Grafenwoehr, Germany (August 4, 2017) - The 7th Army Training Command's tent at the German-American Volksfest at Grafenwoehr, focused on diversity. The 59th annual German-American Volkfest is a celebration of partnership between the two countries, ta...
Grafenwoehr, Germany (August 4, 2017) - The 7th Army Training Command's tent at the German-American Volksfest at Grafenwoehr, focused on diversity. The 59th annual German-American Volkfest is a celebration of partnership between the two countries, ta...
Grafenwoehr, Germany (August 4, 2017) - The 7th Army Training Command's commander, Brig. Gen. Tony Aguto, cuts the red ribbon with Germany partners at the opening ceremony for the Volksfest at Grafenwoehr. The 59th annual German-American Volkfest is ...
Grafenwoehr, Germany (August 4, 2017) - Volunteers from the 7th Army Training Command prepared hamburgers and pulled pork sandwiches in the unit's tent at Volksfest. The 59th annual German-American Volkfest is a celebration of partnership between the...
Grafenwoehr, Germany (August 4, 2017) - The 59th annual German-American Volkfest is a celebration of partnership between the two countries, taking place from Aug. 4-6.
While walking through, you'll see many booths selling food, drinks and souvenirs. You may also see a papier-mache Statue of Liberty poking out above the other booths.
Following it will lead you to the 7th Army Training Command (7th ATC) tent, where some volunteers were firing up the grill while the others were preparing and serving burgers and pulled pork sandwiches with toothpick-flags of different countries.
The 7th ATC's tent chose the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration as its theme, with a strong focus on the diversity of America as a melting pot for people of all kinds.
Capt. Erick Blackham, the 7th ATC Headquarters and Headquarters Company commander, said the Statue of Liberty stands tall to "try and bring attention to the fact that America was a beacon of hope for a lot of people and a lot of countries."
Along with the replicated Lady of Liberty, there was a map of America with different country flags in each state representing cultural diversity in unity.
In between the two serving windows was a wheel labeled with different attributes such as race, religion and sexual orientation, with the 7th ATC emblem in the middle.
There was also a cutout of Bremen, a ship which brought German immigrants to America.
Henry Browning, the spectrum manager for the 7th ATC information technology directorate, helped build the booth. According to him, the ship took the mother of a colleague who works in the 7th ATC operations office, from Germany to America, which is why it was chosen.
If the crowd is anything like it has been in recent years, it's likely they'll need a bigger boat.
As the beer begins to flow and the crowds increase, so hopefully too will the partnerships and friendships between the local community and the military community. So have a beer, grab a burger and know it all goes to a good cause.
The money made during this event will fund Family Readiness Group events in the future. The booth will be open for the duration of the event, from Aug. 4-6.
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