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***image1***Lt. Col. Mechelle B. Hale took command of the U.S. Army Garrison
Kaiserslautern Aug. 10 at the Armstrong Community Club on Vogelweh
Housing.
She succeeds Lt. Col. Erik O. Daiga, who goes to the Pentagon to serve
with the Army Chief of Staff for Installation Management Office.
“I’m honored by the privilege to become a part of this team,” said
Colonel Hale, addressing the garrison’s Soldiers, civilians and
contractors and their families in her speech. “I look forward to the
challenges and partnerships that continue to make this community the
best in Germany.”
Colonel Hale comes to the garrison from the United States Central
Command in Tampa, Fla., where she was the joint logistics officer.
Garrison Kaiserslautern’s mission is to provide administrative and
logistical support to all U.S. Army military and civilian personnel and
their families, and organizations in the KMC. The garrison also
coordinates with Air Force commands and units here to ensure operations
support and a unified effort for U.S. Army forces in the KMC.
As garrison commander, Colonel Hale oversees command and control, base
operations support, force protection, reception, staging and onward
movement in support of contingency operations. Based on Pulaski
Barracks, the garrison also acts as a power-projection platform,
deploying and redeploying Army units, which it has done steadily for
the past four years.
Colonel Hale, a native of Wilson, N.C., holds a Bachelor of Science
degree in Sociology from Elizabeth City State University, and master’s
degrees in Management from Troy State University and in National
Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. While
attending ECSU, Colonel Hale was commissioned in 1988 an Ordnance
Officer in the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps Program, receiving
Distinguished Military Graduate honors.
Her first assignment took her to the 184th Ordnance Company in
Darmstadt as a platoon leader and later, as an operations
officer. Her next assignment was at 264th Corps Support Battalion
at Fort Bragg, N.C., first as a company commander and later as the
battalion’s operations officer. As the company commander, she deployed
her unit to Haiti in support of Operation Uphold Democracy.
Her other assignments include 19th Theater Army Area Command, Taegu,
South Korea; 45th Corps Support Group and 524th Corps Support
Battalion, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; and, Forces Command at Fort
McPherson, Ga.
Customer service is the most visible part of the garrison’s mission,
which enhances the readiness and quality of life within the KMC.
This translates to the battalion’s three child development centers,
three chapels and chaplain programs, three libraries, Army Community
Service’s classes and support programs, four Army clubs and sports and
fitness programs including four gyms and fitness centers. The garrison
also provides many other community services open to the entire KMC,
such as Pulaski Park and Kid’s Zone, both located on Pulaski Barracks.
About 27 Soldiers and 420 civilian personnel are assigned to Garrison Kaiserslautern.
