ANSBACH, Germany (Aug. 1, 2014) -- U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach's own Sgt. 1st Class Robert Forsythe has been named U.S. Army Europe's Equal Opportunity Adviser for Third Quarter.
The honor recognizes EOAs "who have gone above and beyond the scope of their duties," said Forsythe, who is receiving the recognition for the first time in his career.
"It means a lot to me," he said. "I've poured a lot of hard work into this program, revamping it from what it was when I took over to where it's at right now."
Forsythe, like equal opportunity advisers across the Army, has a multifaceted role that includes advising the commander on equal opportunity issues, resolving equal opportunity issues for members of the unit, leading equal opportunity training, and monitoring and evaluating his unit's equal opportunity program.
In addition to those daily duties, Forsythe plans, coordinates and executes the Ethnic Observance Program that honors the contributions of individuals and groups who represent different cultural components of American society. These observances include Black History Month, Women's History Month, Native American Indian Heritage Month and others.
"There is a lot of work, a lot of coordination, a lot of planning, working with different agencies to sync together, coming up with the fliers, getting the locations and everything like that," he said. "It's a huge effort to bring it all together -- but it always seems to work out."
Because of the limited budget allocated to these observances, Forsythe said he relies on help from agencies and individuals -- including the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Ansbach Spouses and Civilians Club, and numerous other volunteers throughout the USAG Ansbach community.
"I want to give a thank-you to all the agencies, individuals and anybody that's ever helped me with any of these events," Forsythe added. "I couldn't do it without their help and their support."
In April for the Days of Remembrance observance, Holocaust survivor Margot Friedlander accepted Forsythe's invitation to visit USAG Ansbach. She read passages from her memoir and talked to community members about her experiences during the Holocaust. The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Forsythe said, received a huge response from the community.
"That has, by far, been my most successful and largest event," Forsythe said.
The Days of Remembrance event was only one of the reasons that Command Sgt. Maj. Mark A. Kiefer, USAG Ansbach command sergeant major, nominated Forsythe as the most recent EOA of the Quarter.
"He's been nominated because of the effort he's been putting into our EO program," Kiefer said. "I think in the five months since I got here, the EO program has been more expansive and more people are involved throughout the community. We've advertised it more. We've come up with more innovative programs and thoughtful programs to reach the community to highlight each one of these issues regarding EO."
Kiefer said when he first arrived in Ansbach, the program had not reached its potential; however, after "a little bit of guidance from the command group," Forsythe did the rest.
"His innovative ideas in putting the programs together were very thoughtful, and the whole community benefits," said Kiefer. "We're getting widespread support with our EO programs. He's really raising the bar for our EO program in the garrison."
Although Forsythe said he works hard on observances like the Days of Remembrance and, more recently, Asian-American Pacific-Islander Heritage Month, he can't take credit for all the good ideas.
"I talk to as many people as I can to come up with ideas," Forsythe said. "I couldn't do what I do without the support and help from everybody in the community."
Forsythe, who is also busy covering down as the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade EOA until their replacement arrives in late August, said he is looking forward to upcoming events. These include the Women's Equality Day later this month, where the goal is to register as many people as possible to vote to celebrate the passing of the 19th Amendment. Also in the works is the Hispanic Heritage Month observance, planned for late September.
"His performance has been absolutely outstanding," Kiefer said. "Now the challenge is to get him to do a little better each time and to never back up -- and he's up for that challenge."
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