US Army Garrison Wiesbaden makes day special for sick teenager | Item
Brig. Gen. Jed Schaertl, deputy commanding general for Mobilization and Reserve Affairs, U.S. Army Europe and Africa, volunteered to have a working dog attack him during a visit of a terminally ill child and his parents at Clay Kaserne.
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WIESBADEN, Germany – The U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden command team, emergency services leadership, firefighters, and Wiesbaden Army Airfield personnel all met Feb. 23 to make it a special day in the life of a terminally ill teenager.
After receiving a final request to see a “real army tank”, Garrison worked with Bärenherz Wiesbaden Children’s Hospice (Kinderhospiz Bärenherz Wiesbaden) and the teen’s family to coordinate the best possible experience. With full command support, the garrison quickly coordinated a variety of static displays and military interactions to show off the teenager.
When asked to support, DES Director Lt. Col. Jon Jackson didn’t hesitate for a moment,
“I will roll out the red carpet for this boy and make sure his family never forgets how the United States military showed up for him.”
The garrison began the visit with a police escort of hospice staff, the “ASB Wünschewagen” special ambulance car and the teenager’s family to Boyd Boulevard, where a static M60 main battle tank is located. A3 Patton. Airfield Air Traffic and Airspace Officer and Airfield Tower Chief Antonio Boone worked on a tanker crew while on active duty and volunteered to speak at the child of tank operations and his experiences.
Wiesbaden Army Airfield Air Traffic and Airspace Officer Antonio Boone discusses the M60 A3 Patton Main Battle Tank with the Haller family during the family visit to Clay Kaserne.
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Major Eduardo Serrano, executive officer of the garrison command group, helped with Spanish translations, as the teenager and his family are from Venezuela.
The garrison DES also provided static displays and interaction with a working military dog for the teenager. Brig. Gen. Jed Schaertl, the U.S. Army’s deputy commanding general for Mobilization and Reserve Affairs, Europe and Africa, cleared his schedule for the morning so he could meet and spend time with the teenager and his family. . Schaertl even donned protective gear to show how a military working dog can attack.
Garrison also showcased a fire truck and fire department rescue truck, highlighting different features and abilities the family can interact with.
Maj. Eduardo Serrano, director general of USAG Wiesbaden, translates into Spanish details of the UC-35 jet at Wiesbaden Military Airfield as Brig. Gen. Jed Schaertl, deputy commanding general for mobilization and reserve affairs, U.S. Army Europe and Africa, looks on.
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After the visit to Boyd Boulevard, the group proceeded to the airfield, featuring a view of a C-12 Huron aircraft and a UC-35 jet aircraft. Additionally, a water tanker demonstration showed how it evacuates water, highlighting one of the ways firefighters respond to a plane crash on the airfield.
The teenager’s father told the Garrison team that his son hadn’t smiled so much in months. “We are so happy and grateful that the United States Army did all of this for our son. It was such a meaningful experience.
The garrison made this teenager’s wish and visit come true with the help of various German commands, units, and agencies, representing the great partnerships the U.S. military is proud to share with the Wiesbaden community at large, here at ” Our home in Germany”.