Photo By Volker Ramspott | U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Director of Emergency Services Cody Ferguson (left)...... read more read more
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WIESBADEN, Germany – A local national fire fighter was honored for 38 years of service in an intimate retirement ceremony at the U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Directorate of Emergency Services fire house on Clay Kaserne, Nov. 22.
In the Army, selfless service can be defined, in part, as doing your duty loyally without thought of recognition or gain. For USAG Wiesbaden firefighter and crew chief Captain Thomas Graef, volunteerism and selfless service began as a boyhood dream that came to fruition over nearly four decades as a professional and 50 years as a volunteer firefighter.
Rauenthal beginnings
Public service is often referred to as a calling, however 38 years of public service is more than just a calling.
“Firefighting comes from the bottom of your heart,” explained Graef’s supervisor, USAG Wiesbaden Fire Department Chief Daniel Corzelius.
For Graef, selfless service and fighting fires was more than a passion – it was tradition.
Graef’s journey to becoming a professional firefighter began in 1972 when he joined the local volunteer fire department managed and led by his grandfather, in his hometown of Rauenthal, Germany.
However, achieving his boyhood dream of working in a German firehouse would be stymied by German regulation. But his drive to be a professional firefighter would find a different path through opportunities with the U.S. Army.
Clear path ahead
Two regulations stood in the way of Graef fulfilling his dream of becoming a professional firefighter – one he could overcome, the other proved more challenging.
Graef knew that according to German regulation, firefighters must have a handyman’s trade. He knew going back to school and learning a trade was his first step, therefore he decided to become an electrician and eventually found work repairing helicopters on the Clay Kaserne Airfield.
The second regulation would pose more of an obstacle.
“In Germany, I could not be a professional fire fighter because I wore glasses,” said Graef.
Though a daunting hurdle to overcome, he would not let it stop his desire to join the professional firefighting corps.
Firefighting was in his blood but serving as a volunteer fighting fire was not enough.
He knew that the German “no-glasses restriction” did not apply to U.S. firefighters, therefore working with the U.S. Army firefighting service could be the solution to his problem.
Graef was officially hired as a member of the USAG Wiesbaden fire department back on June 1, 1985 – leaving the airfield and his electrician duties behind him.
Starting his career handling fire hoses as a rookie firefighter, Graef rose to become a shift leader and ultimately became an assistant chief, responsible for incident response and management.
A proven leader throughout his career, Graef applied his firefighting expertise towards training countless numbers of fighters throughout the years, from rookies to battalion chiefs.
Evolving fire presence
The U.S. Army has had a firefighting presence on Clay Kaserne for 77 years. Graef has been a part of that history for almost four decades.
In that time, he has seen the garrison fire department expand, adding more equipment and personnel over the years.
“(…) As Clay Kaserne grew, so did the responsibilities to respond to the needs of the growing community,” said Graef.
The fire department grew over the years, but the building remained the same size.
“When I started there were only two trucks and now – we have so many they will not fit in the firehouse.”
Building special bonds
Serving as a member of the USAG Wiesbaden Fire Department can be a tough and dangerous profession that offers long hours of shift work – often during the holidays – that can mean a lot of time away from family and loved ones.
“Being a fire fighter is a calling and it takes a lot of time away from the family,” said USAG Wiesbaden DES Director Cody Ferguson.
Spending a lot of time together in close quarters during difficult situations can bring people closer.
The closeness between Chief Graef and his crews is evident. To many of his men, Graef is known as “Opa,” German for grandfather.
“Why Opa? I am the oldest…all my guys are younger than me,” added Graef with a slight smile.
Recognizing their support and sacrifices throughout Capt. Graef’s long and distinguished career, his family present – Gaby Graef and Johannes Graef, were presented with a bouquet of flowers and a gift basket.
“Nobody can be a success for 38 years, without strong family support – thank you for supporting Thomas,” said Corzelius.
Next steps
Though the ceremony marked a major milestone for Chief Graef, he won’t be riding an engine truck into the sunset of retirement, just yet.
In what can be referred to as coming full circle, and though his 38-year career as a professional firefighter has come to an end, Graef will continue to be a fixture in the USAG Wiesbaden fire department as a volunteer.
When he finally decides to hang up his firefighting boots Graef and his wife have plans to do spend more time hiking.
Local national employment
Local nationals have consistently been a part of the workforce, working side-by-side with U.S. armed forces and civilian personnel, on overseas installations for decades.
The garrison workforce in Wiesbaden is comprised of more than 475 personnel of which 370 are local national hires – more than 75%.
Finding qualified applicants who want to apply and fill the void is a constant recruitment effort for Garrison’s Workforce Development team.
“We are short local national hires…especially in the blue collar, engineer, technician and administration career fields,” said USAG Wiesbaden Workforce Development Program Manager Thomas Schulze.
Despite the many employment opportunities that are available, many local nationals do not know that the U.S. military is such a large employer, right here in their back yard.
If you know of a local national who might be interested in working for the U.S. military in Europe or to learn more about civilian local national employment opportunities visit: https://portal.chra.army.mil/mnrs
| Date Taken: | 12.14.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 12.14.2023 09:50 |
| Story ID: | 459925 |
| Location: | WIESBADEN, HE, DE |
| Web Views: | 79 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Garrison celebrates local national’s devoted firefighting career, by Michael Kenfield, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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