FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- (Nov. 7, 2013) -- Holiday Block Leave is a planned two-week training break during the holiday season and several Fort Leonard Wood community members are already busy making sure this intricate undertaking is a success.
"All the Soldiers-in-training are given an opportunity to go home. Cadre and their civilian counterparts are also given the opportunity to take leave and enjoy the holiday season," said Thomas Flynn Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security, Installation Holiday Block Leave actions officer.
Information, Tickets and Registration and World Class Travel is responsible for planning and executing the ticketing -- airline, shuttle and/or Greyhound -- for all Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training service members at Fort Leonard Wood.
Approximately 5,000 Soldiers-in-training leave the post during Holiday Block Leave. Then, there are numerous other service members and civilians that also leave the Fort Leonard Wood area.
The ITR and World Class Travel office tickets for Holiday Block Leave from mid-October through December.
"We have a very small staff of three agents, however we work diligently to assist the troops in getting home for the holidays for the best price. Every Company has a four-hour block of time scheduled through the Range Facility Management Support System to be in our office for ticketing. The ITR and World Class Travel staff is committed to helping every Service Member get home for the holidays," said Jane Weixelbaum, ITR and World Class Travel business manager.
For the ITR and World Class Travel team the most challenging part of the process is finding good fares at good times for the troops' travel needs.
"We work hand-in-hand with the Greyhound agents. There are several locations that Greyhound will actually get them home sooner than a flight will. So, we ensure that the service members are given this information when they come in. There are several that we will purchase a one-way Greyhound home and a one-way flight back to maximize their time at home," Weixelbaum said.
During ticketing, the ITR and World Class Travel office is unable to answer their phone.They ask all customers to leave a message.
"Anyone that leaves a voice mail during normal business hours will receive a call back the same day. We are currently averaging approximately 120 call backs per day," Weixelbaum said. "If a customer comes into our office during ticketing, they will be the next customer helped."
The Holiday Block Leave mission is constant for Flynn. He starts the planning process for the next year's block of leave immediately after one ends.
"As soon as last year's Holiday Block Leave was over, we did an After-Action Review to see where we can fix issues and make the next year's operation run even smoother," Flynn said.
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