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Imagine living and working in an American enclave in one of the most
beautiful areas of Europe; a place with stately castles, elegant palaces,
gorgeous countryside, cultural events and, most importantly, a friendly
community atmosphere for families and single soldiers.
Now put yourself in Southern Germany. The 6th Area Support Group
serves over 12,500 soldiers, family members and civilians in the
geographically dispersed regions of Stuttgart and Garmisch. The 6th ASG
encompasses a diverse group of host nation employees, soldiers, Department
of the Army civilians and family members.
ThereÕs housing, childcare facilities, recreational opportunities,
entertainment, medical and dental care and much more. The ASG supports
soldiers from the day they arrive until the day they depart.
Military and civilian community members have the unique opportunity of
enjoying the cultural and social aspects of a foreign country while
taking advantage of the same services they received back home. The 6th
ASG offers a full range of sports and recreational activities, family and
single soldier support services, special events, facilities and services.
There's always something going on, either in the military community
or local German community. Military communities within the 6th ASG host
numerous festivals, sporting events and bazaars, and you'll get a great
taste of Germany at other area events. Germans love to celebrate at fests.
There are onion fests, wine fests, spring fests, Oktoberfests, Christmas
markets and more.
STUTTGART
Nestled in the beautiful Swabian region of Southwest Germany, Stuttgart
is the state capital of Baden-WŸrttemberg. The city of 572,000 residents
boasts highly successful industries (Mercedes and Porsche automobiles are
made there), a cosmopolitan downtown, modern shopping malls, an active
cultural calendar and abundant woods, parks, and gardens.
Stuttgart is home to Headquarters, United States European Command (HQ
USEUCOM) and several other military units and organizations. The 6th ASG
provides support services at four primary installations; Panzer Kaserne,
Patch Barracks, Kelley Barracks and Robinson Barracks.
Stuttgart and its surrounding towns are filled with shopping
opportunities. There is a mall similar to those in the states near Panzer
Kaserne and a large downtown shopping district with many shops, restaurants,
pubs and bakeries. It even has popular American stores, such as the Foot
Locker and the Gap.
Recreational opportunities abound in Stuttgart! This is the place for
you if you are a sports or outdoor enthusiast. The city is home to world
renowned soccer clubs, and is known for its mineral baths which provide
swimming and relaxation for therapeutic and medicinal purposes.
The Stuttgart Planetarium is one of the worldÕs most modern, and the
television tower was a pioneering venture. Opened in 1956, it was the
first of its kind in the world and since has been copied everywhere from
Moscow to Tokyo to Seattle. The observation deck, with a restaurant, can
be reached by an express elevator.
StuttgartÕs military installations offer many family service facilities,
a main PX and several branches, shoppettes, giftware concessions, a sports
store, a Power Zone, military clothing sales store and commissaries.
GARMISCH
Garmisch, a favorite European resort for a century, became a military
recreation center in 1945. The city has a population of about 27,000.
Edelweiss Lodge and Resort, which was scheduled to open on September
15, 2004, will be a 330-room hotel. The area also offers a year-round
vacation village and campground, a Hausberg Ski Lodge, nine-hole golf
course, and many recreation programs, such as skiing and white water
rafting. There is also a permanent party in Garmisch and a housing area
on Breitenau Kaserne.
Garmisch is surrounded by exciting places to visit. There is King
LudwigÕs Neuschwanstein Castle, modelled after storybook illustrations.
There are LudwigÕs other two castles, the rococo Linderhof with an
artificial grotto, and Herrenchiemsee, on an autoless island in the middle
of Germany's largest lake.
There is Oberammergau, 12 miles away, noted for its religious
woodcarving and as the home of the famous Passion Play. And, of course,
there is Munich, with beer gardens, Nymphenburg Palace and the annual
Oktoberfest.
Garmisch is also home to the George C. Marshall European Center for
Security Studies and an AST that supports the center. The Center, for
military officers and civilian defense officials from Central and Eastern
Europe and the former Soviet Union, is dedicated to stabilizing and
strengthening post-Cold War Europe, with the mission of informing and
training national and international staffs.
