Former garrison commander awarded Hessen-state honor for partnership
WIESBADEN, Germany - A visionary leader, effective communicator and cultivator of relationships were a few superlatives that garnered the former U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden commander, Col. Jeffrey Dill, the honor of being recognized with the Order of Merit of the State of Hessen.
Dill was honored with the award in a ceremony at the State Chancellery in Wiesbaden Feb. 24.
"You have emphasized a continuous flow of information between the Hessen State and the U.S. Army at Wiesbaden. … You were instrumental in the growing together of Americans and Germans. … Thanks to your excellent communication skills with the government of Hessen, things worked well," said Axel Wintermeyer, chief of the Hessen State Chancellery.
Wiesbaden Lord Mayor Dr. Helmut Müller, who met often with Dill, was also on hand and expressed his pleasure at working with him as the commander.
"You have an extraordinary way of resolving problems," said Müller, noting Dill's recommendation of what to do when faced with the challenge of properly unearthing Roman artifacts found during construction of the new housing area at Wiesbaden Army Airfield. "You made the excavation process an event."
Dill's efforts, which impacted the city and state during his tenure as garrison commander, netted him the honor, the German officials said. His accomplishments included leading the garrison through several transformation projects and delivering several ahead of schedule, facilitating many events that strengthened German and American relations, and extraordinary efforts to maintain communication between the American community and the host nation.
And because Dill frequently worked with the city of Wiesbaden to address issues such as noise complaints and environmental issues, Müller said he was glad to know USAG Wiesbaden received the honor of "best global garrison" under Dill's command.
Col. John Spiszer, V Corps chief of staff, noted that Dill was at the helm during the "greatest amount of change in Europe since the end of the Cold War."
Upon accepting the award, Dill, who is currently serving with V Corps in Wiesbaden, gave credit to the people "inside and outside of the gates who made his accomplishments possible. People rose to the occasion during his commandership and made "an already well-run garrison the best for that moment in time."
"The words here today tell a story of what has happened over several years that was made possible by many people. It most certainly wasn't me," said Dill, explaining that the garrison staff seized a range of opportunities to strengthen relations with the host nation. "I'd like to think I had a little bit to do with that. But it was certainly not just me; it was everybody on both sides of the gate."
Find more articles tagged with:
-
81st FS plays critical role in NATO exercise
The 81st Fighter Squadron is participating in a Ramstein ROVER 2012 Sept. 5-22.Find more articles tagged with:
-
JMTC hosts CE participants for 3rd year
The Joint Multinational Training Command, or JMTC, here, is hosting more than 40 nations and multinational organizations participating in Combined Endeavor for the third year in a row.Find more articles tagged with:
-
Combined Endeavor 2012 welcomes 147 multinational distinguished visitors
Looking through the crowd of 147 multinational distinguished guests in their military uniforms and business suits, is difficult not to appreciate the level of commitment that each nation has made toward building partnerships.Find more articles tagged with:
-
ILA 2012 features US military aircraft
More than 300 aircraft from about 50 different nations are on display this week at the Berlin Air Show, commonly know as ILA 2012.Find more articles tagged with:
-
German exchange pilot brings C-17 for the Berlin 2012 Air Show
As the Charleston based C-17 Globemaster III landed in Germany for the 2012 Berlin Air Show, one aircrew member brought with him a different set of experiences.Find more articles tagged with:
-
Multinational Medical Soldiers Strive for Elite Badge
Nerves and excitement ripple through the air here this week as multinational medical Soldiers from across Europe prepare to pass the tests for the prestigious Expert Field Medical Badge.Find more articles tagged with:
-
Combined Endeavor: Working together, developing solutions
Combined Endeavor 2012, or CE12, provides communications professionals the opportunities to work together and develop solutions while building relationships in a controlled environment.Find more articles tagged with:
-
Sailors protect CE12 participants
Sailors with Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron Three provide security at Combined Endeavor 2012Find more articles tagged with:
-
Solving violent extremism takes many paths at DOD seminar
GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany – In the course of exploring a definition and framework for “Countering Violent Extremism,” the 97 participants in a week-long seminar on the topic here have traveled down many paths.Find more articles tagged with:
-
CNE-CNA Fleet Master Chief Meets Ukraine’s First MCPON, Tours Naval Facilities
The fleet master chief (FLTCM) of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa spent two days touring facilities and meeting junior and senior Ukrainian Sailors along with the recently selected first Ukrainian master chief petty officer of the navy (MCPON) in Sevastopol, Ukraine, Sep. 11.Find more articles tagged with:
Comments: 0