GRAFENWÖHR, Germany –
In July of 1989, Robert Reindl started working for the Army at Maintenance Activity Vilseck repairing radios, radio towers, power supplies and tank targets at the weapons ranges. A few years later, the German local national employee transitioned over to Base Support Operations Maintenance to work as an electrical equipment repair inspector.
More than 35 years later, Reindl is still at BASOPS Maintenance charged with electrical testing and repairs on garrison fire trucks and fire equipment at Grafenwöhr and Vilseck as well as the Army airfields at Katterbach and Illesheim, Germany. Now the 64-year-old host nation employee is set to retire Dec. 1.
“I feel good. It was a good career, and I’ll leave with many good memories of my time with the Army. I’m going to miss my team. I appreciate everything they’ve done for me. I wish them all the best, and my advice to them is to keep working hard and have a good time while doing so,” Reindl said.
Maintaining the electrical systems on the fire trucks and fire suppression equipment is an extremely important job. For many years Reindl has lent his electrical inspection and repair expertise to multiple Army garrisons and fire stations, helping to ensure the equipment stays 100 percent operationally ready around the clock.
In his position as an electrical equipment repair inspector with the 405th Army Field Support Brigade’s BASOPS Maintenance, Reindl is responsible for testing and maintaining the electronic modules and power supplies on fire trucks, fire suppression equipment, fire station containers, generators and more.
“I will miss it when I’m gone. In fact, I have a request in through my supervisor now to extend my time with the Army until March of 2025. I’m waiting to hear back on the final decision,” said Reindl, who will soon reach obligatory retirement age in Germany.
“I have no problem, either way,” said Reindl. “I have my lovely wife of 35 years. I have my three boys. That’s what matters most to me.”
As a field operating activity under the 405th AFSB, BASOPS Maintenance provides equipment maintenance support to all garrison community organizations and activities in Germany. BASOPS Maintenance provides consolidated material maintenance support for base support operations equipment and mechanical safety inspections for privately owned vehicles.
BASOPS Maintenance performs automotive maintenance on a fleet of garrison support vehicles to include special purpose and armored vehicles, 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.