WIESBADEN, Germany - The staff of the Wiesbaden Automotive Skills Center took a few minutes out April 21 to join patrons in celebrating winning the Installation Management Command's Army Recreation Award for Best Medium Sized Automotive Skills Center in the U.S. Army worldwide.
"When I'm walking around in the community, I always get comments about what a great job this team does at the Auto Skills Center," said Col. Mary Martin, U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden commander. "They truly deserve this award for everything they do for the community."
"Everyone needs to fix his or her vehicle, and they don't turn anyone away," said Martin, who relinquished command April 22 before heading to a new command assignment in the United States. "Thanks for all you do."
Martin and Garrison Command Sgt. Maj. Larry Addington presented members of the staff with command coins during the Celebration of Excellence which featured free food, courtesy of the Wiesbaden Entertainment Center, BMW Karl+Co. and Military Auto Source; a car smash; live AFN-Wiesbaden broadcast; an air bag demonstration and giveaways.
"These guys work hard," said Richard Babcock, Automotive Skills Center manager. "I'm really happy for them. I get the full support of my team, and we have a great crew."
The Celebration of Excellence event was "a way to show our customer appreciation," the center manager said. "I love it (having earned the worldwide recognition).
"Cars are important to people," said Babcock, who has been with the Wiesbaden center since 2007 and served for a decade as a U.S. Army light-wheeled mechanic. "When you give them the help they need it's very rewarding."
Patrons are effusive in their praise for the local auto skills center.
"It's clean. All the mechanics have been helpful," said Spc. Tony Milheiser, a technician with AFN-Wiesbaden. "It's cheap and it's close."
Milheiser said he was especially impressed by having the opportunity to use the facility to help his wife learn her way around basic car maintenance.
"My wife had never changed her oil and it was easy to come out here and show her what to do -- something she had never thought about doing," he said, adding, with a smile, "It was one of our dates."
"If you're willing to come and get dirty and listen, you can really learn a lot and save money," said Terry Pitts, a U.S. Army civilian with the garrison's Plans, Analysis and Integration Office. "Basically everything I've learned (about car maintenance) is from Army crafts shops."
While the staff members take their jobs very seriously, as witnessed by a consistent stream of positive Interactive Customer Evaluation feedback and the recent IMCOM-level award, there have been less serious moments, Babcock said.
"We've had people come in to get their air conditioners fixed -- and it turns out they didn't have one. We also had a customer ask to have her tire pressure checked. When we checked it, it was 90 pounds in each tire (dangerously overinflated )."
In each case, the staff was quick to explain the workings of the vehicle and to assist, Babcock added.
Wiesbaden Automotive Skills is located on the North Side of Clay Kaserne (enter through Wiesbaden-Erbenheim). The center is open Tuesday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information visit http://wiesbaden.armymwr.com/europe/wiesbaden/programs/automotive-skills.
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