Newsletternewsletter Headquartersheadquarters Alliedallied Forceforce Commandcommand Heidelbergheidelberg Nr

NewsletterNewsletter HeadquartersHeadquarters AlliedAllied ForceForce CommandCommand HeidelbergHeidelberg Nr. 01 March 2012 Commander’s Corner Allied Force Command Heidelberg finishes support to ISAF mission The year ahead is a period of great change within the Alliance, as the NATO Command Structure transforms to become leaner and more efficient. It will also be a challenging time for our headquarters, as we perform critical framework tasks, begin to transition Land Competency expertise to the new Land Command Izmir, and maintain a force package on NATO Response Force ( NRF) Standby. We have realigned the HQ according to functional staff directorates, posturing Force Com- mand Heidelberg to fully achieve the Command priorities and all assigned missions. Maj. Gen. Richard Rossmanith will be the Chief of Staff Transition, and Maj. Gen. Hubert De Vos will be Chief of Staff Operations. There will be four As- sistant Chiefs of Staff ( ACOS ) : Brig. Gen. Reconnaissance team conducted crisis Olivier Rittiman, ACOS Transition; Brig. Gen. Wojciech Grabowski, ACOS Training and Exer- response exercise cises; Brig. Gen. Leo Beulen, ACOS Operations; and Brig. Gen. Salvatore Albore, ACOS Support. All FCHD personnel will work in a team or group within one of these functional areas. Realignment will enhance our ability to begin a methodical “ l eft seat, right seat ” transition of Land Competency expertise in the summer. This is a complex task, one that requires the active participation of all FCHD personnel within their respective fields. While we focus on the transition process, we must also plan and execute several critical framework tasks. In mid-March we will co-chair the Bi-Force Command Corps Commanders Conference in Lille, France. We will also co-chair the Allied Chiefs of Army Staff Talks and Land Commanders Conference in Tirana, Albania, in May. These forums demonstrate the Force Com- CONTENTS : mands ’ vital role as Allied Command Opera- tions ’ focal point for NATO Force Structure land Allied Force Command Heidelberg finishes support to ISAF mission …. 1 HQs and Alliance land forces. Finally, in September we will conduct a Com- Reconnaissance team conducted crisis response exercise ……….……. 2 bat Readiness Evaluation ( CREVAL) of the PAO articles ………………………………………………………..……….……. 3 Allied Rapid Reaction Corps ( ARRC) HQ to Training Events / calendar ……………………………………….……….……. 4 validate its High Readiness Force ( Land ) HQ capability. This will be a significant HQ effort, Family Support Center Events ……………………………………………..…. 5 and will require the formation of a robust team of Family Support Center Corner ……………………………………………..…. 6 qualified, professional experts. The ARRC CRE- VAL will also be one of the first opportunities for Local Traveler Corner …………...…………………………………………..…. 7 transition of a major land expertise program to Point of interest / German regulations …………..…………………………... 8 Land Command Izmir. The months ahead will be busy, and I look forward to working with each of NATO Spouse Club Corner .…………………………………….…………….. 9 you, and thank you for your continuing dedication NATO Spouse Club Calendar .………………...……………………………. 10 and service. Allied Force Command Heidelberg finishes support to ISAF mission

