Photo By Staff Sgt. Karen Sampson | The Joint Multinational Readiness Center's Adler Observer, Coach/Trainer Team attend...... read more read more
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One of U.S. Army’s logisticians and leaders in training sustainment operations retired in late June 2017. He expressed his three-year tenure at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center, Hohenfels, Germany an outstanding capstone finishing 23-years of service.
“The talent here is exceptional,” said Lt. Col. Adrian Gamez, commander of JMRC’s Adler Observer, Coach/Trainer Team and Senior Sustainment OC/T.
Gamez credits all personnel at JMRC for developing professional skilled Soldiers, building essential readiness, influencing U.S. and Multinational Forces in unit cohesion and refining their interoperability on the battlefield.
“I’ve witnessed JMRC grow leaps and bounds as a training center,” said Gamez, “especially in training for the integration of U.S. and Multinational Forces.”
All JMRC OC/T Teams are military professionals and seasoned in acclimating to the high operation tempo generated by JMRC’s Multinational training exercises, he emphasized.
“The officers and NCOs here are clearly superior from their training, education and experience in this environment,” he stated.
Gamez mentors his officers and NCOs on the Adler OC/T Team to create balance in their lives. A balance that regards the importance of their families, setting clear career goals and promoting their advancement attending career courses, explained U.S. Army Capt. Elvin Santos, Adler Team OC/T.
“Lt. Col. Gamez bridged with me to sponsor my move to Hohenfels in June 2016,” said Santos. “He and his family communicated with my family before we moved.”
“He made sure were settled in our home before I started working,” he said. “It was warming to know that a senior officer would do that for his Soldiers.”
Quality time spent with family and contributing to the community is important to Lt. Col. Gamez. He encourages his Soldiers to do the same in their lives as Army leaders. He allows time for his team to be present for family commitments.
“I volunteer as a baseball coach for CYS (Community Youth Sports) in Hohenfels,” said Sgt.1st Class Hector Rodriguez, Adler Team OC/T and human resource NCOIC. “He made sure I was able to commit that time to the kids and the community.”
Rodriguez is responsible for all Adler Team members’ administrative needs and as OC/T guidance in administration duties for the rotational battalions training at JMRC. He’s worked closely with Gamez daily.
“Lt. Col. Gamez as a commander invests himself wholly as a leader in developing Soldiers,” said Rodriguez. “He trusts our abilities, our commitment to the Adler’s mission and our commitment to the Army.”
Gamez as a leader believes in his Soldiers’ knowledge of their profession, he challenges their abilities in their skill set and gives them independence to learn from executing the mission. Practicing these responsibilities forms a Soldier confident in practicing leadership and also builds a stronger formation.
“I would say, working with Lt. Col. Gamez I have attended more schools than any time in my whole Army career,” said Santos.
When Santos arrived to Hohenfels in 2016, he considered leaving his service to the Army at the end of his three-year tour.
The logistics officer and father to three small children planned to follow through with his departure.
“Personally,” reflected Santos, “Lt. Col. Gamez directly contributed to my decision to stay an Army officer.”
Gamez’s initial reception welcoming the Santos family, the challenges he set and attention to the young officer’s career trajectory, influenced Santos to recommit.
“Lt. Col. Gamez actions as a commander showed me some leaders do care for their subordinates,” said Santos. “He is a supportive commanding officer and encourages our family’s welfare as we support the mission.”
The lieutenant colonel's actions had a lasting impact on Santos.
“I appreciate him for this,” expressed Santos. “I can say with confidence every officer and NCO on the Adler Team feels this way too.”
As an accessible leader, Gamez’s interest and experience as a subject matter expert in his chosen profession is prolific. As an expert logistician he’s penned articles educating Soldiers in sustainment leadership development and authored articles on logistic considerations for multinational operations.
U.S. Army sustainment and logistics include Ordinance, Quartermaster, Transportation, Personnel and Medical Corps. There are specialized personnel to allocate; diverse skill sets to employ, copious equipment demands and several moving parts involved in sustainment operations.
Gamez’s advice from his extensive career as an Army officer is to be an adaptable leader.
“Build your foxhole out of what you have in front of you, suitable for the conditions at hand, and gainfully employ the formation in front of you,” said Gamez.
JMRC is an advanced tactical operational environment. The planning involved in major multinational exercises is developed to challenge units from the U.S with sometimes more than 15 nations operating together on the battlefield.
“JMRC is the ideal ground to train an officer or a career noncommissioned officer to adapt to the world’s current and evolving conditions,” said Gamez.
“The conditions here at JMRC, specifically for a logistician, are at the graduate level of logistics,” said Gamez. “Supporting U.S. and multinational formations interacting in training there are a lot of differences to take into account; differences in equipment, fuel types, ammunition, personalities and language barriers.”
Gamez’s assignment as senior OC/T commanding the Adler Team allowed him an integral role in initial and final planning phases of JMRC’s scheduled exercises.
“Is this taught at the Captains Career Course or Command and General Staff College? No,” he said.
He is grateful for the opportunity witnessing JMRC's training model reach maturity.
He is proud of his Soldiers and his work with 7th Army Training Command and U.S. Army Europe developing JMRC’s training model.
“We encourage evaluation, and instruct to leverage the advantages our partners and allies have and together create an interoperable formation.”
For Gamez, the Army offered many facets of leadership experience as an officer with tours to Panama, Kosovo and Iraq. Before coming to JMRC in 2014, Gamez was an OC/T officer at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC), at Ft. Polk in Louisiana.
It is a genuine honor to finish 23 years of service with JMRC, he added.
| Date Taken: | 07.02.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 07.02.2017 02:49 |
| Story ID: | 239940 |
| Location: | HOHENFELS, BAYERN, DE |
| Hometown: | MUNICH, DE |
| Hometown: | OKINAWA, OKINAWA, JP |
| Hometown: | TOKYO, TOKYO, JP |
| Hometown: | SEOUL, SEOUL TEUGBYEOLSI [SEOUL-T'UKPYOLSHI], KR |
| Hometown: | BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Hometown: | FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA, US |
| Hometown: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
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