New barracks mean home to Soldiers

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- Soldiers cut the ribbon recently on the first new barracks built here in many years -- a sign that Rhine Ordnance Barracks is growing and that U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz will remain a vital part of U.S. defense strategy.

But to Soldiers, new barracks are more than just a building, more than just military infrastructure.

To them, barracks are home.

Single Soldiers living in the barracks build a family of their own --bonding with friends they can rely on, said Spc. Garfield Grant, 23, a Jamaica native who serves as a technician with 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment. New barracks will allow Soldiers to have a quality space they need to relax, he said.

"It's really nice, really new. It's really spacious; that's what counts," Grant said. "Everybody wants to go home to a quiet place of their own after work. These new barracks will allow Soldiers to have that. You are coming home … you can lock your door and have your own solace."

The new barracks also improve the quality of life for Soldiers, said Col. G. Shawn Wells Jr., the commander of U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz.

"In this case, new barracks -- with its 143 rooms for Soldiers and laundry rooms on each floor -- will greatly support our single Soldiers and increase their ability to be effective at their job," Wells said.

Some Soldiers drive from barracks at Sembach to get to work at ROB. That's a 13-mile drive, often through commuter traffic and construction on the autobahn, which can take a half-hour each way. After physical training in the morning, instead of having their own space to change, they shower at the gym.

Soldiers will now be able to live, work and train in the same location -- increasing their readiness, Wells said. They can focus on their mission and their training, not on fighting autobahn traffic, he said.

The construction project was a partnership effort that included the Landesbetrieb LBB, the construction management agency of Rheinland-Pfalz; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, European District, who oversaw the construction and the garrison's Directorate of Public Works.

The building is energy efficient, meeting the highest standards of windows, insulation and solar energy. It was also built with force protection in mind.

Soldiers from several U.S. Army Europe units and the garrison call ROB home, including troops assigned to the 10th Army Air & Missile Defense Command and the 5th Quartermaster Detachment.

Next year, the garrison headquarters will move to ROB. In a few years, the barracks here will also support a medical mission. U.S. officials recently broke ground on a medical center that will replace Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.

"This ribbon cutting marks a point in our commitment to Soldiers," Wells said. "We are committed to being regionally ready and family strong."