January served as a historical month officer with the unit ’ s human resource for service members of Allied Force office. Command Heidelberg as they com- Supreme Headquarters Allied Pow- pleted a two-year rotation in support of ers Europe ( S HAPE ) issued the mis- International Security Assistance Forces sion in mid-summer 2009 and Heidel- — Afghanistan Headquarters. berg began the mission in January 2010. “ O ur team did really great, providing Prior to the mission, service members added value to the headquarters and conducted national pre-deployment delivering what was expected, a highly- training as well as international exer- capable team, ” said Maj. Gen. Richard cises over a six-month time frame and Rossmanith who served as the Interna- continued with this training over the past tional Security Assistance Force Deputy two years ensuring the headquarters Lt. Gen. John W. Morgan III greets service Chief of Staff for Stability. “ T he battle is personnel were battle ready. members as they redeploy from support to fought by the troops on the ground who Force Command Heidelberg ( FC HQ International Security Assistance Force need the right guidance and support. HD ) service members were the first - Afghanistan on Jan. 26, 2012. We provided that. We created the right NATO unit to lead the ISAF mission from framework for our troops so they could August 2003 to February 2004. The do their job.” Headquarters personnel took over the Throughout the past two years, the mission again from July 2007 to August headquarters personnel filled more than 2008. During this time, approximately 350 duty slots with a goal of creating 200 soldiers and civilians deployed in conditions so that Afghans can regain support of the Standing Headquarters of Disclosure : stability in their country. The headquar- ISAF in order to fill core battle staff posi- ters personnel ’ s deployments ranged tions in support of ongoing military op- from three to sixteen months with erations. Rossmanith being deployed the longest. There will remain a small contingent Serving the military, civilians and family members Other general officers deployed dur- of headquarters personnel in Afghani- of Headquarters Allied Force Command Heidel- berg ing this tenure included Belgian Maj. stan in support of the ISAF mission. Gen. Hubert De Vos, serving as Deputy “ C ongratulations on a job well- Lt. Gen. John W. Morgan III, Commander Chief of Staff, Resources, Dutch Brig. done ” , said Allied Force Command

Lt. Col. Götz Haffke Gen. Leo Beulen and French Brig. Gen. Heidelberg Commander Lt. Gen. John Lt. Col. Randy Martin Olivier Rittimann who alternatively Morgan III. “ You have a lot to be proud Editors served as Chief of Combined Joint- of. ” Operations for one year each. Maj. Cyrille Zimmer Assistant Editor While these officers served for their countries and the common good of the Article by Cpt. Tamara Gonzales Maj. Peter Mientus region, so did many others. The United Photo by Staff Sgt. Dwight Chaney Media Analyst States, Germany, Canada, the Czech Capt. Tamara Gonzales Republic, Spain, France, the United Assistant Editor Kingdom, the Netherlands, Norway, It-

Adj. Aurélie Auzas aly, Belgium and Poland contributed to Layout and Design the headquarters role in the ISAF mission during this time. Additionally, ser- This is an authorized, unofficial publication. Its aim is to inform headquarters personnel and their vice members from Greece, Romania, families. Opinions expressed in this publication Turkey, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, are those of the authors and do not reflect official Slovakia and Bulgaria also deployed. policy. Furthermore, personnel from other

Suggestions for articles, comments and contribu- NATO headquarters volunteered includ- tions are welcome and should be directed to the ing Joint Force Command – Lisbon, editor. The editor reserves the right to edit sub- FC-Madrid and JFC-Naples. missions. This mix of nationalities shows a Public Affairs Office commitment to peace and stability by Postfach 102620 the NATO member nations that contrib- Service members from Headquarters Allied D-69016 Heidelberg (Bldg. 8, Campbell Barracks) uted to the ISAF mission during the Force Command Heidelberg welcome the Phone: 06221-398-5316 headquarters deployment. second group of Rotation 2B to return from Fax: 06221-398-5349 “ O ur headquarters had to be more HQ International Security Assistance Force - Email: pao@fchd.nato.int. flexible, supporting four deployment cy- Afghanistan. cles including deployments and rede- Visit our website at www.nato.int/fchd ployments, ” said Belgium Commandant Like us at Facebook: Headquarters Allied Force Filip De Craemer serving as a liaison Command Heidelberg

