KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany –
Earlier this month, I decided to highlight some of the women assigned to the 405th Army Field Support Brigade daily during National Women’s History Month, but what I wasn’t at all prepared for was what I would learn.
It was amazing to learn about each one of these women and hear their individual stories. With more than 765 years of combined service with the Army, these 39 women assigned to the 405th AFSB have literally done it all.
They are active duty and reserve officers, noncommissioned officers, Department of the Army civilians and local national Army employees from Italy, Germany and the Netherlands.
They are budget analysts, human resources specialists, contracting representatives, engineers, property book officers, transportation assistants, supply technicians, logistics management specialists, plans and operations chiefs, strategic logistics planners, traffic management specialists, safety technicians, support operations chiefs, logistics assistance representatives, program analysts, SHARP victim advocates, executive officers, deputy commanders, command sergeants major and commanders.
Some are assigned to the 405th AFSB’s battalions in Italy, Germany and the Netherlands; some work at Logistics Readiness Centers supporting the garrisons of Installation Management Command-Europe in Bavaria, Rheinland-Pfalz, Benelux, Italy, Stuttgart, and Ansbach; and some work in the 405th AFSB’s headquarters in Kaiserslautern.
One has been working for the Army for two years – another for 42. Some are mothers. Some are spouses. Some speak multiple languages. Some have masters-level degrees. Some have deployed to combat multiple times. Some have served overseas their entire career. And some have served as airborne paratroopers.
They love nature, travel, their families, animals, exercising, exploring, reading, playing sports, relaxing and helping others.
One said she enjoys being able to remain in government service while her husband constantly changes duty stations as a Soldier. One worked 10 years at the Army Prepositioned Stock-5 site in the Middle East before coming to the APS-2 site in Italy. One said she enjoys riding her motorcycle during her free time. One doubles as an entrepreneur and provides life coaching and personal skills development. One said she followed her parents’ footsteps, who served with the U.S. Army in Italy starting in 1952. And one is an animal advocate, rescuing and taking care of dogs overlooked for adoption.
I learned very quickly that these women are all amazing and deserve to be recognized and respected for their service, not just during National Women’s History Month but every day. And they are just a small sampling of the more than 174,000 women who serve in every career field in the Army today – all critical members of the Army team. These women serve with distinction as role models exemplifying the Army’s highest values, and National Women’s History Month stands as a reminder of their amazing service.
For more information on women's contributions to the Army, go to www.army.mil/women.
The 405th AFSB is assigned to U.S. Army Sustainment Command and under the operational control of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, U.S. Army Europe and Africa. The brigade is headquartered in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and provides materiel enterprise support to U.S. Forces throughout Europe and Africa – providing theater sustainment logistics; synchronizing acquisition, logistics and technology; and leveraging the U.S. Army Materiel Command materiel enterprise to support joint forces. For more information on the 405th AFSB, visit the official website at www.afsbeurope.army.mil and the official Facebook site at www.facebook.com/405thAFSB.