SPORTS & RECREATION
You can exercise your body and your mind or just relax on any given day
in the 6th ASG. There are numerous hiking and biking trails in the
Stuttgart area. Contact Outdoor Recreation or the Community Family Support
Center/ACS for more information. There are numerous swimming pools, both
indoor and outdoor, in Stuttgart and the surrounding towns.
Stuttgart has a German-American Wandering Club for those who want to
see rural Germany first hand. Family members of all ages participate and
some walks have stroller-friendly trails. The Patch Ski Club offers trips,
gatherings and ski lessons
• Outdoor Recreation. The center in Stuttgart has a
multitude of programs and equipment rental to offer. Equipment rental
items include: camping equipment, skiing equipment, rafts, canoes, bikes
and baby joggers. Some of the programs they offer include skiing, scuba
diving, golf, paragliding, skydiving, paintball and bicycle trips.
• Fitness Centers are located on Panzer Kaserne, Kelley, Patch and Robinson
Barracks in Stuttgart and on Sheridan Kaserne in Garmisch. The Panzer
Fitness Center in Stuttgart offers wall climbing upon completion of a
certification course.
• Clubs. Community clubs in Stuttgart are located on Kelley,
Patch and Robinson Barracks. They offer limited food service and selected
entertainment. Facilities are also available to rent for social occasions
and conferences. Contact the club manager for more details.
• The Hunting and Fishing Program on Panzer Kaserne in
Stuttgart operates a firing range, and offers programs for fishing and
hunting and can help in the obtaining of fishing and hunting licenses.
• Golf. The Stuttgart course in Kornwesthiem, about 10
miles north of the city offers 18 holes of championship quality play and
is one of the best military courses in Europe. This 6th ASG MWR activity
also boasts two practice putting greens and a driving range. Individual
clinics are held throughout the year, and group and private lessons are
available by appointment. The pro shop carries equipment and clothing.
They also serve lunch and dinner.
In Garmisch, golfers can play a nine-hole, par 36 course at the foot
of the Zugspitze, Germany's tallest mountain. The facility offers a pro
shop, practice areas, lessons and a restaurant serving lunch. It is open
from mid-April through October.
• AFRC in Garmisch offers a wide range of year-round sports,
including skiing, rock climbing, hiking and kayaking. You can also tour
area sites through AFRC Garmisch.
• Movies and TV. Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES)
movie theaters play popular attractions. American Forces Network (AFN)
broadcasts popular programs and movies from the United States. Many
communities have cable or satellite TV with English-speaking programs as
well.
• Bowling. Stuttgart has six lanes at Kelley Barracks with
a pro shop and snack bar. Stuttgart usually also has a newly renovated
bowling center at Panzer Kaserne, scheduled to open October 2004.
Family & Single Soldier Support
• Health Care. Quality family care is provided at Patch
Barracks in Stuttgart. In Garmisch, a medical van makes periodic visits
to provide basic health care services. More specialized care is provided
at German hospitals and military hospitals. There are health benefits
advisors in Stuttgart and Garmisch who assist with military health problems
and are liaisons for patients using host nation health care facilities.
• Dental Care. There are dental care facilities at Stuttgart
and Garmsich.
• Veterinary Services. A clinic is located at Panzer
Kaserne in Stuttgart. A veterinarian visits Garmisch periodically to
provide immunizations and minor medical treatment.
• Community Programs. The 6th ASG takes good care of
soldiers and family members with community programs including Army
Community Service (ACS), Family Readiness Groups, Army Emergency Relief
(AER), American Red Cross, Installation Volunteer Coordinator (IVC),
Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP), Child Development Centers, Youth
Services and Teen Outreach.
• Schools. There are elementary schools on Patch Barracks,
Panzer Kaserne and Robinson Barracks in Stuttgart. There is also a K-8 at
Garmisch. Stuttgart has a high school (grades 7-12), also on Patch Barracks.
Garmisch high school students attend international schools.
• BOSS. Single personnel have found an extended family in
"Better Opportunities for Single Servicemembers (BOSS) program in Stuttgart.
