Top USAREUR, IMCOM Europe leaders visit USAG Ansbach

By Ms. Lori Yerdon (IMCOM)December 11, 2014

Top USAREUR, IMCOM Europe leaders visit USAG Ansbach
1 / 8 Show Caption + Hide Caption – ANSBACH, Germany (Dec. 10, 2014) -- Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, U.S. Army Europe commander, second from left, visits with Soldiers from the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade and senior garrison staff members from U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach during lunch Dec. 9 at... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Top USAREUR, IMCOM Europe leaders visit USAG Ansbach
2 / 8 Show Caption + Hide Caption – ANSBACH, Germany (Dec. 10, 2014) -- Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, U.S. Army Europe commander, right, talks with Soldiers from the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade and senior garrison staff members from U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach during lunch Dec. 9 at Katterbach ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Top USAREUR, IMCOM Europe leaders visit USAG Ansbach
3 / 8 Show Caption + Hide Caption – ANSBACH, Germany (Dec. 10, 2014) -- Soldiers assigned to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade stand together for a photo with Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, U.S. Army Europe commander, during his Dec. 9 visit to Ansbach with Col. Anthony Haager, IMCOM Europe actin... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Top USAREUR, IMCOM Europe leaders visit USAG Ansbach
4 / 8 Show Caption + Hide Caption – ANSBACH, Germany (Dec. 10, 2014) -- Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, U.S. Army Europe commander, far left, visits Soldiers from the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade during their in-processing training at the Griffin Integration Platoon facility Dec. 9. Hodges was jo... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Top USAREUR, IMCOM Europe leaders visit USAG Ansbach
5 / 8 Show Caption + Hide Caption – ANSBACH, Germany (Dec. 10, 2014) -- Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, U.S. Army Europe commander, right, is joined by Col. Anthony Haager, Installation Management Command Europe acting region director, center, and Dan Riley, director of the U.S. Army Garrison Ans... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Top USAREUR, IMCOM Europe leaders visit USAG Ansbach
6 / 8 Show Caption + Hide Caption – ANSBACH, Germany (Dec. 10, 2014) -- Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, U.S. Army Europe commander, speaks with Tamara Browning, chief of Child, Youth and School Services for U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach, during Hodges' Dec. 9 visit. Hodges was joined by Col. Anthony... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Top USAREUR, IMCOM Europe leaders visit USAG Ansbach
7 / 8 Show Caption + Hide Caption – ANSBACH, Germany (Dec. 10, 2014) -- From left, Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, U.S. Army Europe commander; Dan Riley, director of the U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation; Col. Christopher Benson, USAG Ansbach comm... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Top USAREUR, IMCOM Europe leaders visit USAG Ansbach
8 / 8 Show Caption + Hide Caption – ANSBACH, Germany (Dec. 10, 2014) -- Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, U.S. Army Europe commander, shakes hands with Sgt. 1st Class Nadia Johnson, noncommissioned officer in charge for the U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ANSBACH, Germany (Dec. 10, 2014) -- The U.S. Army Europe commander joined Installation Management Command Europe's acting region director for a Dec. 9 visit to U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach to meet with Soldiers and senior leadership and to tour garrison facilities.

Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, USAREUR commander, and Col. Anthony Haager, IMCOM Europe acting region director, thanked Soldiers for their hard work and talked to them about the importance leader development and sexual harassment/assault response and prevention.

The visit marked Hodges' first trip to USAG Ansbach since he assumed command of USAREUR in early November.

Several members of the USAG Ansbach command team -- Col. Christopher Benson, commander, and Lt. Col. David Markiewicz, executive officer -- as well as Col. Vincent Torza, commander of 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, accompanied Hodges and Haager as they toured Katterbach Kaserne.

During his visit, Hodges received a windshield tour of Katterbach with stops at the Child Development and School Age Center, the Griffin Integration Platoon facility (Soldiers reception center), and the still-under-construction physical fitness center.

At the Soldiers reception center, Hodges took an opportunity to meet with and address newly arrived Soldiers.

"Each of you enlisted while our nation is at war, and for that, thank you for your service," Hodges said.

Hodges and Haager also had the opportunity to eat lunch with Soldiers from the 12th CAB and senior garrison staff members.

As they lunched, Hodges opened a discussion by asking Soldiers to introduce themselves; he also asked them what was on their minds, was there something that he should be working on and if any of them had suggestions.

"There's so much talent out here in our ranks, and I'm always looking for that talent," Hodges said. "If you have an idea, no chain of command should ever feel threatened about that."

Hodges also discussed leader development within the CAB and how Soldiers -- enlisted, warrant officers and officers alike -- need to stay competitive and proficient.

Then he talked about sexual harassment/assault response and prevention, and how sexual assault is tantamount to fratricide in that it kills unit cohesion and trust.

"Sexual assault is the worst kind of fratricide there is," Hodges said. "It's blue-on-blue, unacceptable behavior. However, Soldiers taking care of Soldiers, leaders doing what they're supposed to do, and all of us looking out for each other: That's what SHARP is about. It shouldn't be a separate program if we were all doing what we're supposed to do. But the reason we have programs like SHARP is because not everyone conducts themselves like they should or there are gaps in our leadership."

Hodges said his expectation is that leaders and Soldiers conduct themselves appropriately so that "every man and woman feels valued and that they're important to an organization and they feel confident in each other."

Before departing Katterbach, Hodges posed with the 12th CAB "Griffin" Soldiers to video record a shout-out for the upcoming Army-Navy game.

"Beat Navy!" they said in unison.