HOHENFELS, Germany –
While serving his mandatory enlistment with the Bundeswehr as a German soldier, he was a mechanic working on tanks and other heavy armored vehicles. Then, during his apprenticeship he learned how to repair commercial vehicles and trucks. Following this, he worked as a mechanic for a local car dealership where he continued to hone his craft.
All this training and experience set Johann Landfried up for a successful career in the automobile and equipment repair and maintenance industry, but not with the German army or a commercial auto repair shop. Landfried took a job with the Army in March of 1984 in Hohenfels, and 40 years later he’s still working for the Army and supporting the U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria community, there.
Landfried, who is the maintenance supervisor at the 405th Army Field Support Brigade’s Base Support Operations Maintenance in Hohenfels, said back in ’84 he received a tip from his brother that the Army was hiring mechanics.
“My brother was working for the U.S. Army, on post,” Landfried said. “He told me the Army was looking to hire mechanics, so I went to the [Civilian Personnel Advisory Center] office to apply, and they said yes.”
“I like working for the U.S. Army. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have done it now for 40 years,” he said. “I like the rules, and I also like the people, the lifestyle and everything.”
Landfried is responsible for a team of eight mechanics. The team maintains and repairs various equipment pieces and vehicles assigned to U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria supporting the Hohenfels community – everything from firetrucks and emergency rescue equipment to lawn care and snow removal equipment to forklifts, excavators, and other material handling and construction equipment, plus more.
Additionally, Landfried’s team operates the privately owned vehicle inspection station at Hohenfels. Four of his mechanics are certified to operate the POV inspection station, and each day there is at least one person from his team at the inspection station from opening until close.
The 61-year-old husband of 30 years and father of a son and a daughter has held the position of maintenance supervisor at BASOPS Maintenance for 26 years. He lives in Beratzhausen, Germany, directly south of Hohenfels, and he makes the 12-mile journey to and from work every day.
“After all this time, I’m still very satisfied with my work with the U.S. Army,” Landfried said. “I have a good job. The Army gives me good money every month. And now I’m sitting here with 40 years, and I’ll continue working for the Army for a maximum of two more years. That’s my plan.”
As a field operating activity under the 405th AFSB, BASOPS Maintenance provides equipment maintenance support to all garrison community organizations and activities across Germany. BASOPS Maintenance provides consolidated material maintenance support for base support operations equipment and mechanical safety inspections for POVs. BASOPS Maintenance performs automotive maintenance on a fleet of garrison support vehicles to include fire and rescue, snow and ice removal, and construction equipment such as scoop loaders, excavators, scrapers, road graders, tractors, rollers, and more.
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 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.