Fort Bragg Army Community Service team achieves 'near perfection'

By Eve Meinhardt/ParaglideApril 1, 2010

Fort Bragg Army Community Service team achieves 'near perfection'
Lieutenant Gen. Frank Helmick, left, commander, XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, and Col. Stephen Sicinski, right, Fort Bragg garrison commander, present Barbara Trower-Simpkins, director, Fort Bragg Army Community Service, with the Order of the ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Every three years, Fort Bragg's Army Community Service must undergo an accreditation inspection to ensure they are meeting Army standards. Inspectors from Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command, the Installation Management Command Regional Headquarters and U.S. Army Medical Command evaluated ACS during their visit March 8 to 12.

ACS not only passed the inspection, but in the words of Dan Ahern, director, Fort Bragg FMWR, achieved "near perfection" with an overall score of 98.6 percent and meeting all ACS managed standards.

"I'm pleased as punch and very proud of the ACS team," said Ahern. "They were recognized as the best large ACS in the Army for 2009 and they really showed it during this inspection."

Lieutenant Gen. Frank Helmick, commander, XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, and Col. Stephen Sicinski, Fort Bragg garrison commander, recognized the success of the ACS team in a ceremony in Memorial Hall at the Soldier Support Center Friday.

In addition to presenting the ACS program managers with certificates recognizing their success, they also presented ACS Director Barbara Trower-Simpkins with the Order of the White Plume.

The White Plume award is the Army's highest level of achievement in support of FMWR. Recipients must represent a career-long commitment of true service excellence to Soldiers, Families, the Army and the nation. Helmick said Trower-Simpkins easily meets these requirements.

"Barbara is the kind-of leader that should be in the ACS Hall of Fame," he said. "She recently received the Stalwart Award, recognizing her as the best ACS employee in the region. That doesn't come lightly."

Trower-Simpkins was humble about her accomplishments and said she is nothing without her team.

"I'm overwhelmed because it's really not about me, it's about my team," said Trower-Simpkins. "It's not me, but what our team does together to make this successful for our Soldiers and their Families. (The ACS team) gives of themselves so much to help provide Fort Bragg's Soldiers and Families with the resiliency they need."