ANSBACH, Germany (Oct. 14, 2014) -- U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach held a grand opening for the new unaccompanied Soldier barracks at Bismarck Kaserne recently.
Col. Christopher M. Benson, USAG Ansbach commander, and Col. Matthew Tyler, commander of the Europe District of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, spoke at the event.
"Today the Army, in coordination with many other organizations and individuals, makes good on its promise to provide Soldiers a quality of life that is commensurate with their service," said Benson. "These new barracks are yet another means by which we can provide our unaccompanied Soldiers a high quality of living and the standard that they deserve. Our mission at USAG Ansbach is to provide for our Soldiers, units and Family members. And when we perform our job, our mission partners are better able to perform theirs."
"It's an incredible upgrade from what Soldiers have seen in the past, and I know that Soldiers of the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade are going to enjoy being in here," said Tyler.
The barracks are in a "1+1" layout, which means that Soldiers will get individual living quarters but two quarters will share a bathroom and kitchen facility.
Amenities at the new barracks include laundry rooms and storage lockers. Solar panels will help heat the water in the building. Though the panels do not produce energy, it mitigates the expense of energy, according to Tyler.
The grand opening included a ribbon cutting, cake cutting and tour of the facilities. Some of the Soldiers delivering the tour had already been living in the new barracks for a week.
"The windows are much larger, the lights seem much brighter," said Spc. Michelle Howard, a 12th CAB Soldier and resident of the new barracks. "There are a lot of small differences."
Sgt. Leonard Honrado, another 12th CAB Soldier and resident, appreciated the inclusion of a stoves for cooking. He and Howard also appreciated the location of the new barracks, which are closer to Katterbach Kaserne and 12th CAB headquarters.
"I used to commute around fifteen minutes from Barton [Barracks] to here every day," said Honrado.
"Providing quality housing is in and of itself a worthy aim, but for us here at the garrison, however, providing new barracks is not the end of our goal," said Benson. "We are here to support the units. We're also here to support each Soldier individually. As such, we want to give our Soldiers a place to call home. To us, USAG Ansbach is our hometown. And we hope that for Soldiers living here, it becomes their hometown as well."
Related Links:
Europe Distrcit, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Europe Distrcit, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Facebook page
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