There was an outdated sign at Bldg. 3716 on Wilson Barracks last month, but that was about the only thing wrong with the facility. It showed that the building was last recognized for being the Best Barracks in the garrison in 2011.
A new 2015 sign has since been placed as the building, and the Soldiers from Bravo Company, Troop Command at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center who live there, won the U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz' Best Barracks of the Quarter recently for the first quarter FY16 in the U.S. Army Europe's newly reinstituted Strong Europe Barracks Inspection and Recognition Program.
"Due to the history of winning in the past, the tenants were excited to be entered for the competition," said Master Sgt. Audrey Marie David, First Sergeant of B. Company, LRMC. "The building manager along with the floor sergeants actually asked if the program would come around again."
After a couple of years of dormancy, USAREUR leadership revitalized the best barracks competition and B. Company is the first to garner the award for USAG Rheinland-Pfalz.
"The primary goal of the barracks inspection program is to improve the quality of life for Soldiers who live in the barracks," explained garrison Command Sergeant Major Edward J. Williams III. "This program empowers our junior Soldiers to take action and promotes and instills a high degree of individual and leader responsibility and self-discipline. It's a very competitive process and there were many notable barracks that were deserving of recognition, which shows the tremendous pride and teamwork our Soldiers put into taking care of their quality of life."
Other goals of the inspection and recognition program detailed in the USAREUR policy memorandum covering the program are to promote a sense of home ownership, develop a spirit of camaraderie and esprit-de-corps, and instill a desire to exceed established standards to ensure the highest level of barracks care and maintenance.
All of those goals were met by the winning unit, said David.
"This win has improved the tenants' comradery and their morale as they reflect on the positive outcome of completing basic tasks required of them," she said. "Soldiers residing in the barracks are expected to maintain their living space, it is great when they can be recognized for going the extra mile."
The tenants of the winning barracks are a combination of each company at LRMC along with a few Soldiers from Miesau, added David.
"The inspection benefits the Soldiers in many ways," the B. Company First Sergeant continued. "A lot of people think the inspection is solely based on appearance or room inspections. However, the inspection covered areas from SHARP (Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention) and safety programs to energy management and fire marshall duties. Focusing on multiple areas actually helps the Soldiers become more aware and more compliant with Army Programs."
In addition, some of the things the barracks residents did to improve their quality of life included centralizing the Barracks Manager/Key Control program to have one point for in/out processing of room assignments, work order tracking, hand receipts and occupancy reports; standardizing name plates for the rooms and corresponding storage areas; implementing "Shift Worker" signs to identify Soldiers that may be resting or preparing to go on shift in order to maintain quiet hours; and clearing equipment that was no longer serviceable or too costly for repair.
The Best Barracks award was presented by Garrison Commander Col. Shawn Wells and Command Sergeant Major Williams. The unit also received a $500 prize from Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation.
"At this time, the Soldiers have not completely decided what they would like to use the $500 for, but they have definitely mentioned purchasing leaf blowers as they complete a lot of sweeping due to the many trees around their barracks," said David.
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