‘Sustain the Mission, Secure the Future’: USAG Rheinland-Pfalz honors Earth Day with tree planting event at Smith Barracks

BAUMHOLDER, Germany - The U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz commemorated Earth Day by planting a cherry tree in front of the headquarters building on Smith Barracks, Apr. 22.

Earth Day, observed annually on Apr. 22, serves as an international event to increase awareness and concern for the environment.

"'Sustain the mission, secure the future' is the motto of Earth Day 2024," said Jae Kim, USAG Rheinland-Pfalz deputy garrison manager for Baumholder.

"For 54 years, the Army has marked Earth Day with events across its garrisons, showcasing proactive measures, environmental considerations, and collaboration with partners to adapt missions and manage military ranges."

Planting a tree on this day is a tradition at the U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz.

"I am delighted that the mayors of the City and District of Baumholder, Günther Jung and Bernd Alsfasser, as well as the command team of the 16th Sustainment Brigade - Col. Matthew Alexander and Command Sgt. Maj. Jason Towns - are supporting us in planting the tree today," said Kim.

Principal Richard Dye and second-grade students from Smith Elementary School also joined the event, with a special surprise. Teachers Louise Gregory and Brittney Peace prepared a poem and a song about the Earth, which the second graders performed.

Before the planting began, Kim posed a series of questions to the children about Earth Day and the event. "Who can tell me who our guests are, what type of tree we're planting, and whether we can harvest anything from it?" The children eagerly responded with answers to each question.

"Our Earth is special and there is only one," were the first few words of the poem recited enthusiastically by all the children. They followed this with a collective rendition of Jane Yolen's "Earth Day Song," earning a round of applause for their excellent performance.

Later, the guests of honor, along with Dye and Travis Monson, supervisory general engineer for the Directorate of Public Works at Baumholder, grabbed the shovels and filled the hole around the cherry tree with soil. Meanwhile, the children transported soil to the tree by hand.

A second tree planting activity was arranged for the mayors. Last year, streets on the Baumholder installation underwent renaming. The street adjacent to the PX is now known as Holunder-Weg.

"I proposed this name to commemorate our close ties with Baumholder," said Kim. "The elderflowers in the city's coat of arms inspired me."

Earth Day served as the official unveiling of the road's new name.

"We are planting three elderberry bushes along this road today," he added. "May they blossom and grow, become as strong as our decades-long friendship, and strengthen our future."

U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz serves, supports, and secures the total force community enabling power projection for the European Theater.

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