01 Reconnaissance team conducted crisis response exercise and explored NATO’s future Deployability Concept

A 15-person Operational Liaison or natural disaster), bilaterally or Reconnaissance Team (OLRT) led by through NATO, under a usually com- NATO’s Allied Force Command Heidel- plex mandate, in order to understand berg (HQ FC Heidelberg) conducted a that environment, assess what is crisis response exercise from 27 Janu- needed there and establish relation- ary to 1 February 2012 at the Joint War- ships to determine the success of a fu- fare Centre (JWC) in order to prepare ture operation or relief effort. In SFJT for the NATO Response Force (NRF) 12 the OLRT deployment takes place exercise STEADFAST JOIST 12 (SFJT under the United Nations (UN) man- 12), which will take place in May this date. year. In Stavanger, the JWC has set up an Under the command of Dutch Briga- environment for the reconnaissance dier General Leo Beulen, the exercise team so that they can collect data on aimed to help develop an effective Op- everything “in theatre” and function as erational Plan (OPLAN) for the standing the “eyes and ears” of the Joint Force Joint Force HQ and conduct a detailed Commander before his deployment. A study of the mission and tasks NRF creation of the JWC Scenario Section, forces might undertake during SFJT 12 the exercise scenario, Cerasia, has in the fictitious theatre of operations been available to train the NRF since based on the Cerasia scenario. 2008. In order to train different skills for The simulated OLRT deployment to different missions, the JWC validates a tion for the OLRT and to conduct an JWC further highlights structural wide range of role players within its early test of the new training facility at changes to the NRF concept. HQ JFC Grey Cell exercise structure to include Jatta. The Norwegian military authori- Lisbon has been leading the NRF since United Nations (UN) representatives as ties kindly allowed us the use of Madla July 2011. In his “Commander’s Vision well as members of International and Recruit Training Centre to simulate the 2012”, Lieutenant General Philippe Non-Governmental Organizations (IOs/ ‘austere’ environment in which an Stoltz, Commander of JFC Lisbon, NGOs). The JWC will also be the venue OLRT may find itself. And the physical states that his HQ will play a critical role of the SFJT 12 execution phase in May dislocation of the training audience from in shaping NATO’s future Deployability and will provide the Exercise Control EXCON (located here at Jatta) provided Concept, in close liaison with Joint (EXCON) structure. further realism to the exercising of the Force Command Brunssum and Joint The SFJT 12 will be directed by OLRT concept. There can be little doubt Force Command Naples. HQ JFC Lis- French Army Major General Jean Fred that these small but significant changes bon, indeed, is tasked to develop Berger, Commander JWC. in the way in which we delivered this NATO’s new Deployed Joint HQ HQ FC Heidelberg spokesperson phase of SFJT 12 further improved the (DJHQ) model, an initiative which could US Army Lieutenant Colonel Randy training experience for the OLRT” become a benchmark in support of Martin said: “The OLRT performs a very During the After Action Review on NATO’s expeditionary operations in the important mission. It is one of the first 31 January, US Air Force Brigadier future. The SFJT 12 will be a test-bed elements that would deploy to a contin- General Steven DePalmer, Chief of for the new DJHQ concept and its dif- gency area. We formed as a team in Staff JWC, thanked the reconnaissance ferent steps and processes. Heidelberg and then came together in team for their support to enhance the Brigadier General Beulen said: Stavanger with individual roles to do the current NRF structures while underpin- “Currently, Allied Joint Force Command necessary research on the semi- ning potential challenges that may arise Lisbon (HQ JFC Lisbon) is busy prepar- austere environment of the fictitious to deployability, sustainability (including ing for the exercise in May and develop- country of Tytan, which is replicated by Force Protection, Real Life Support, ing the exercise OPLAN. Based on the the JWC, together with the role players Computer and Information Systems), exercise scenario, they are holding an and Subject Matter Experts here. Sim- manning levels, logistics and other re- OLRT, represented by us, a reconnais- ply put, we are doing the Mission Analy- sources. sance team deployed to identify critical sis before we deploy back to Lisbon Brigadier General DePalmer said: regional information, as well as local and pass the crucial information to “Your deployment to the JWC has challenges and risks, in order to advise them.” added realism to the exercise. It has the decision-making process prior to JWC’s Officer of Primary Responsi- been a collaborative undertaking and I force deployment. HQ JFC Lisbon bility for this exercise, Royal Air Force am impressed with everybody’s efforts needs this information and advice for WG CDR Mark Atrill said: “In the early to make this deployment a success. It their theatre awareness and for imple- stages of the exercise planning proc- is, again, a step forward for us and mentation in their OPLAN. That’s why ess, the OLRT phase of SFJT 12 pre- NATO.” we were sent to ‘Cerasia’, which is repli- sented us with several challenges, cated by the JWC.” which I am pleased to say we have The OLRT is a small team of spe- been able to turn into opportunities. cialists who deploy to a theatre of op- Foremost amongst these challenges Article and photos by Inci Kucukaksoy, erations (unstable due to political failure was the need to find an operating loca- Joint Warfare Center Public Affairs Office

