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New Year's address by the USAG Ansbach base commander, COL Aaron Southard.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished
guests, friends, family, and our many valued host-nation
partners.

Thank you for joining us this evening to celebrate
2025 and to look forward to 2026. A new year that also
marks the 250th birthday of the United States and over 80
years of our partnership with Middle Franconia, Ansbach
and Illesheim community. Welcome, and thank you for
being here.
It is truly an honor to be with you today as a member of
the U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach. Events like this are
important to us, because they remind us of something we
never take for granted: we are guests in your
communities, partners in your region, and friends in a
shared future.
I want to begin with something simple and sincere:

thank you.

Thank you for your trust.
Thank you for your cooperation.
And thank you for the friendship that continues to define
the relationship between our Army community and the
people of Franconia.
Our partnership is not just ceremonial.

It is lived every day
— on roadways, in clinics, the shops, restaurants, in
classrooms, and across kitchen tables where German and
American families share meals, stories, and life together.
Safety and Emergency Response
One of the clearest examples of our partnership is in
public safety.
In 2025, our Garrison Fire Department responded to 666
incidents. Of those, 24 were outside our installation,
supporting surrounding communities through our
continued mutual aid. When a fire engine leaves our gate
to assist a neighboring town, that is more than a
professional obligation — it is a symbol of trust and shared
responsibility.
And we are taking that cooperation even further. We are
currently updating a Mutual Aid Agreement that will ensure
your fire departments can continue training at the U.S.
Army Fire Fighting Training Center at Urlas Kaserne. This world-class facility is not just for us — it is a shared
asset that strengthens emergency response capabilities
across the region.
When we train together, we respond better together. And
when emergencies happen, our citizens do not care what
uniform we wear — they care that help arrives. That is
what this partnership delivers.
Economic Impact and Local Investment
Our relationship is also deeply tied to the economic vitality
of this region.
In 2025, Soldiers, family members, and civilian employees
assigned to our garrison spent approximately €30 million
overall, with about €23 million flowing directly into the
local economies of Ansbach and Illesheim. That includes
housing, groceries, restaurants, services, and countless
small businesses that make this area feel like home to our
people.
In addition, the garrison itself generated around €20
million in utility expenses — electricity, heating, and water
— much of which supports local and regional providers. These are not just statistics.
They represent landlords, shop owners, tradespeople, and service providers. They represent jobs, stability, and long-term investment. Our presence here is not temporary in its impact — it is woven into the economic fabric of the communities we share.
The year 2025 was a good year for the U.S. Army in
Ansbach. We launched a massive 330-million-dollar
modernization project at Barton Barracks, marking a
significant investment in the future of the U.S. Army
presence in the Franconian region.
And in in 2026, we‘ve begun construction on the 13-
million-euro Illesheim Elementary School and will soon
begin work on the pedestrian bridge connecting
Katterbach and Bismark Kasernes. In fact, in 2026, we
anticipate growth of an addition 940 servicemembers and
their families.
Health Care and the Next Generation
But perhaps nothing reflects our integration more than the
way we care for families together.
At Ansbach Klinikum, medical teams treated 1,053
patients covered by TRICARE in 2025. Of those, 844 were
outpatient visits, and 209 required longer hospital stays.
Those numbers tell a powerful story. Our Soldiers and
families are not separated from the local healthcare
system — they are part of it. Your doctors, nurses, and
medical staff care for our children, our spouses, and our
service members with professionalism and compassion.
That level of trust is something we value deeply.
More Than Neighbors — True Partners
All of this reflects a broader truth: we are more than
neighbors behind a fence. We are interconnected
communities. Our children attend activities together. Our emergency responders train together. Our leaders solve problems together.
Whether we are discussing traffic safety, school
partnerships, environmental stewardship, PFAS
remediation, or major construction projects, we do it best
when we do it side by side.
Your support also enables us to fulfill our mission as part
of the U.S. Army in Europe. The stability, cooperation, and
friendship we experience here allow our Soldiers to focus
on readiness and security — not just for the United States,
but for the broader transatlantic alliance we all share.
Looking Ahead
As we look to the future, there will be change. There will
be growth. There will be new challenges, from
infrastructure to training to the evolving security
environment in Europe.
But what gives me confidence is this: we will face those
changes together.
• The same spirit that brings firefighters together on a
training ground…
• The same trust that brings American families into
German hospitals…
• The same partnership that supports local
businesses…
—that spirit will carry us forward.
Closing
So tonight, on behalf of the Soldiers, families, and civilian
employees of U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach, thank you.
Thank you for your leadership.
Thank you for your cooperation.
And thank you for the friendship that makes this region not
just a duty station for us — but a home.
We are proud to stand beside you as partners, allies, and
friends.

