HOHENFELS, Germany - U.S. Army Garrison Hohenfels' Army Community Service has received Department of the Army accreditation with commendation, scoring the highest of all ACS divisions in Europe.
An inspection team awarded the ACS a score of 98 out of a possible 100 points, the highest achievement in Europe since new guidelines have been adopted, said Lynn McCollum, ACS director for Installation Management Command-Europe.
Hohenfels' "ACS staff is an efficient, well organized, cohesive and highly professional team," said one reviewer.
The accreditation, a process repeated every three years, was conducted in July, with grading being done in areas such as structure, oversight, management, services, and volunteers.
According to Eva Garrett, acting ACS director, the team has been preparing for this inspection for two years, with the group ensuring every detail of the published standards was in order.
"You take guidance when the inspection comes from IMCOM-Europe, so when DA comes, there are no more corrections to make," she said.
She said the mountains of records and paperwork required to be kept were organized into binders, which were then reviewed by people outside of ACS to ensure there were no oversights. Sometimes it makes sense to you, but it takes someone from the outside to notice mistakes, she said, explaining why they had three "outsiders" look over their records.
"To be accredited is the minimum, to be accredited with commendation is the cherry on top of the sundae," said Stacye Downing, director of Family, Morale, Welfare, and Recreation for USAG Hohenfels.
"They noted that (Hohenfels ACS is) a real and true team," Downing said. "Every single reviewer commented that (the staff's) interaction is superb."
The inspection team included ACS members of IMCOM-Europe, personnel from the Europe Regional Medical Command Family Advocacy Program, Exceptional Family Member Program staff and representative from USAG Garmisch, Germany.
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