02 Allied Force Command Heidelberg Chief of Staff tells of accomplishments, expectations

Headquarters Allied Force Command Citadel Guibert. There were also cama- Heidelberg service members gathered raderie building events such as staff together to recognize accomplishments rides, Winter Warfare Training and the of the past year and to learn about ex- annual family fest. pectations for the upcoming year, Jan. “This headquarters has shown greatly 25. availability and deployability,” said De Chief of Staff, Op- erations, Maj. Gen. The event began with the com- Vos. Hubert De Vos deliv- mander, Lt. Gen. John W. Morgan III, This upcoming year the headquarters ers the COS New thanking everyone for the outstanding personnel will focus on maintaining a Years Address at job done throughout the past year. Addi- constant state of readiness serving as Campbell Barracks, Heidelberg, Jan. 25. tionally, he presented Lt. Col. Georg An- the NATO Response Force, supporting During the address, De Vos detailed the nen the NATO meritorious service medal Bilateral-Force Commands Corps Com- previous year’s successes and told of the for his performance as the commander manders’ Conference and the Allied headquarter’s upcoming year. of both Forward Support Elements. Chief of Army Staff Talks along with vari- Following the presentation, Chief of ous other training events. In addition, Staff, Operations, Maj. Gen. Hubert De they will continue to support ISAF- Vos led the COS New Years Address. Afghanistan and Kosovo Force (KFOR). He detailed successes such as support Following the presentation, several of International Security Assistance personnel within the headquarters were Force (ISAF) – Afghanistan and Opera- recognized for their individual accom- tion Unified Protector. Additionally, the plishments and contributions to the headquarters personnel had participated headquarters’ mission. in various exercises including Brilliant Bonus, Brilliant Ledger, Steadfast Junc- Award recipients stand proudly as having ture Exercise 2011, Operational Liaison just received the certificate of appreciation Reconnaissance Training, NATO Re- Article by Capt. Tamara Gonzales Photo by Staff Sgt. Dwight Chaney from Allied Force Command Heidelberg's sponse Force Battle Staff Training, and Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Hubert De Vos, the Rapid Reaction Corps – French, Jan. 25.

Allied Force Command Heidelberg logistician earns limited award

Logisticians and logistic teams face Force. a myriad of missions and, as a result, Planning for SFJE 11 began Janu- various challenges. As Commander for ary 2010, required several reconnais- the Allied Force Command Heidelberg sance missions to Lithuania where the Forward Support Element (FSE), Ger- exercise took place and his team spent man Army Lt. Col. George Annen re- three months there in preparation, exe- ceived the NATO Meritorious Service cution and recovery of the exercise. Medal (MSM) for his accomplishments “During the exercise, the team provided in this position. a myriad of logistical requirements in- The NATO MSM is awarded less cluding food and water requirements, than 50 times each year and remains security, and petroleum, oil and lubri- the only significant award for individual Commander Allied Force Command Hei- cants”, Annen explained. personal effort for NATO staff. Its pur- delberg, Lt. Gen. John Morgan III, presents “I think it is all about good leadership pose is to commend staff whose per- Lt. Col. Georg Annen with the NATO and having a great team,” said Annen. sonal initiative and dedication went be- meritorious service medal for his perform- “The commander is only as good as his yond their duty to make a difference to ance as the commander of both Forward team and the team is only as good as both their colleagues and to NATO as Support Elements, Jan. 25. its commander.” an organization. Annen is such an example as his commitment, expertise, professional- – Afghanistan (ISAF) and Operation ism, and sage advice were absolutely Unified Protector (OUP) as well as nu- critical to the headquarters achieving merous training exercises and social every task. events plus much more. The most re- Article by Capt. Tamara Gonzales Photo by Staff Sgt. Dwight Chaney “I wear this award proudly for my cent event included supporting the team. I wear this award for them,” said headquarters plus NATO Allied Joint Annen. Force Command Brunssum (JFC-BS) For the past two years, the FSE has Headquarters in Steadfast Juncture supported the headquarters missions of (SFJE) 2011. This training was critical International Security Assistance Force for serving as the NATO Response

03 Training Events

DATE EVENTS

Reintegration Training for ISAF 2B 05-08 MAR personnel, Heidelberg

Winter Warfare Training, 09-17 MAR Füssen, Germany

Biannual-Forces Command Corps 13-15 MAR Commanders’ Conference (Bi-FC CCC), Lille, France