Suckling pig dinner in Ohrenbach at the "Rotes Ross"

inn 1 november, 2025

A great evening with great guests and of course a top buffet.

At this point, a big thank you to the inn

"Rotes Ross" for the great hospitality.

After the delicious meal, the evening was

relaxed and fun through very interesting conversations with our American friends.

This beautiful evening showed us again that it is definitely not the last

"SUCKLING PIG DINNER"

of this kind!

...... to be continued

Brief information regarding the

Annual General Meeting

on October 10, 2025

As item 8 on the agenda of the annual general meeting, the re-election of the executive board was scheduled.

Under the watchful eye of the election committee chairman, Dr. Bernhard Eistert, the nominated candidates were unanimously elected:

President: Dr. Markus Naser

Vice President: Frank Schamann

Secretary: Udo Bay

Auditor: Holger Nießlein

Board Members:

Maria - Zylka Eistert

Stefan Bach

Marc Hofmann

Armin Jechnerer

Our outgoing president

"Günther Schuster"

he is unanimously nominated to be honorary president and is also unanimously appointed to this position.

Thank you for the invitation to the Independence Fest on July 3, 2025

We were greeted by a cheerfully smiling Jacqueline Haderlein, who sat in front of a table brimming with American delicacies and drinks...that's how you start a party with American friends! Everything was lovingly prepared, and we quickly found our way around the festival grounds, where there was so much to see and do. It was a wonderful afternoon with many familiar and new faces to get to know. The finale with the fireworks display was just as brilliant as the entire festival!

Invitation to the
Change of Command
12th Combat Aviation Brigade
July 2, 2025

In glorious summer weather and in a great mood, we were invited to the change of command ceremony at Katterbach Airfield on July 2nd. The US speaker (general and outgoing commander) emphasized the German-American friendship and praised the Ansbach base for its importance to NATO's defense readiness.

A lively exchange of ideas between the German guests and their American friends, along with excellent musical accompaniment by the Veitshöchheim Army Music Corps, rounded out the invitation to the change of command ceremony.

Lieutenant General Charles D. Constanza,

Commander of the V Corps handed over

from
Col. Ryan C. Kendall
to
Colonel Adam R. Bock

mehr...

Lively partnership across the pond

Student groups from Ansbach and Bay City in the US state of Michigan recently reminisced about intensive encounters last summer.

Back in July, a group of students from Ansbach's twin town on Lake Huronen visited the city on the Rezat, and in September, students from Gymnasium Carolinum and FOS/BOS visited the birthplace of Madonna.

During a ceremony, principal Gernot Helmreich (FOS/BOS) praised the partnership between the schools involved and the support provided by the local authorities, the Hilterhaus Foundation and the German-American Society DAG.

The two English teachers Christian Krug (FOS/BOS) and Armin Jechnerer (Gymnasium Carolinum) were particularly pleased that the American students and teachers from the partner schools “Central High School” and “Career Center” were able to attend the meeting via the Internet. Pictures and films underlined the cordial German-American relations within the framework of the town twinning that has existed since 1961.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Overwhelming hospitality on the Saginaw River

Ansbach student delegation visits American twin town Bay City

Right at the beginning of the school year, students from Gymnasium Carolinum and the Ansbach FOS/BOS traveled to the USA as part of an established student exchange program. The destination was Bay City in Michigan, the “city in the bay” of Lake Huron on the Canadian border. Ansbach and Bay City have maintained friendly relations as “Sister Cities” since 1961. The town twinning was once embedded in the “People to People” reconciliation program of former US President Eisenhower, who reached out to the former wartime enemy Germany during the Cold War.

As early as 2019, both sides of the “big pond” were exploring the opportunities and framework conditions for a student exchange, which would also give new impetus to Ansbach's oldest town twinning. The course was set optimistically, but then came Corona... Nevertheless, work was done diligently to intensify the partnership: joint online projects, “live” connections of the American partners to the Franconian classroom, regular online conferences of the teaching teams, digital pen pals and many other measures made it possible to get to know each other for the first time. Two years ago - still with certain restrictions due to the pandemic - the first exchange actually took place. The American group spent 14 days in Germany in July and the “return visit” took place in September 2022.

In December 2023, a delegation of teachers from Bay City visited Ansbach to get to know the partner schools “Gymnasium Carolinum” and “FOS/BOS” as well as numerous other types of schools in the Bavarian education system.

