fence line to pick up roadside litter. The city of Ansbach holds a city-wide cleanup annually called the Ansbach Saubär. During this year's Saubär April 5, 2014, more than 100 Soldiers and their Fami... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
The plan
3 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. 1st Class William Shedden, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, goes over the logistics of Soldier participation during an Ansbach citywide cleanup. The city of Ansbach holds a city-wide cleanup annually called the Ansbach Saubär. During this year... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Litter patrol
4 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers walk along a road to pick up litter. The city of Ansbach holds a city-wide cleanup annually called the Ansbach Saubär. During this year's Saubär April 5, 2014, more than 100 Soldiers and their Family members who live and work at th... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Out of town
5 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers walk along the road as they exit Katterbach the town. The city of Ansbach holds a city-wide cleanup annually called the Ansbach Saubär. During this year's Saubär April 5, 2014, more than 100 Soldiers and their Family members who li... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Cleaning the streets
6 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers and Family members pick up trash along a country roadside. The city of Ansbach holds a city-wide cleanup annually called the Ansbach Saubär. During this year's Saubär April 5, 2014, more than 100 Soldiers and their Family members w... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ANSBACH, Germany (April 16, 2014) -- Soldiers and their Families from U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach scoured the roadsides of their host nation community for litter April 4, 2014.

The city of Ansbach holds a city-wide cleanup annually called the Ansbach Saubär. During this year's Saubär, more than 100 Soldiers and their Family members who live and work at the garrison spent their Saturday morning walking along the roads that surround the kasernes to pick up litter. The garrison's Environmental Management Division provided logistical services, providing trash bags, safety vests, gloves and trash-grabbing instruments.

Organizations that took part included the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade and its 412th Aviation Support Battalion; along with the 12th CAB's 3rd and 5th battalions, 158th Aviation Regiment. Members of Ansbach Cub Scout Pack 97 also participated.

"Besides our daily jobs, it's important that we come out and help out," said Sgt. 1st Class Jose Rodriguez, a Soldier with 12th CAB. "It's good for the community, it's good for us."

For Rodriguez and his Family, volunteering is part of engaging with his community.

"We do some volunteer work where we live," said Rodriguez. "We get to go out, meet our neighbors. We don't have to sit in the house and hide for the three years that we're here. We go out, the neighbors know us, and we know them. They help us, and we help them."

The Rodriguez Family brought their children out to support the effort as well.

"The community outside of our base can also see that we're doing something," said Karen Rodriguez, Jose Rodriguez's wife. "They can see we're not just taking up space. We're coming out here and breaking our own backs for this and having our kids help."

The number of cigarette butts on the side of the road amazed Jose Rodriguez.

"I'm a non-smoker, but I think I've picked up more cigarette butts than some smokers do," said Jose Rodriguez. "If they [smokers] got out here and did some of this and had seen what a mess it is -- to walk down and actually pick up their cigarette butts -- they'd probably throw them away themselves."

Karen Rodriguez, found the volunteer activity to be instructional for the children as well. She said:

"I told my daughter, 'This is why you don't throw candy or anything out of the car.'"

To see more photos from the Ansbach Saubär, click on "Ansbach Saubaer Flickr photo set" in the "Related Links" section.

To learn more about USAG Ansbach's environmental efforts, visit www.ansbach.army.mil/Environmental.html or click on "USAG Ansbach Environmental Management Service" in the "Related Links" section.

To learn how about other volunteer opportunities at USAG Ansbach, click on "USAG Ansbach Army Community Service" in the "Related Links" section.

Related Links:

USAG Ansbach Army Community Service

USAG Ansbach Environmental Management Service

Ansbach Saubaer Flickr photo set