U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden hosts local national hiring booth at German state fair

By Martin Heinen and Michael KenfieldJune 4, 2024

Local national hiring booth
U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Headquarters and Headquarters Company Commander Capt. Patrick Ledbetter (left) and USAG Workforce Development Specialist Pierre Fuchs (right) standby the garrison hosted local national hiring booth – ready to talk about the available employment opportunities and the benefits employees receive when hired as members of the garrison workforce, on May 30.

The hiring booth was hosted by USAG Wiesbaden and Clay Kaserne tenant organizations whose workforces are comprised of local national employees at the Hessentag State Fair held in the Northern Hessian town of Fritzlar.
(Photo Credit: Martin Heinen)
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WIESBADEN, Germany – Local national hires are the foundation of the U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden workforce and are key to providing institutional knowledge and continuity of operations when U.S. military and civilian personnel regularly rotate out – to new duty assignments – every three to five years.

Hiring booth

Currently, the garrison workforce in Wiesbaden is comprised of more than 475 personnel of which 370 are local national hires – more than 75%.

“Local national employees are combat multipliers (…) they play an important role in our overall mission,” said USAG Wiesbaden Deputy to the Garrison Commander Mitchell Jones.

Despite the many employment opportunities that are available, many local nationals do not know that the U.S. military routinely offers employment to the local population. A chief struggle is finding qualified applicants who want to apply and fill the void.

In a show of support, USAG Wiesbaden, and other members of U.S. Army Europe and Africa units hosted a local national hiring booth at the annual Hessentag State Fair to help spread awareness and possibly help fill the void.

One of the challenges is that “we are short local national hires (…) especially in the blue collar, engineer, technician and administration career fields,” said USAG Wiesbaden Workforce Development Program Manager Thomas Schulze.

Hosted in conjunction with Clay Kaserne and Wiesbaden area tenant units whose workforces are comprised of local national employees, the hiring booth highlighted the opportunities and benefits of being a member of the U.S. Army local national workforce.

“We get a lot of interest from [current and former] Bundeswehr service members who look for civilian work opportunities after their retirement from active duty,” said USAG Wiesbaden Workforce Development Specialist Pierre Fuchs.

Local national Fuchs was hired by the U.S. Army in Germany after he retired from the German armed forces.

Bundeswehr Complex
Each year, at Hessentag, the German Armed Forces showcase key capabilities while, also, highlighting available opportunities to members of the local Hessen communities who might have interest in joining the Landeskommando. The 2024 Hessentag State Fair was held in the Northern Hessian town of Fritzlar from May 24 to June 2.

The Bundeswehr Complex included static displays of military hardware from both the U.S. and German Army. Some of the on-hand U.S. Army equipment included a M1A2 Abrams main battle tank, a high-mobility multi-wheeled vehicle (HMMWV), a multiple launched rocket system, and communications equipment.
(Photo Credit: Martin Heinen)
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In addition to USAG Wiesbaden, the booth was manned by unit representatives from U.S. Army Europe and Africa, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District, 2nd Theater Signal Brigade, Logistics Readiness Center, and Installation Management Command-Europe.

If you know of a local national who might be interested in working for the U.S. military in Europe or to learn more about civilian local national employment opportunities visit: https://portal.chra.army.mil/mnrs

Local partnership

Each year, at Hessentag, the German Armed Forces showcase key capabilities while, also, highlighting available opportunities to members of the local Hessen communities who might have interest in joining the Landeskommando.

The Bundeswehr Complex – hosted by the Landeskommando Hessen – included static displays of military hardware from both the U.S. and German Army which provided the public with the chance see some of the equipment, including combat vehicles, up close.

German attack helicopter Tiger
U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Headquarters and Headquarters Company Commander Capt. Patrick Ledbetter (left) listens to a description of the capabilities and characteristics of a German attack helicopter Tiger from one of its two crewmen on May 30 at the annual Hessentag State Fair held in the Northern Hessian town of Fritzlar.

The Tiger is a multi-role attack helicopter used in support of operations by the German Army’s Rapid Forces Division.
(Photo Credit: Martin Heinen)
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Some of the on-hand U.S. Army equipment included a M1A2 Abrams main battle tank, a high-mobility multi-wheeled vehicle (HMMWV), a multiple launched rocket system, and communications equipment.

USAG Wiesbaden Headquarters and Headquarters Company Commander Capt. Patrick Ledbetter was in attendance at the Hessentag, May 30, after being invited by the Landeskommando Hessen – the Regional Territorial State Command of Hesse – which is the official German Armed Forces partner unit of the U.S. Army in Wiesbaden.

While at Hessentag, Ledbetter stopped by both the local national hiring booth and the Landeskommando Complex, in the spirit of partnership, to help raise the public’s awareness of the U.S. Army in Wiesbaden.

Hessentag is Germany's equivalent to a U.S. state fair and is held annually at different locations throughout the state of Hesse. This year’s fair was held in the Northern Hessian town of Fritzlar from May 24 to June 2, 2024.

USAG Wiesbaden Berlin Airlift Observance

The partnership between U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden and the State of Hesse extends beyond Hessentag.

USAG Wiesbaden, together with the State of Hesse, will host a public commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the end of the Berlin Airlift on June 15 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and June 16 from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

There will also be a school-focused day on June 17, which is primarily for surrounding schools.

For more information on how to attend this observance, visit the USAG Wiesbaden Berlin Airlift webpage: https://home.army.mil/wiesbaden/berlinairlift

USAG Wiesbaden 75th Berlin Airlift anniversary video: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/920664/berlin-airlift-75th-anniversary

Berlin Airlift fact sheet, visit: https://home.army.mil/wiesbaden/application/files/3617/1508/3557/BAL_75_Factsheet_2024_-_ENGLISH_Final_v3.pdf