In July 2024 (FLZ reported), the second group of students from Bay City visited Ansbach, where an intensive program of visits and experiences awaited them. Accommodation with host families significantly reduces the costs incurred and guarantees an authentic immersion in our local way of life.

At the end of the summer vacation, there was a happy reunion on the other side of the Atlantic. The Ansbachers were picked up at the airport in Detroit and driven directly to the football team's home game at Central High School's own stadium, where a first welcome party was held. The young people from Ansbach experienced intensive insights into American school life and teaching, visited colleges, universities, the city museum, the town hall, a historic one-room school, the reservation of the Chippewa Indians, they got to know canteen food, but also the history of Bay City, where “timber barons” once ruled, huge freighters were built, vast quantities of sugar are still produced and Madonna was born.

They were able to literally experience the city on a “Pedal Trolley Tour”, where they traveled in a vehicle that resembled a minibus but was powered by pedal power. The absolute highlight, however, was the full-day excursion to Mackinaw Island, the “Pearl of Michigan”, the legendary island located between the two huge peninsulas that make up the state of Michigan. Mackinaw Island has repeatedly been a picturesque Hollywood film set, and the car-free island is a paradise for cyclists and fans of horse-drawn carriage rides.

Bay City is only a 30-minute drive away from Frankenmuth, a popular tourist destination for many German-Americans. West Central Franconian emigrants had found a new home in Michigan in the middle of the 19th century and even founded new - Franconian-influenced - towns. For the responsible teachers Christian Krug (FOS/BOS) and Armin Jechnerer (Gymnasium Carolinum), it was particularly moving to meet “old friends” such as Wayne Hecht and Melvin Hochthanner, who still speak fluent Franconian and some of whom only learned English at school.

While the group of students from the FOS/BOS were mainly able to get to know everyday school life in the so-called “Career Center”, a vocational preparation facility with an impressive range of training opportunities, the somewhat younger high school students from the Carolinum immersed themselves in everyday school life at Bay City Central High School.

A lovingly organized final evening in a nature park against the backdrop of Lake Huron and a lavish final “farewell breakfast” the next morning made the departure particularly emotional and difficult.

Our verdict was unanimous: “Great lakes, great experiences, GREAT FRIENDS!”

Picture: Wikipedia

Thanksgiving 2024....

Thanksgiving, a holiday deeply rooted in American culture, has its origins in the early 17th century. The first European settlers, the Pilgrims, celebrated a harvest festival in 1621 to give thanks for their first successful harvest in the New World. This feast was shared with the indigenous Wampanoag, who helped the Pilgrims survive in their new environment.

The Tradition Today....

Over the centuries, Thanksgiving has evolved into a national holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. It is a time when families and friends come together to express gratitude for the blessings of the past year.

Americans cherish this tradition with heart and soul. Festive tables are often laden with turkey, pumpkin pie, and other delicacies, while stories and memories are shared. The values of gratitude, community, and togetherness are at the heart of this special day.

A Celebration of Gratitude

Thanksgiving is more than just a meal; it is an expression of gratitude for the small and large things in life. It reminds us to pause and appreciate the people we love. This tradition is passed down from generation to generation and remains a significant part of American identity.

and so this year we also received.....
......a warm invitation to Thanksgiving from the US Army in Katterbach.

Our representative for Rothenburg o.d.Tauber, Maria Zylka-Eistert, was invited for the DAG-WMF. The city of Rothenburg o.d.Tauber was represented by the mayor Dr. Markus Naser.

It was a lunch filled with WARMTH and FRIENDSHIP, for which we would like to thank you very much!

mehr...

U.S. Consulate General Munich

CG Miller joined dignitaries from the Bavarian government, Munich city hall & religious communities in tonight’s October 7 Remembrance event at Ohel Jakob synagogue in Munich. In his remarks he underlined the United States’ steadfast support for #Israel and the U.S. continued striving for peace, dignity, and security for all.
"Rest assured: The United States' commitment to Israel's security is steadfast and unwavering. And it remains both a mission and an obligation for us to continue the fight against antisemitism - at home and around the world.
We know that Germany and Bavaria are firmly on our side - and on Israel's side. This certainty fills us with confidence."
#USinBavaria #7october #7Oktober

