CHIÈVRES AIR BASE, Belgium – Going from a commercial automobile repair shop in the local area to working for the U.S. Army on Chièvres Air Base as a Belgian host nation employee might seem like a major career change, but Fabian Vanhaecht said his work performance at both jobs remained consistent.
“The type of equipment I work on is different, but regardless, I perform my job with the same level of motivation and care,” said Vanhaecht, an autobody technician with Logistics Readiness Center Benelux since last August.
“When I applied for this job last year, I didn’t know the Army would be celebrating its 250th birthday in 2025. Now that I know this, I’m happy to be a part of the team on this special year. Happy 250th birthday, U.S. Army!” Vanhaecht said.
One of the primary missions Vanhaecht is focused on since starting with LRC Benelux as an autobody technician is the paint booth. LRC Benelux acquired a new paint booth in 2023, and Vanhaecht has been working there on a regular basis for the past few months.
In fact, he’s painted about a half a dozen Humvees and over 15 generators from the Eygelshoven Army Prepositioned Stocks-2 worksite, transforming the APS-2 equipment from desert tan to olive drab green in color.
“I like my job here because it’s diversified and multifaceted, and the equipment I work on is very specialized. You cannot work on this type of specialized equipment anywhere else,” said Vanhaecht, who has three years of training as a general mechanic and another year of body shop technician training. “And I like my team. The maintenance team has a lot of spirit. We work well together, and they are all good people.”
The paint booth, which is part of LRC Benelux’s maintenance division, is the only one of its kind in U.S. Army Europe and Africa. The cost of the paint booth when purchased was over $120,000. Around that same time, LRC Benelux also purchased a new air compressor, a 6-stage air filtration system, and new pneumatic air respirators to go with the booth.
The maintenance division at LRC Benelux provides installation baseline services to the U.S. Army Garrison Benelux area of responsibility. This includes maintenance, repairs, services, and paint and body shop support across the garrison’s footprint at multiple installations in Belgium and the Netherlands as well as Dülmen, Germany.
LRC Benelux is one of eight LRCs under the command and control of the 405th Army Field Support Brigade. LRCs execute installation logistics support and services to include supply, maintenance, and transportation as well as clothing issue facility operations, hazardous material management, personal property and household goods, passenger travel, non-tactical vehicle and garrison equipment management, and property book operations. When it comes to providing day-to-day installation baseline services, LRC Benelux directs, manages and coordinates a variety of operations and activities in support of USAG Benelux.
The 405th AFSB is assigned to U.S. Army Sustainment Command and headquartered in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The brigade provides materiel enterprise support to U.S. forces throughout Europe and Africa – providing theater sustainment logistics; synchronizing acquisition, logistics and technology; and leveraging U.S. Army Materiel Command’s materiel enterprise to support joint forces. For more information on the 405th AFSB, visit the official website and the official Facebook site.
The Army will celebrate its 250th birthday on June 14. For 250 years, the Army has offered endless possibilities and opportunities for service to our nation with over 200 career choices for Soldiers and more than 500 career paths for civilians. Go here to learn more about the Army’s 250th birthday, and check out the DVIDS’s special Army birthday feature portal.
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