Name: Jack Lewis
Job title: Safety Manager
Assigned: Logistics Readiness Center Bavaria, 405th Army Field Support Brigade
Location: Tower Barracks, Grafenwoehr, Germany
Experience: I’ve been working at LRC Bavaria, 405th AFSB, for about three years. Before that I was assigned to LRC Fort Lewis, 404th Army Field Support Brigade, for four years where I worked as a Safety Specialist. In total I have over 45 years of service with the Department of Defense, active duty and civilian. I started out my military career as a U.S. Marine in 1968 and deployed to Vietnam about a year later. I was presented with three Purple Hearts while serving in Vietnam.
Other service: I’m also a retired Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter pilot with 22 years of total active duty military service.
Hometown: Spanaway, Washington
Family: I’ve been married for 11 years to my wife, Theresita, and we have one daughter whose name is Astrid.
Q: Can you explain what you do and what you are responsible for at LRC Bavaria?
A: What I do is similar to being an Occupational Safety and Health Administration safety inspector. My responsibilities are all the day-to-day safety operations for LRC Bavaria. I am overall responsible for all safety operations in Grafenwoehr, Vilseck, Hohenfels, Ansbach and Garmisch. I assist the collateral duty safety officers at each of these installations, and I ensure the safety information that moves to and from them to LRC Bavaria is succinct and easily understood.
Q: Why is LRC Bavaria’s safety operations so important to the U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria community?
A: My number one responsibility is to support the safety of our warfighters. In the USAG Bavaria footprint, I conduct safety inspections with multiple organizations and units – not only in the Grafenwoehr area but also I assist with four other installations across Germany. I conduct safety inspections in areas such as central issue facilities, dining facilities, supply and support activities, transportation, motor pools and more. For example, LRC Bavaria is responsible for a significant number of transportation actions, over 37 percent of the moves to and from Europe, and each of these moves must be handled with extreme safety in mind.
Q: What do you enjoy about your job, and what motivates you?
A: I entered military service as a U.S. Marine in 1968. I served in Vietnam and continued serving all the way up to and through Desert Storm. I was an Army chief warrant officer and a UH-1H Huey and UH-60 Black Hawk pilot, trained at Fort Rucker, Alabama. I also received safety operations certification training at the U.S. Army Safety and Readiness Center at Fort Rucker. I did leave the military for a few years and worked for a trucking company as a long haul 18 wheel truck driver, but when I received the opportunity to return to the Army and work in Germany as an air traffic assistant, I came back because I love the Army and I love supporting warfighters. Because I was a helicopter pilot and a safety officer in Army aviation, I can incorporate my training and experiences to assist Soldiers and help keep them safe. And that’s very important to me.
LRC Bavaria and 405th AFSB: LRC Bavaria is one of seven LRCs under the command and control of the 405th AFSB. LRCs execute installation logistics support and services to include supply, maintenance, transportation and food service management as well as clothing issue facility operations, hazardous material management, personal property and household goods, passenger travel, property book operations, and non-tactical vehicle and garrison equipment management. When it comes to providing day-to-day installation services, LRC Bavaria directs, manages and coordinates a variety of operations and activities in support of USAG Bavaria.
LRC Bavaria reports to the 405th AFSB, which 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 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.