GRAFENWOEHR, Germany - The customary sound of artillery and aircraft associated with the Grafenwoehr Training Area fell silent April 23 for members of the U.S. Army Garrison Grafenwoehr Community Relations Council as they toured the Nine Lagoons.
The silence magnified the sounds of birds, bees and moving water as members from the garrison's environmental office explained the steps the U.S. military is taking to not only preserve, but protect the environment and land.
The tour came at the end of the day-long council event, which brought close to 40 German civilian and military leaders of neighboring communities to Grafenwoehr and highlighted the facts and figures associated with the U.S. military's presence in Bavaria.
"USAG Grafenwoehr, and Efficient Basing-Grafenwoehr, is a huge investment and decision by the United States government to make this an enduring installation," Col. Chris Sorenson, USAG Grafenwoehr commander, said. "We showed the outside community what the value of our installations in Grafenwoehr, Vilseck and Hohenfels is to them."
That value currently is 595 million Euro per year. Of that, 182 million Euro are spent on salleries and wages, 276 million on contract payments. An estimated 48.4 million Euro are spent by U.S. Soldiers, civilians and family members on the local economy each year.
Aside from those purchases, an approximate 88 million Euro is spent on private rental housing by the U.S. Army. Efficient Basing Grafenwoehr, which Sorenson referred to throughout the day as visitors toured newly constructed single Soldier barracks, is a United States Army Europe initiative to transform the garrison into a brigade-size facility.
With more than 150 construction projects included in the $689 million program which is scheduled for completion in 2011, Sorenson said EB-G cements the Army's commitment to the region.
This commitment, said Col. Johann Stadler, Bavarian Bundesweher commander, brings a sense of stability to the area.
"We saw the figures - that 30,000 people are here and the amount of money that is spent here on a day by day basis around the area, in housing, where people live, and paying rent and so on. It is very important for the (German) people to have this security," he said.
For Grafenwoehr Mayor Helmuth WAfA$chter, security is also seen in the more than 4,000 local national employees that work at the garrison. "The Army being here means continued employment security for the local national employees and secondly, a big economic impact."
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