Internal Combat Readiness Evaluation (CREVAL) 19-23 MAR Course; Heidelberg

Non Commissioned Officers (NCO) 05 APR Professional Development; Heidelberg

16-20 APR NCO Staff Ride

Operational Liaison & Reconnaissance Team 23-27 APR (OLRT) Mounting Exercise

National Holidays

26 MAR Greek Independence Day (alternate day)

6 APR Good Friday

9 APR Easter Monday

04 FAMILY SUPPORT CENTER EVENTS

With the end of our ISAF Mission the Family Support Centre remains still operational and main focus point for any requests or help concerning family support and privileges. There will be further events scheduled by the FSC throughout 2012 and everyone is invited and welcome to participate.

DATE EVENTS LOCATION

21 March 2012 Campbell Barracks FSC Brunch 09:30 – 11:30 hrs 31 Middle

BELGIAN CONCERT

HQ FC Heidelberg is a multinational Neckarstaden 24 , 69114 Heidelberg. Headquarters consisting of members The Royal Symphonic Bands of the coming from 23 nations. The promotion Belgian Guides will perform together of cohesion, integration and mutual un- with Soprano Mrs. Eva Lebherz- derstanding, both internally and towards Valentin classical works from Brahms, our host nation, through social events is Hindemith, Tsjaikowski, Ravel, Linette , an essential contribution to bolster the and many others. HQ’s operational capabilities. Everybody from the headquarters At the same time it is time to say will receive an invitation and tickets to thank you to the city of Heidelberg and be sold from 7 Euro upwards. the German community for all the beau- Morale and Welfare will partially tiful years we have spent here. To this sponsor tickets for headquarters mem- end, the Belgian Participation from HQ bers. FC Heidelberg offers a Charity concert Please join us for a very special eve- on June 14th 8:00 pm at the Kongres- ning and enjoy a highly famous Sym- shaus Stadthalle Heidelberg. phonic band together with all your fam- The concert hall’s address is ily and friends. Yves Segers (director)

05 THANK YOU !

With the return of the last ISAF Ro- to miss. New friendships were built that the FSC brunches and other events.: tation 2B, the Family Support Cen- might even last beyond the time of ser- Rene Müller, Daniel Reda, Gaelle Le tre (FSC) officially completed its 2-years vice in Heidelberg. Friendships and a Lann, Patrick Neubauer, Robert Thiele, mandate regarding “ISAF deploy- sense of togetherness/belonging were and Roberto Sasse. Their willingness ment”. Throughout this time the FSC created that would never have been and initiative to help at all times was was able to support and help the de- built if it hadn't been for the FSC. always very much appreciated. pendant families of our service mem- The FSC would like to thank in par- Last but not least, a very special bers in many different ways ticular Mrs Hedwig Huybrecht, Presi- thank you to all National Support Ele- and received a lot of positive feedback dent of the NATO Spouses Club, as ments who so faithfully supported us in for doing so. In return, the FSC team well as all the members of the NATO various kinds of ways on a continuous members would like to take this oppor- Spouses Club. Without their invaluable basis. tunity to thank each and every service help the FSC would never have been so member and their families for efficient and strong. A great many the trust they placed in our services, for thanks for all your support and for the participating in our events and for sup- fact that we could always rely on you. Article by Mrs . Pradel porting and helping other fellow de- Thanks also to the S4 Logistics & Photo by Sgt. 1Kl. Guus Rujisbroek pendants/family members through Services Team, lead by Sgt Yvette the exchange of experiences during Hasan, who never tired of support- deployment. ing us in so many different ways. Our The past two years were a time full special thanks also goes to the fabulous of new adventures and experiences, service team members and cooks who which we would not have wanted always created outstanding buffets for

Picture shown from left to right: Picture shown from left to right: Sgt. 1 cl. Yvette Hassan, Sgt. Gaelle Le Lann, Unt.Off. Roberto Sasse, Unt. Off. Robert Thiele Staff SGT. Heather Brundidge

Picture shown from left to right: Unt. Off. Rene Muller, Unt. Off. Patrick Neubauer, Unt. Off. Daniel Reda

