GRAFENWOEHR, Germany - Sixty-seven U. S. Army Garrison Grafenwoehr Soldiers gathered to discuss issues facing single Soldiers and share those issues with the garrison commander Sept. 16.
This Single Soldier Summit was the brain child of Sgt. Eric Sargent, Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers president. Gatherings of this nature have occurred before, but not recently at USAG Grafenwoehr.
Aca,!A"I felt we, as single Soldiers, werenAca,!a,,ct really being heard by the command structure,Aca,!A? said Sargent, Aca,!A"so in order for us to be heard, we needed to gather as a unit and discuss all the common issues we face here at USAG Grafenwoehr.Aca,!A?
However, after Sargent approached Audre Binder, director of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation at USAG Grafenwoehr, and members of the command staff, his idea of a small gathering of single Soldiers turned into an all-day summit.
Aca,!A"We knew that during the Army Family Action Plan conference, single Soldiers were completely under-represented because they were off doing other things, and we needed to know what they needed,Aca,!A? said Binder.
The 67 participants spent the morning in three groups generating 117 single Soldier issues. The groups were focused on the three pillars of the BOSS program: quality of life, community service, and recreation and leisure. After generating the initial issues, Soldiers vetted and prioritized the list to 15 issues they felt needed the most attention.
Aca,!A"One of the major issues consistent in all three groups is quality of life for barracks personnel,Aca,!A? said Spc. Maria Hoose a single Soldier with 5th Maintenance Company, 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. Aca,!A"I think there are some serious concerns between the setup of the personnel in the barracks, but this summit gave the single Soldiers clear guidance of why we have so many people still living doubled up in the barracks.Aca,!A?
Following the morning session, Soldiers discussed the issues with various representatives from Community Health Promotion Council /Suicide Prevention Task Force, Army and Air Force Exchange Services, Defense Commissary Agency, FMWR, Interactive Customer Evaluations, Outdoor Recreation, the First SergeantsAca,!a,,c Barracks Program and garrison leadership and get some real answers to their questions.
The top issues included meal card choice, one Soldier per room preferences, barracks visitation policies, emergency health care services on post, communication break down between leaders and Soldiers, a single Soldier cruise, longer gym hours, CommanderAca,!a,,cs Cup events, Pizza Hut delivery on post, and single Soldier retreats to locations other than the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort in Garmisch.
Aca,!A"On the CommanderAca,!a,,cs Cup, I think we owe you for our community to make sure we get the right feedback for the right event,Aca,!A? said Col. Vann Smiley, commander, USAG Grafenwoehr. Aca,!A"If you let a bunch of colonels and sergeant majors do the CommanderAca,!a,,cs Cup, everything will be done on bicycles or motorbikes; weAca,!a,,cre old, simple as that.Aca,!A?
Smiley then asked the group how many had, in the last three months, submitted an ICE comment. Very few hands were raised.
Aca,!A"If we woke up tomorrow morning and I saw 67 ICE comments on pizza delivery at Grafenwoehr,Aca,!A? said Smiley, Aca,!A"and I turned and took those 67 comments to Marla Smith from AAFES and said to her I donAca,!a,,ct know where this demand came from but all of a sudden 67 people said, Aca,!EoeHey, I need this on Vilseck, Grafenwoehr, Hohenfels and everywhere else ...Aca,!a,,cAca,!A?
Aca,!A"You (the Soldier) need to learn to leverage the systems that are already in place. Your needs are valid, but you have to help me help you,Aca,!A? said Smiley with a grin.
Another issue that concerned Soldiers was lack of communication between the garrison and the single Soldiers, and between BOSS and its Soldiers.
Aca,!A"All the Soldiers involved today will be invited to partake in the committees that continue the researching of these issues.Aca,!A? said Sargent. Aca,!A"If the Soldiers donAca,!a,,ct want to be involved, it shows the dedication and drive to make things better within the garrison is gone and that we need to spark that interest again.Aca,!A?
Sargent said the issues will be worked after the summit and his goal is to continue working beyond the top 15 issues, chipping away one-by-one at all 117 until they fall into one of several categories. The categories include: attainable and local, attainable but not at our local level or unattainable.
Aca,!A"This is our garrison and our quality of life. It is up to us to take responsibility and help make things happen within its boundaries,Aca,!A? Sargent said.
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