• ACAP. The 6th AGS Army Career and Alumni Program (ACAP)
provides career transition services to all soldiers, family members and
DoD civilians.
• United Service Organization (USO), with an office on
Patch Barracks, provides free tours of the Stuttgart area, cooking classes
and international tours for a fee. The USO also has local cultural
information, ticket information, and local maps and brochures of sites
and interests.
• The German-American Women's Club of Stuttgart supports
more than 40 different interest groups that meet at various times and
places. Their largest event of the year is the annual Pfenning Bazaar.
Facilities
If you had it at home, chances are, you'll find it in the 6th ASG. You
can shop for American groceries, keep you wardrobe current and even
furnish your house. Community clubs, movie theaters, outdoor rec., bowling
alleys and more offer many recreational activities.
• Chapels in most communities offer services in numerous
denominations. Your Chapel staff can provide information about them. There
are a wide range of Bible study groups, classes and retreats offered by
6th ASG chapels.
• Multi-Crafts Centers. The Robinson Barracks center in
Stuttgart offers painting, ceramics, drawing, photography and children's
classes. Kelley Barracks has woodworking and crafts workshops, and the
Gussy Goose Craft Shop at Patch Barracks has many craft, quilting, and
scrapbooking supplies and also offers sewing, quilting and scrapbooking
classes. A T-shirt shop and a frame shop are in the Patch Arts and Crafts
Center nearby.
• Private Organizations enhance the well-being of the
community by providing a wide range of social activities. There are
German-American clubs, along with organizations for spouses and volunteers,
ski clubs, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in the 6th ASG.
• Commissaries. The Patch Barracks commissary in Stuttgart
has a full-service bakery and deli. Commissaries are also on Kelley
Barracks and Panzer Kaserne in Stuttgart and in Garmisch. Robinson
Barracks in Stuttgart has a combined commissary/exchange facility, one
of the first in the world.
• PXs. You'll find furniture, music and videos, electronic
equipment, the latest fashions, and even new car sales, while shopping in
the Stuttgart military community post exchanges. There are also Shoppettes
in most 6th ASG communities to answer your needs for extended hours and
convenience shopping. Many AAFES establishments rent videos and some
libraries loan videos.
• Guest Houses. Lodging at guesthouses in the 6th ASG
provides a comfortable alternative to hotels on the economy. In Stuttgart
there is the Swabian Inn on Patch Barracks, the Kelley Hotel on Kelley
Barracks and the Hilltop Hotel on Robinson Barracks. Garmisch has a newly
built AFRC hotel and an Army Lodging facility.
• Music and Theater. The Stuttgart Entertainment Branch
and Music Center at Kelley Barracks offers live productions, acting
classes, a summer theater workshop for youth, music lessons, costume
rentals and technical assistance with productions. The Music Center has
sound-proof studios, instruments to loan, and guitar, piano, voice and
woodwind lessons. The Burke Center in Garmisch is a multi-faceted facility
that shows movies, organizes trips and even offers German classes.
• Libraries are located in on Patch and Robinson Barracks
in Stuttgart and on Artillery Kaserne in Garmsich. The Patch library
serves as the regional reference center.
• Travel. You can plan trips and vacations through the
United Service Organizations (USO) and SatoTravel offices. The USO also
provides concert tickets and travel information and arranges tours to
European attractions. SatoTravel can make hotel and airline reservations
and book tours and cruises.
• Car Care. Many military communities offer services such
as a gas station, alterations and a car wash to help make your day-to-day
life easier. There are auto craft shops in Garmisch, at Sheridan Kaserne,
and Stuttgart, at Panzer Kaserne.
• VAT Relief. Save money when buying items on the economy
with value-added tax (VAT) forms. These forms, available in all 6th ASG
community VAT offices, allow you to avoid paying the 16 percent VAT at
many German stores.
• Banking. Financial institutions in the 6th ASG provide
full range banking services to soldiers, family members and civilian
employees.
• Army Post Offices. APOs are available in all communities.
They transport all classes of mail, from letters to packages. Writing "MPS"
on the top right corner, instead of using a stamp, allows you to send some
types of mail free between military post offices in Europe.
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