In this screengrab from the Feb. 25, 2022 Coffee with the Commander, from left, Leigh Johnson, chief of staff for the Department of Defense Education Activity - Europe, West District, talks with Col. James Yastrzemsky, U.S. Army Garrison Benelux Commander, and Col. Michael D. Ronn, commander of SHAPE Healthcare Facility.
Notes from Coffee with the Commander, Feb. 25, 2022
By the U.S. Army Garrison Benelux Public Affairs Office
CHIÈVRES, Belgium – Col. James Yastrzemsky, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Benelux hosted Coffee with the Commander, a garrison town hall event, along with several guests Feb. 25, 2022.
Joining Yastrzemsky in person were Col. Michael D. Ronn, SHAPE Healthcare Facility commander; Leigh Johnson, chief of staff for the Department of Defense Education Activity – Europe, West District (DoDEA-E West); Matthieu Chapeyron, housing referral assistant with the Directorate of Public Works; Clint Strutt, chief of Army Community Services; and USAG Benelux Command Sgt. Maj. Gary Yurgans.
Joining by telephone were Shawn Ticho, coordinator for Child and Youth Services and acting director of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation; and Stacy Sanning, donor recruiter and public affairs specialist for the Armed Services Blood Program – Europe.
Other garrison leaders and representatives were on the telephone and paying attention online to answer any questions community members might pose during the event.
Below are the notes from the meeting:
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Yastrzemsky opened by welcoming the new deputy to the garrison commander, Bruce Griggs. Also, he congratulated Dwayne Key, who is stepping into the role of deputy garrison manager at USAG Benelux – Brunssum.
He also thanked Paul Hossenlopp, the deputy garrison manager at USAG Benelux – Brussels, who had been serving as the acting deputy to the garrison commander before Griggs joined the garrison team, and he thanked Nathan Rowland, the director of Public Works, who had been serving as the deputy garrison manager at USAG Benelux – Brunssum as Key transitioned into the role.
Yastrzemsky continued by addressing the recent concerns in the world news.
“We are right there with you watching the news intently,” said Yastrzemsky. “And we stand ready and united to continue to provide base operations, infrastructure and service support to our community.”
He also asked community members to remain vigilant.
Yurgans joined the team on camera and introduced the recent winners of the USAG Benelux Best Warrior Competition, who joined the group on screen.
Of eight competing Soldiers during a two-day competition, two will go on to the Installation Management Command – Europe Best Warrior Competition. Spc. Patrick Z. Chayeb will represent the garrison as the best warrior Soldier for 2022, and Sgt. Deven Guelde will represent the garrison as the best noncommissioned officer for 2022.
To learn more, read here: https://home.army.mil/benelux/index.php/my-fort/news/benelux-best-warriors-face-test-physical-mental-prowess.
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Col. Michael D. Ronn, commander of the SHAPE Healthcare Facility, talked about the facility’s continuing work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Booster shots are available for adults and children 5 years and older.
Ronn encouraged anyone getting boosters from the clinic to schedule it through the DHA website (https://www.tricare.mil/HealthWellness/HealthyLiving/Coronavirus/DHA-Appointing-Portal).
Yastrzemsky repeated the importance of a lot of the same preventive measures that applied at the beginning of the pandemic, including regular washing of hands, physically distancing and calling in sick when feeling sick.
Concerning children wearing masks, although guidance may have changed in Belgium, the guidance differs for the DoDEA.
He also asked the community to remain flexible when it comes to changing regulations either for the garrison or the host nation.
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Leigh Johnson, the chief of staff for DoDEA – Europe, West District, addressed the confusion. She clarified that the school district is bound to follow the DoDEA masking guidance.
One small update to the masking policy is that children may unmask while outdoors.
She also let the audience know that the schools hold touchpoints to talk with parents and guardians, and that they can still reach out to school leadership with their concerns. Points of contact can be found at their website (https://www.dodea.edu/europe/west/index.cfm).
The spring sports season is coming up with a schedule yet to be announced, and there are prom-like events planned for the schools and many other student activities to look forward to.
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Matthieu Chapeyron, housing referral assistant with the Directorate of Public Works, joined the group to deliver a quarterly housing update.
First, he thanked everyone who filled out the quality of life survey.