06 LOCAL TRAVELER

Located on the banks of the Rhine Delving further into Cologne ’ s his- River is the sprawling city of Köln, also tory, the Römischer-Germanisches Mu- known as Cologne. Long a destination seum celebrates the city ’ s importance for travelers from the Romans to to- as a crucial Roman garrison and provin- day ’ s GPS wielding explorers, the city cial capitol. The museum’ s highlight is has a lot to offer even during Ger- the Dionysian mosaic, which dates from many ’ s winter chill. the 3rd century A.D., as well as the bur- The city ’ s centerpiece is its soaring ial chamber of the legionnaire Poblicius gothic cathedral. With construction who died around 40 A.D. starting in 1248 and continuing for the One of Colognes many cafes and restaurants beckons visitors to come in and enjoy a warm next 642 years, it was nearly leveled meal and perhaps a glass of kolsch, the city’s during the Second World War. The twin traditional brew. spires forming the peaks of the façade were the last element to be finished and source of rivalry between residents of stood as the tallest building in the world Cologne and the Dusseldorfers, who until 1884 when the Washington Monu- prefer their “ Altbier ” . Finding a decent ment was completed. Formally called place to investigate the merits of Kolsch the High Cathedral of St. Peter and shouldn ’ t be a problem; Cologne Mary, the church is a United Nations boasts more pubs per capita than any Educational, Scientific and Cultural Or- other city in Germany. ganization ( UNESCO ) world heritage Getting to Cologne is a simple ex- site and a great place to start an explo- cursion and can be done by rail, or by ration of the city. car. Travelers can book rail trips for weekend getaways, and for those wish- ing to drive, the city is located two hours A glass elevator only adds to the mys- from Frankfurt on the A3. tique of the chocolate museum, golden

Köln article For those who may not be so en- By Peter J. Gonzales thralled by things old and dusty, the Imhoff chocolate museum sits just a short walk south of the Cathedral and the Altstadt. The Wonka-esque museum abounds in free samples and has an interactive exhibit of the production of chocolate. The tour concludes with a functioning production facility where The flèche, or spire of the great St. Martin guests can, for a fee, have customized Church rises above the tree lined avenues of Cologne. The church, one of the city’s famed candies made. 12 Romanesque cathedrals, sits on the edge For beer drinkers, the regional spe- A gargoyle crafted from solid chocolate sits of the Rhine and serves as a monastery again on display at the Imhoff- as it has for much of its history. cialty is a hoppy lager called Kolsch. Schokoladenmuseum. As part of the exhibit, Traditionally served cold in 0.2 liter artisans have recreated many famous fea- tures of the Cologne Cathedral in chocolate. ( 6 .76 oz. ) glasses, this beer is a

07 IMPORTANT

While headquarters members coming closure of the headquarters, people give us a call! pleted their two-year rotation in support might have questions regarding out- Therefore, on 20 March 2012 the of the ISAF mission, some people might processing and/or need help concerning “ F amily Out-Processing Booklet ” will think that this is also the end of the their relocation/repatriation like ( e.g. be available for all HQ members which FSC. But far from it! We definitely have what do I have to do to when I want to offers some tips and useful hints re- some other commitments: there are still cancel my apartment/house, which no- garding relocation/repatriation from Ger- a couple of people in ISAF, and now tice periods I have to be respected many. also in KFOR, and of course, we have etc. ) The FSC team is here to help you the NATO Response Force standby and answer all those questions for you. phase. Furthermore, due to the impend- So please do not hesitate to stop by or

SURROUNDING/EVENTS

Matheise-Markt 2nd – 11th March visitors throughout the region. The high- http://www.schriesheim.de/fileadmin/ 2012 light of the Matheise-Markt is the coro- Image _Archive/Kultur _Freizeit/ At the 1st weekend of March, there is nation of the “ wine queen ” with her Mathaise-Markt/ the annual Matheise-Markt in Schri- “ p rincesses” and the procession. PressekonferenzDanceNight.pdf esheim. This fest is well known through- There are interesting things for every- out Germany. It is the 1st wine / spring body from children to adults and espe- fest at the Bergstrasse and attracts cially to mention the Radio SWR3 every year approx. 150.000 to 200.000 Dance Night:

PRIVILEGES, LAWS / GERMAN REGULATIONS

Traffic Fines: Since 2012, fines only for 35 days per year, which was only cars with yellow and/or green emis- exceeding the amount of 70 euros will laxly controlled so far. However, for this sions stickers are allowed to enter. be prosecuted and collected. So if you year the city centres of Frankfurt, Stutt- park your car not correctly or you if you gart, Osnabrück and Krefeld will tighten get “ blitzed” , you will have to deal up this law and only cars with a green with the judicial authorities. emissions sticker are allowed to drive there. Also the environmental zones in Environmental Law: The limit value Heidelberg, Freiburg, Karlsruhe and of 50 microgram per cubic meter for Ulm will be strengthened. This means particulate matters can be exceeded for the city centre of Heidelberg that

08 Charity from the NATO Spouses Club Heidelberg to our now traditional partner Wohnoase in Wiesloch.

For the third time the ladies of the raffles during our Opening evening in NATO Spouses Club President Hedwig Huy- brechts, along with other NSC members, donates Spouses Club supported the Wohnoase September and our Luncheon early De- a 1,000 euro check to Wohnoase of Wiesloch, an with a financial gift. This institution is cember in Reilingen. institution to help physical ( or mental disable)d and their families, Jan. 31. This is an annual specialized in taking care of seriously The check was handed out on Janu- event, one of many in which NSC members do- mentally and physically challenged per- ary 31st by Mrs Hedwig Huybrechts, nate time and money to charities. sons and is located in Wiesloch. president of the Spouses Club, in pres- This small homey with warmth filled ence of Mrs. Debby Morgan, Mrs Mar- place is arranged to offer professional tine De Vos, Honorary Board Members and friendly care for a temporary stay and Mrs Ewa Robak, Mrs Silvia Rede- for people with special needs whose ker, Mrs Julie Ryan and Mrs. Allison family members need rest for some Grover, board members of the Spouses days or weeks during the year. Club to Mrs Arnold, director of the Woh- This is the reason that three years noase. ago the NATO Spouses club decided to support this little institution. We were Article by Maj. Peter Mientus and Capt. Tamara Gonzales very happy to offer this year a 1000 Photo by Sgt. 1Kl. Guus Ruijsbroek Euro check that was the result of charity

Our Bunko – evening was great! Besides Being the Best Dice Game Ever...Bunko is so much FUN!

Besides Being the Best Dice Game The only obligation to join our group is Ever...Bunko is so much FUN! that you bring your best giggle muscles Whether or not they won the top in order to laugh the night away. If you prize on January 17th , the great experi- don't know how to play - no problem, ences and fun 28 ladies of the Spouses we will teach you. Club had, while they were playing, were So it ’ s a perfect game for a more important. spouses club like ours!! Although a lot of these ladies didn ’ t know the game in advance, it was easy enough to learn in just a few minutes. Whether playing Bunko for the first time, or being a veteran, most of the players expressed their desire to play this dice game again. So we decided to have another Bunko – evening on April 19th. Join us to play this social dice game!

09 NATO Spouse Club Upcoming Events

DATE EVENTS

Visit Winecellar/Winetasting/Lunch in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse. (bus trip) The bus will leave from the parking space at the West entrance of the 15 MAR PHV (Commissary location), road to Schwetzingen at 9.30Hrs. The arrival in Neustadt 10.30Hrs. For booking reasons the sign in deadline is 04. March 2012.

Bunko evening at 31 Middle (Cambell Barracks) 19 APR 19.00Hrs-21.00Hrs

Guided Tour in Worms + Lunch (Carpooling) 24 APR Meeting point 10.30Hrs in Worms in front of the Tourist Info.

Social Dance + Belgian Beer tasting for Spouses and partners 8 MAY 19.00Hrs at 31 Middle (Cambell Barracks)

Social Dance + Belgian Beer tasting for Spouses and partners 10 MAY 19.00Hrs at 31 Middle (Cambell Barracks)

22 MAY Mini golf in Waldorf + Lunch: 10.30Hrs

12 JUN Boat trip Neckar + Lunch

You can participate in each activity as a member or guest. Costs for each of our activities: €10 for members and €16 for guests.

When you like to participate at one of our activities you can send me an E-mail, so I can send you an invitation with more details.

Hedwig Huybrechts President of the NATO Spouses Club [email protected]