Reading competition for 7th graders in English 2023/24

This year's reading competition for 7th graders in English took place on January 12th, 2024 at the Reichsstadt-Gymnasium Rothenburg. This competition has been kindly supported by the German-American Society of West Central Franconia for years.
Their Director of youth work in the DAG-WMF Mr. Frank Schamann, did not miss the opportunity to support the three English teachers of the seventh grade and Ms. Schmidt from the parents' council as a jury member.
One student from each of the three seventh grade classes at the Reichsstadt-Gymnasium competed.
Karina Ehnes (7a), Daiana Luminosu (7b) and Yeva Kyselova (7c) performed a prepared text they had selected in the first round. The jury paid attention, among other things, to the delivery style, pronunciation, intonation, volume and correctness of the English text read out. After the first and second rounds, a neck-and-neck race emerged between two candidates, which didn't make it easy for the judges to decide the winner.
Karina Ehnes from class 7a confidently introduced herself and her selected text in English and was also able to read the unknown text very convincingly and engaging the reader. She impressed above all with her very lively presentation, but the jury agreed that Daiana and Yeva also showed strong reading and presentation performance and showed a great deal of courage to read out loud to the entire 7th grade.
In order to ensure that the jury's deliberation time for the students was also in a foreign language, English short films were shown.
Finally, Mr. Schamann praised all three participants for their excellent English and, on behalf of the German-American Society of West Central Franconia, presented certificates to all class winners. On top of that, all readers were able to choose book prizes in order to 'feed' their enthusiasm for reading with new material can.
“Keep up your motivation for the English language,” Mr. Schamann encouraged the students at the end of the event and said he was looking forward to stopping by the RSG again.

In memory of John F. Kennedy on the 60th anniversary of his death

What if...????
The most popular president of that time...what would the world look like today if he had been able to continue his policies back then?

USAG Ansbach Community

23. Oktober um 11:00

👣 On October 21, USAG Ansbach leadership and unit leadership from 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, 1-3rd Attack Battalion, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, 7th Engineer Brigade, 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery enjoyed a field trip to one of the most beautiful cities in Middle Franconia, Rothenburg.de.
On this trip, the group had the opportunity to get an exclusive sightseeing tour of many historical monuments, insider places and listen to historical know-how, which was shown and conducted by Lord Mayor of Rothenburg, Dr. Markus Naser and the President of the G/A Association Middle Franconia, Mr. Guenther Schuster. 👣
Thanks to the Rothenburg community for having us and showing us the many sides of Rothenburg! 👣
If you'd like to check out one of the last remaining German walled-cities Rothenburg is only a short drive from Ansbach.🚗
#besthometownineurope #StrongerTogether #sightseeing

“EAT SPANFERKEL”

in the “ROTES ROSS” Country Inn
Our invitation to the suckling pig dinner in the “Red Ross” on Saturday, September 23rd. in Ohrenbach, was very well received by our American and German members. Everyone contributed to making it a wonderful evening with good food and equally good conversations!
We would like to thank you very much for this and look forward to welcoming you all again at our next invitation!

"Labor Day"

From bloody strikes to the May Day holiday
Status: 05/01/2023 05:00 a.m
For decades it was the strike day of the working class, and in 1919 May Day became a public holiday in Germany for the first time.

The origins of today's "Labor Day" lie in the USA.
https://www.ndr.de/geschichte/chronologie/Tag-der-Arbeit-Von-blutigen-Streiks-zum-Feiertag-am-1-Mai,tagderarbeit134.html
Quelle: www.ndr.de

English Reading Competition (7th grade) at the Reichsstadt-Gymnasium Rothenburg

On November 29th, 2022, finally another reading competition could take place, an activity which has been supported by the German-English Society WMF for many years.As an additional jury member, Maria Zylka-Eistert, the representative of the society in Rothenburg, supported the three English teachers of the 7th grades together with the representative oft he parents, Konrad Engel.https://strato-editor.com/.cm4all/widgetres.php/com.cm4all.wdn.PhotoGallery/images/thumbnail-gallery.png

Each oft he three classes could send one competitor ( Dayna Prais 7a, Victoria Stark 7b, Adrian Neutzler 7c) who had to present their chosen text in the first round, which was critically evaluated by the jury. In a tight race, in the second round, where the students had to read an unknown text, finally Adrian Neutzler turned out to be the best. Viktoria Stark and Dayna Prais were also extremely good.

Maria Zylka-Eistert congratulated the competitors on their excellent English and awarded them with books .

Thanksgiving Dinner 2022

After a two-year break due to Covid, the DAG could finally celebrate

their traditional Thanksgiving Dinner.

This year mayor Patrick Ruh had suggested Landgasthof AM FORST in

Feuchtwangen, Wehlmäusel.

The guests were welcomed with a glass of mulled wine and president

Günther Schuster was glad to welcome Captain Fleming as the official

representative of the Ansbach Garrison.