Secondly, the USAG Benelux area experienced some heavy straight-line winds, and Chapeyron recommended that people could reduce the possibility of damage by placing their garbage bins and other loose times away when severe weather is likely.
Related to this point, he recommended everyone get renter’s insurance to secure themselves against the possibility of severe damage.
At the barracks, the closed circuit television is set to be in place March 1, which will provide additional security for the service members living there. Automatic lights are also to be installed.
He also asked building coordinators for their pictures so people in buildings will know who to go to in case they need help.
A fire alarm test is scheduled for the barracks March 8.
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Shawn Ticho, coordinator for Child and Youth Services and acting director of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, joined by telephone to deliver updates on DFMWR.
First off he mentioned BeneBrew Café and Pub at Chièvres Air Base will be open from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursdays for a Family night.
Upcoming events include the Shamrock Shuffle. It takes place in the Brussels community March 19, in the Chièvres community March 12, and in the Brunssum community March . Look online for further details.
Barbecue night is March 4 at the 3-Star Restaurant at USAG Benelux – Brussels, which he encouraged the other two communities to visit as it is not a far drive from either.
CYS sports registration is open now, but it closes March 4 for Brussels community members, March 11 for Chièvres / SHAPE community members, and early in March for Brunssum community members.
Ticho also put out the call for volunteer coaches. CYS will train volunteers.
As a reminder, SHAPE and AFNorth schools are scheduled to close for the upcoming Carnival / ski holidays, so CYS has camps going on, and story times and other activities are available during these times.
He also encouraged anyone eligible to look at employment opportunities with DFMWR, including with CYS. DFMWR has plans to incentivize employment both monetarily and with educational opportunities.
An egg hunt is scheduled for April 2.
For these and many, many more programs DFMWR offers garrison community members, visit one of their three sites:
- Chièvres / SHAPE community: https://chievres.armymwr.com/
- Brussels / Sterrebeek community: https://brussels.armymwr.com/
- Tri-border community: https://brunssum.armymwr.com/
Yastrzemsky further encouraged community members to seek out those employment and volunteer coaching opportunities from DFMWR.
He also gave plaudits to two CYS employees who saved a child from choking recently.
Yastrzemsky also plugged the in-the-works Chièvres Air Fest, scheduled in 2022 for June 24 and 25.
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Clint Strutt, chief of Army Community Services, spoke next. He began by encouraging community members to submit their nomination packets for volunteer of 2021 to ACS by Feb. 28. Further details can be found at https://www.facebook.com/ACSBenelux/posts/253945186884117.
He also recommended community members who are planning on becoming newcomer sponsors to reach out to ACS for training.
ACS is hosting a series of cultural acclimation events on each one of the provinces of Belgium. The first one was held Feb. 15 on Flemish Brabant. A live feed of that can be found on the ACS Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ACSBenelux/videos/496029601870862.
Army Community Service at USAG Benelux has a number of activities and support programs community members can learn about at their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ACSBenelux/) or by contacting personnel directly (https://home.army.mil/benelux/index.php/about/Garrison/directorate-human-resources/army-community-service).
Strutt encouraged everyone to reach out as they have a number of different programs and support services they can provide newcomers or long-time community members.
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Stacy Sanning, donor recruiter and public affairs specialist for the Armed Services Blood Program – Europe. She asked everyone to schedule now to donate blood March 7 and 8 at the HUB at USAG Benelux – Brunssum.
She also encouraged garrison leaders to put out the call.
All the blood that is donated stays within the military blood supply and supports U.S. and NATO military member and Family.
The Food and Drug Administration relaxed some of the rules about donating blood, so even those who were not previously eligible to donate because they had spent a long time in Europe may now be able to donate.
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Finally, Yurgans encouraged single Soldiers to take the Single Soldier Survey to answer a few questions and get feedback on what services and activities they would like, whether they would like classes, such as in financial readiness.
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Yastrzemsky asked the community members, “Who was the pilot of the B17 Susan Ruth that was shot down Feb. 8, 1944?”
This trivia question was inspired by Yastrzemsky’s attendance at a commemoration of the downed B17 Susan Ruth, where he saw how the host nation welcomes us, continues to stand with us and honors those who came before us.