STUTTGART Vol. 46, No. 6 The Greater Stuttgart Community Welcome Edition 2017-2018 WELCOME TO STUTTGART Special PCS-In Edition Your home away from Eating and drinking like Learn to drive on the Moving with your home, p.7 a local, p.10 German Autobahn, p. 17 4-legged friends, p.27 Page 2 WELCOME TO STUTTGART The Citizen, 2017-2018 Welcome to Stuttgart Where community members say “I’m glad I live here.” USAG Stuttgart Public Affairs Operations Command Africa, Marine Forces Europe and Africa, and Defense Information Systems Agency The U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart welcomes Europe are all headquartered here. Community incoming community members to the 2017 Army members work with members from all services, Communities of Excellence best garrison in the the State Department and other agencies. Army This special edition of the Citizen is your Stuttgart is a great place to work and live, with guide to a smooth transition. It includes a dynamic joint military community spread tools, tips and resources offered by the across five installations. The operational garrison and its partner units to service environment, coupled with all of the off- members, civilians, contractors and duty activities the greater Stuttgart area their families. With this guide and the has to offer, make this a professionally and assistance of a sponsor, the transition personally rewarding assignment. overseas into this community is met with a lot of excitement and little stress. The Army Communities of Excellence Inside this issue there is information on awarded the gold medal to USAG Stuttgart housing, schools, medical and dental care, for the overall quality of life, how well the and other aspects of life in the Stuttgart garrison provides base operations, and training military community. An introduction to support. The garrison was graded on seven life on our installations and the surrounding specific categories using the Malcolm Baldridge local communities will provide you an idea of National Quality Award which focused on how well everything available in your new home. all garrisons provided excellence in facilities and services in support of Soldiers, their families and civilians, the ACOE The garrison motto is “I’m glad I live here!” There are selected Stuttgart for top honors. many local opportunities for leisure activities. Stuttgart, the capital of the Baden-Württemberg region, offers many possibilities for USAG Stuttgart is the home of multiple tactical, operational and strategic- adventure from historical museums and international festivals to world- level Department of Defense organizations; the U.S. European Command, renowned companies and music performances. Get out and enjoy living in U.S. Africa Command, Special Operations Command Europe, Special Germany. This is a special edition of The Citizen USAG Stuttgart Public Affairs heavily on your contributions. On Dec. 3, 1973, the first issue of the Stuttgart Citizen was For the past 44 years, the Citizen provided feature and news published. stories to the Stuttgart community. It grew into a joint service publication over time, as commands were consolidated and With this, the first issue of the Stuttgart Citizen, another the U.S. footprint in Germany grew smaller. The emphasis program for unifying the Stuttgart American community on community continued, and based on reader shipfeedback, has become a reality. the reaction was positive. The content of that issue was produced entirely by Soldiers “We’re interested in anything and everything happening within the community that would be of interest to the on Kelley Barracks, and printed by Stars and Stripes in community as a whole.” Darmstadt. It was eight pages long, with only three story photos in the middle and no color except for two bright red The garrison’s official webpage at www.stuttgart.army.mil/ Stuttgart city crests on the cover. with links to our social media will also provide news and information on what’s happening in the USAG Stuttgart The Stuttgart Citizen is your newspaper; the contents rely community. published by UNITED STATES ARMY Laura Cambiago-Spangler PUBLISHER The Citizen is an authorized news- of reproduction and has a printed cir- GARRISON STUTTGART Holly DeCarlo-White AdvantiPro GmbH paper, produced in the interest of the culation of 7,000 copies. Everything Europaallee 3 Commander Newspaper Layout/Designer 67657 Kaiserslautern U.S. Army community in Stuttgart advertised herein shall be made avail- Col. Glenn K. Dickenson Kevin S. Abel by the U.S. Army-Garrison Stuttgart able for purchase, use or patronage Telephone: +49 (0) 631-30 3355 30 Senior Enlisted Adviser USAG STUTTGART Public Affairs Office. Contents of the without regard to race, color, religion, Command Sgt. Maj. PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE Web: www.AdvantiPro.com Citizen are not necessarily the official sex, national origin, age, marital sta- Mariano Z. Alvarez Building 2949, Panzer Kaserne views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. tus, physical handicap, political affilia- Managing Director Public Affairs Officer Army Post