Everybody enjoyed the delicious meal and had a very entertaining evening.

Many thanks to the outstanding restaurant kitchen and the very friendly servers.

German-American Society visits Katterbach Army Airfield on October 21, 2022

Many thanks to Gerlinde Hoyle, spokesperson oft he US Garrison Ansbach and assistant to Garrison Commander Aaron B. Dixon, who organised the visit for ten of our members. Col Dixon welcomed us at the hangar in front of the helicopters and gave us some information.

He pointed out that the soldiers loved Ansbach Garrison and their service in Germany and that the Americans wanted to be good neighbours to the surrounding villages and the city of Ansbach.
The pilots of the Apache und Chinook helicopters showed their machines to the German guests who were very much impressed and could even sit in the pilot’s seat.

The German group then went to the Shipton/Urlas area where they saw the American shopping mall and the housing area. There they had the feeling of experiencing „Little America in Middle Franconia“.
Summing up, our group had a great experience in the garrison and got lots of new impressions.

Great thanks to our American friends for this wonderful day and we are looking forward to our next meeting.

mehr...

US Consul General Timothy Liston visits Rothenburg ob der Tauber

US Consul General Timothy Liston, who was invited by the German-American Society and the city of Rothenburg, came to visit the old town on September 7, 2022. Maria Zylka-Eistert and Günther Schuster received him on the market place and accompanied him to the Kaisersaaal of the town house, where he was officially welcomed by Lord Mayor Dr. Markus Naser and the mayors Kurt Förster and Dieter Kölle. He signed the Golden Book of the town and was also very pleased when he was informed of the Lord Mhttps://strato-editor.com/.cm4all/widgetres.php/com.cm4all.wdn.PhotoGallery/images/thumbnail-gallery.png ayor's intention to establish strong connections to St. Augustine, Florida, a historic little town showing many similarities to Rothenburg. After a short tour around the town and dinner, Timothy Liston also met Harald Wohlfahrt at the Christmas Village.

Here is a nice contribution to the topic "How enemies became friends"

ROTHENBURG MOVIE PREMIERE: Members of the USAG Ansbach Community assisted in voicing the English version of a documentary created by Rothenburg students. The movie describes how U.S. Americans and Germans worked together in 1945 to save the city of Rothenburg from total destruction.
The first showing in the Wildbad resort near Rothenburg yesterday was attended by Col. Stephen Pierce and Command Sgt. Maj. Eric Bohannon, USAG Ansbach, as well as some of the volunteers who narrated the documentary.
The documentary will be made available to a larger audience later this year.
(Photos by Stefan Horndasch and Brian Sowders)
Ansbach Family & MWR, Terrace Playhouse

Please also use the direct link to the Facebook page of the "USAG Ansbach Community" to browse a little and read other interesting reports. This post is from June 26 with the headline "Rothenburg Movie Premiere" on the FB page of USAG Ansbach Community

High sporting visit

Thanks to football professional Mark Nzeocha and the Franken Knights for the nice appointment today in the town hall of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Mark Nzeocha is a German American football player in the position of linebacker who is active for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League. In 2020 he reached the Super Bowl LIV with the San Francisco 49ers. Nzeocha started his career at the age of 13 with the Franken Knights from Rothenburg ob der Tauber. In 2008 he won the Junior American Football Championship as a safety with the German national team. Because of his accomplishments, he got scholarships from Virginia and Wyoming. Quellen: Rothenburg.de / Wikipedia

Thanksgiving of the US Army in Katterbach 2019

Thanksgiving of the US Army in Katterbach, November 27, 2019.
Thilo Pohle and Günther Schuster represented the DAG and were surprised
that at the opulent buffet the soldiers were served by their officers, including General Norrie.

Group picture (from left to right): mayor Kölle (Rothenburg), COL Broam,
mayor Deffner (Ansbach), General Norrie, Günther Schuster, COL Pierce

Thanksgiving Dinner, Dec.07, 2019

Thanksgiving Dinner, Dec.07, 2019
The Thanksgiving Dinner of the DAG in the "Alte Vogtei" in Wolframs-Eschenbach was again quite successful this year. About 30 guests, half of them American friends, enjoyed the classical turkey meal and also had sufficient time for good conversation.

Foto (left to right): Mr Schlackl ( Deputy Mayor Wolframs-Eschenbach), COL Steve Pierce , Michael Dörr (Mayor Wolframs-Eschenbach, Vice-President DAG), Günther Schuster (President DAG), CSM Mark Smith, Mr. Santos, COL John Broam ,CSM Philson Tavernier

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