Ansbach Weekly

Weekly IMCOM Sampler - Here’s what’s happening at U.S. Army Garrisons around the world. More…

Eye on AMC - What’s happening within the U.S. Army Materiel Command—IMCOM’s senior command. More…

Calendar and menu updates from around the garrison.

• Oct. 15: Six the Musical, Sadowski Theater, 7:30 p.m. More...
• Oct. 16: 5 Love Languages Game Night
• ​Oct. 16: Six the Musical, Sadowski Theater, 7:30 p.m. More...
• Oct. 17: Six the Musical, Sadowski Theater, 7:30 p.m. More...
• Oct. 18: Retirees lunch with Retired Soldier Council, Katterbach DFAC, 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
• Oct. 22: U.S. Military Academy recruiting event at the Katterbach DFAC, 12 - 1 p.m. More...
• Oct. 22: Trick Or Treat Stroll, 10-11 a.m. More...
• Oct. 23-25: Express trip to Lyon, France, with Outdoor Recreation.
• Oct. 25: 500/1000 Pound Club Event, 12-1 p.m. More...
• Oct. 27: Career Summit for transitioning Soldiers at Rose Barracks, Vilseck. More...
• Oct. 27: Ansbach Hospital Maternity Tour with ACS, 1-3 p.m. More...
• Oct. 29: Boo Bash at Hanger 2 on Katterbach Kaserne, 5-9 p.m.
• Oct. 31: Rocky Horror Picture Show, Sadowski Movie Theater, 10:30 p.m. More...
• Nov. 3-6: Annual flu drive at the Health Clinic, 2-6 p.m. More...
• Nov. 4: Bulk trash pickup at Katterbach, Urlas and Bleidorn housing areas, 7 a.m. More...
• Nov. 5: Employment & Job Fair, Von Steuben Community Center, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. More...
• Nov. 12: Armed Forces Entertainment Comedy Show. More...
• Nov. 20-22: USAG Ansbach Holiday Bazaar.
• Nov. 26-29: Thanksgiving Ski/Snowbard Trip with Outdoor Recreation.
• Dec. 4: Holiday Tree Lighting, 5-8 p.m. More...

MWR CALENDAR | ACS CALENDAR | DoWEA SCHOOLS CALENDAR | USO EVENTS

• Every weekend, starting Sept. 19 until Nov. 1: Pumpkin exhibition at Castle Kaltenberg featuring incredible pumpkin sculptures and activities for all ages! For more information and to purchase tickets, click here!
• Oct. 3-14: Michaelis Kichweih in Fürth. It is held in the streets of Fürth's city centre, also the name "Straßenkirchweih" (street fair). Unusual: there are no tents! In addition to different amusement rides, bar and snack stands, traders and market criers also offer their wares. The Kärwa is recognised on the Bavarian Cultural Heritage List and in the Federal Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage. More...
• Oct. 17: Long Nights of the towers in Crailsheim from 6 PM - 11 PM. The city's historic towers will be spectacularly lit up with artistic light projections. Open towers, live concerts, readings, art exhibitions, street performances, and local food options will be offered. More...
• Oct. 18: Gospel Concert Featuring the JES Trio and the Gunzenhausen Gospel Choir at the Sankt Marien Church in Gunzenhausen.
• Oct. 22-25: Illesheim Kirchweih
• Oct. 31 - Nov. 8: Autumn Fair with trade show in Rothenburg. More...

Weihnachtsmärkte - Christmas Markets

For more Christmas Markets, click here!

• Nov. 20 - Dec. 23: Rothenburg
• Nov. 23 - Dec. 22: Dinkelsbühl
• Nov. 24 - Dec. 23: Bamberg
• Nov. 26 - Dec. 23: Ansbach
• Nov. 27 - Dec. 20: Bad Windsheim
• Nov. 27 - Dec. 23: Würzburg
• Nov. 27 - Dec. 24: Nürnberg
• Nov. 27 - 29: Within the Castle in Schillingsfürst
• Nov. 28-29: Sachsen bei Ansbach
• Nov 28-29: Cadolzburg
• Nov. 29: Lichtenau
• Dec. 5 -6: Iphofen
• Dec. 5-6: Uffenheim
• Dec. 18 - 19: Herrieden

US Army in Hohenfels: Military training involving drones and counter-drone measures is increasing significantly

At the 41st annual Community Connector meeting in Hohenfels, U.S. Army Garrison leaders, local mayors, and partner agencies discussed major infrastructure, housing, and training developments around the Hohenfels training area. The garrison plans roughly $100 million in construction during the current fiscal year, including barracks renovations, wastewater upgrades, a hotel complex, a new simulation center, and future service housing, while local housing remains fully occupied. Officials also announced that Combined Resolve 27-01, involving about 3,500 U.S. and allied troops, is underway and may increase traffic, drone activity, and training-related noise in surrounding areas; additional exercises and convoy movements are planned through 2027. Residents were encouraged to report maneuver damage promptly, and the garrison highlighted upcoming community events and an October exhibition marking the history of the Hohenfels training area. (onetz.de, October 12, 2026)

