GRAFENWÖHR, Germany –
This week is his last week working for the Army. After 42 years and four months, the man who oversaw operations at four transportation motor pools in Bavaria with a fleet of nearly 900 non-tactical vehicles and a staff of 60 personnel, is retiring.
“I enjoyed almost every day working for the U.S. Army,” said Günther Schipke, a German local national employee and Logistics Readiness Center Bavaria’s transportation operations supervisor. “I can only tell young people to go ahead and try it. Try to get a job working for the U.S. Army.”
Schipke, who lives in the town of Auerbach in der Oberpfalz, has made the 28-kilometer drive back and forth to his workplace in Grafenwöhr and Vilseck over 11,000 times during his career. He said he made that daily drive because he enjoys working for the Army, and he enjoys the people he works with.
“I can only say good things about the Army and the team of people I work with,” said Schipke. “Without them, our motor pool operations in Hohenfels, Grafenwöhr, Vilseck and Garmisch would not be successful, and we would not be supporting the Soldiers properly.”
“They are an outstanding group of people with great team spirit,” said Schipke, who started working for the Army in October of 1981 as a dispatcher in Grafenwöhr, and after the reduction in force mandate in 1992 he moved to Vilseck.
Schipke was promoted to transportation assistant in 2010, moving back to Grafenwöhr, and in 2017 he was promoted again to transportation operations supervisor. With 42 years and four months of service, Schipke said he has a lot of fond memories to look back upon.
“When I look back upon my career with the Army, I see way more good moments than bad moments. I enjoyed it almost every day. It was a nice working relationship with my leaders, my colleagues and with my subordinates. I have no complaints at all,” said Schipke, who turns 66 in June.
But it’s not been without a few challenges along the way, Schipke said. One of his more recent challenges was the U.S. Army Sustainment Command directed non-tactical vehicle fleet reform initiative, which started in October. This was a major shift in transportation motor pool operations at the logistics readiness centers across Europe. Schipke and his team had to work extremely hard to adjust the way they conducted TMP operations in order to meet the new directive, but after many weeks of effort they were successful.
Throughout it all, Schipke’s supervisory chain of command has been very supportive, he said. The director of LRC Bavaria, Raymond Eden, couldn’t attend Schipke’s retirement ceremony but took the time to stop by his office to say farewell and wish him the best. And his supervisor, Gerald Ross, LRC Bavaria’s transportation division chief, hosted the farewell ceremony for Schipke.
“It was really nice. I appreciated it very much,” he said. “My boss gave me an award, and I collected all these presents from my coworkers. I’m very thankful. I’m going to look back at all my years working for the U.S. Army and all the people I worked with and never forget that part of my life.”
LRC Bavaria 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 services, LRC Bavaria directs, manages, and coordinates a variety of operations and activities in support of U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria.
LRC Bavaria reports to the 405th AFSB, which is assigned to ASC 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 at www.afsbeurope.army.mil and the official Facebook site at www.facebook.com/405thAFSB.