RED CLOUD GARRISON, South Korea - Safety is a priority for Red Cloud Garrison commander Col. Hank Dodge and it's also a top concern of Warrior Country Soldiers participating in a focus group Oct. 22.
Abigail Kim, U.S. Army Garrison Red Cloud customer service officer, sat down with the Soldiers to listen and help them define their most important concerns to present to the Installation Action Council.
A wide variety of issues were discussed throughout the meeting.
The top issues raised and briefed by Soldiers were dining facility customer service and quality, on-post bus safety and on-post taxi service, all of which were unanimously selected as their greatest concerns. Other concerns brought up include Internet and cable service in the barracks, customer service problems throughout Warrior Country organizations and the lack of an adequate hair salon at Red Cloud Garrison.
"My particular biggest issue is that the Internet and cable services provided on post charge prices substantially higher than what could be received off post and the quality is not that great," said Spc. Torry Jennings, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, U.S. Army Garrison Casey. "But bus safety is a major issue as well. Sometimes on-post bus drivers drive off without everyone being seated first, which is very dangerous and even more dangerous if children are riding."
Ray Myers, director of Plans, Analysis and Integration Office, agreed that issues involving the safety of community members must be addressed immediately. He told the Soldiers listening directly to their concerns gives him new insights into the areas that need to be changed in the garrison.
"The bus issue is an important issue because of safety," Myers said. "The problem can and will be solved quickly by first off explaining to the drivers they must wait until everyone is seated before they take off, and second, monitoring the situation to ensure they keep doing it."
Myers said the Soldier focus groups are invaluable because the concerns raised help the garrison make improvements so Warrior Country can be a more enjoyable place to live.
"It's good that the Soldiers can come discuss these situations in a relaxed environment," Myers said. "In these focus groups they have fun and have influence on the improvement of Warrior Country."
"I have been here for almost three years and I have to say that these focus groups give Soldiers a certain type of closure in knowing their voices are being heard, and slowly but surely, you start to notice improvement does come," Jennings added.
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