Bundeswehr: Bavaria State Command Under New Leadership

The Bavaria State Command serves as the link between the military and civil authorities. It is now led by Brigadier General Rainer Simon, who becomes the Bundeswehr’s highest-ranking military representative in the Free State. (br24.de, October 9, 2026)

34-year-old Würzburg missing person case Tina Grogan

Thirty-four years after Tina Grogan and her two young sons disappeared from Würzburg, German investigators and family members hope former U.S. soldier Dale Grogan may finally reveal what happened. Grogan, who was stationed in Würzburg in 1992, reportedly told Florida investigators after a recent arrest that he had killed his wife and sons. At the time of their disappearance, neighbors had heard children crying from the family’s apartment, and U.S. Army police had previously responded to domestic-violence incidents there. Although German police searched Würzburg and Giebelstadt with cadaver dogs, no bodies or conclusive evidence were found before Grogan returned to the United States in 1994. He is now serving a ten-year Florida sentence for conspiring to have sex with a child, while the U.S. Army’s criminal investigation department examines the decades-old case as a possible murder. Investigators are seeking a formal declaration of death in Würzburg and may pursue a U.S. grand-jury case if sufficient evidence emerges, potentially allowing a renewed search for the victims’ remains. (Mainpost, October 13, 2026)

US soldiers in Germany test Apaches for use in fight against drones

Soldiers assigned to USAG Ansbach's 12th Combat Aviation Brigade and 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment conducted during Operation Skyfall II at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Oct. 6, 2026. Army air defense soldiers used ground radar to cue Apache helicopters that shot down drones during the exercise. The Skyfall exercises grew out of the Army’s modernization initiative known as Project Flytrap. Skyfall I, held in the spring, tested whether the drones could be shot down by an Apache. Skyfall II tested whether targeting data could be sent from the ground. (Stars and Stripes, October 7, 2026)

Range 109 at Grafenwöhr Training Area Being Expanded

The expansion of "Range 109" aligns with a major US Army investment drive in Grafenwöhr. There, the Army is constructing—among other facilities—an entirely new camp spanning 50 hectares as part of the Operational Readiness Training Complex (ORTC). More than 40 buildings are being erected, including a hospital, living quarters, vehicle maintenance facilities, a dining hall, and recreational amenities. In addition, a state-of-the-art combat simulation center is being built. In total, the U.S. Armed Forces are investing more than one billion dollars in the Grafenwöhr site. (onetz.de, October 8, 2026)

Trump says he will consider permanent US military base in Lithuania

US President Donald Trump said he “will definitely look” into the possibility of opening a permanenert US base in Lithuania — the Baltic country at the eastern NATO flank. “They are friends of mine, they are great people. So we will certainly look at it,” Trump told LRT reporter when asked whether US would consider establishing a permanent military base in Lithuania. The comments follow Lithuania’s Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius conversation with John Coale, President Donald Trump’s envoy to neighbouring Belarus, where he told that Vilnius wants US troops to be permanently stationed in the Baltic country amid Russia’s war in Ukraine and a series of hybrid threats, including drone incursions and the instrumentalization of migration by Belarus. (Euronews, October 8, 2026)

Shedding Light on the Blind Spot: How Leighton Barracks Became the Hubland District

Elisa Hill’s BLIND SPOT exhibition at the Würzburg City Archives documents her search for her African American American grandfather and the family history long left unspoken. Through photographs, letters, keepsakes, archival research, and images of the former Leighton Barracks—now Würzburg’s Hubland district—Hill traces her grandmother’s relationship with a U.S. soldier, their move to America, and their eventual separation. The project, created for her Communication Design bachelor’s thesis, helps Hill examine her German-American identity, connect with relatives she had not known, and narrow a personal “blind spot” about her roots, even though she never met her grandfather. (Mainfranken News, October 7, 2026)

Sommerhausen Celebrates Pastorius’s Birthday

September 26 marked the 375th anniversary of the birth of Franz Daniel Pastorius, the famous US emigrant from Sommerhausen. The market town celebrated the occasion with events including a benefit concert by the Veitshöchheim Army Band and a festive parade. The day was defined above all by a sense of connection. Brigadier General André Abed, the garrison commander in Veitshöchheim, emphasized how extraordinary it was to be able to welcome U.S. forces to this celebration, given the current state of global politics. "It is our responsibility to continue this partnership," said Colonel Michael D. Cookey, commander of U.S. forces in Ansbach. He noted that, regardless of high-level politics, it is local connections that hold global significance. Cookey hails from the area near Germantown, which was founded by Pastorius. (Mainpost, September 28, 2026)

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