Office Mailing Address Bret Helenius Government or the Department of the tion, or any other non-merit factor of Larry Reilly Unit 30401, APO AE 09107 Army. the purchaser, user or patron. ADVERTISING IN THE CITIZEN Command Information Chief German Mailing Address Display Advertising Contact The appearance of advertising herein, Kevin S. Abel Panzer Kaserne Geb. 2949, 3rd Floor, Jaqueline Samad The Citizen is printed by AvantiPro, a including inserts and supplements, Panzerstrasse, 70032 Böblingen Telephone: +49 (0) 631-30 3355 37 Editor Telephone: +49 (0)152 2485 Email: [email protected] private firm in no way connected with does not constitute endorsement by John Reese the U.S. Govt., under exclusive written the Dept. of the Army, or AvantiPro, DSN (314) 431-2485 Telephone: +49 (0) 631-30 3355 31 agreement with U.S. Army Stuttgart. It of the firms, products or services Contributors Email: [email protected] Carola Meusel Web: www.StuttgartCitizen.com Website: www.FindItGuide.com is published using the offset method advertised. Page 2 WELCOME TO STUTTGART The Citizen, 2017-2018 The Citizen, 2017-2018 WELCOME TO STUTTGART Page 3 Things to know about Stuttgart military community USAG Stuttgart Public Affairs A short distance away along highway K1055, AKA “Frog Road” because Welcome to Stuttgart of the signs warning drivers to be aware of migratory frogs crossing the The U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart is a joint service military community road, is Patch Barracks in Stuttgart-Vaihingen. Patch is home to the U.S. composed of five installations in the greater Stuttgart metropolitan area. European Command. The installation features Patch Middle School, the Where community members say “I’m glad I live here.” garrison’s main commissary, a gas station and shoppette, movie theater USAG Stuttgart Public Affairs Operations Command Africa, Marine Forces Europe and Africa, and Defense Information Systems Agency Stuttgart in the state of Baden-Württemberg is in southwest Germany. and food court, car wash, Thrift Store and other services. Patch is one of the two main residential installations in Stuttgart The U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart welcomes Europe are all headquartered here. Community There are 13 states in Germany and three cities that carry the same incoming community members to the 2017 Army members work with members from all services, status as states. With a population of more eight million in the city and Communities of Excellence best garrison in the the State Department and other agencies. metropolitan area, it is the fourth largest metro area in the country. It is a Kelley Barracks in Stuttgart-Möhringen is home to U.S. Africa Command, Army thriving major German population center with a wide variety of industry the Stuttgart Legal Assistance Office, the award-winning Kelley Theatre, This special edition of the Citizen is your and tourism. The annual Cannstatter Volksfest is the second largest a commissary, gas station, the Kelley Club and a child development Stuttgart is a great place to work and live, with guide to a smooth transition. It includes festival in the world after Oktoberfest. center. The more than 1,300 housing units at Panzer Kaserne and Kelley a dynamic joint military community spread tools, tips and resources offered by the Barracks combined hold approximately 40 percent of the family housing across five installations. The operational garrison and its partner units to service More than 20,000 U.S. military personnel, U.S. federal agencies, civilians units, and 50 percent of the unaccompanied housing. environment, coupled with all of the off- members, civilians, contractors and and family member make up the garrison community working at Panzer duty activities the greater Stuttgart area their families. With this guide and the Kaserne, Patch Barracks, Kelley Barracks, Robinson Barracks and Robinson Barracks, located in Stuttgart Bad-Cannstatt, is primarily a has to offer, make this a professionally and assistance of a sponsor, the transition Stuttgart Army Airfield. residential installation. Together with Patch Barracks, it has approximately personally rewarding assignment. overseas into this community is met 60 percent of the family housing and 50 percent of the unaccompanied with a lot of excitement and little stress. Panzer Kaserne, located in Böblingen, has the garrison headquarters housing. It features Robinson Barracks Elementary School, a commissary, The Army Communities of Excellence Inside this issue there is information on where most of the in-and-out-processing customer service is done. It is furniture store and broadcast studios for American Forces Network awarded the gold medal to USAG Stuttgart housing, schools, medical and dental care, home Stuttgart and Patch Elementary Schools and Stuttgart High School. Stuttgart. for the overall quality of life, how well the and other aspects of life in the Stuttgart The garrison’s main Exchange, the Panzer Hotel and a small commissary garrison provides base operations, and training military community. An introduction to are located here.