Photo By Cameron Porter | As a dual citizen of the U.S. and Netherlands, Marvin Ray Bryant has lived in the...... read more read more
BRUNSSUM, Netherlands – Queen’s megahit Bohemian Rhapsody was released in 1975, Jaws was the highest grossing film in 1975, Gerald Ford was U.S. President in 1975, and Marvin Ray Bryant was about to enter the Army in 1975. Now, almost 49 years later, the hazardous material program manager for Logistics Readiness Center Benelux’s HAZMAT office in Brunssum is set to retire.
As a dual citizen of the U.S. and Netherlands, Bryant has lived in the Netherlands on and off for 35 years. His three daughters and four grandchildren also live there, and when he retires next month, the 67-year-old Dutch host nation employee with the U.S. Army will stay in the Netherlands, at least for the time being.
Interesting enough, Bryant wasn’t always a Dutch local national Army employee, nor was he a Dutch citizen. He met his wife while stationed in the Netherlands in 1981. Now divorced, he still maintains residency and citizenship there and considers the Netherlands his home – mainly because of his children and grandchildren.
“Everybody keeps asking me if I’ll live in the Netherlands when I retire. I don’t know yet. I’ll be staying here for a while because my family is here, and I don’t want to just up and leave them,” said Bryant, who served for almost 17 years as a Soldier and then as a non-appropriated funds Army civilian for a short time before becoming a Dutch host nation employee with the U.S. Army.
Besides HAZMAT, Bryant has worked in numerous positions and jobs at multiple locations and duty stations throughout his Army career. Originally from Maine, when he entered the Army in the mid ‘70s he was infantry, but after four years he switched to military police. When he left active-duty service in 1993, he was a staff sergeant and MP desk sergeant in Schinnen, Netherlands. He also served as an MP in Hawaii and was in Australia for some time, as well. In addition, he was stationed at numerous other duty stations, like Fort Ord, California.
As an Army civilian employee, he worked as a safety officer and as a chief dispatcher. He also drove a bus for Child and Youth Services. But LRC Benelux is where he’s been for the past 25 years, and he said he’ll miss the LRC and the Army when he retires.
“Working for the U.S. Army, for me, has been my whole life. Since I graduated high school that’s all I know. Working for the U.S. Army all these years has been great,” said Bryant.
“The Army can be the best job ever. It’s a team,” he said. “Change is going to happen, and change affects everyone in the Army, but you must work together as a team to adapt to change and succeed. And I like that. That’s what I like about the Army.”
In his role as the HAZMAT program manager with LRC Benelux, Bryant said he’s responsible for providing HAZMAT educational training to U.S. Army Garrison Benelux personnel living and working in Brunssum. In 2008, he and a coworker created a HAZMAT program encompassing both Brunssum and Chièvres Air Base, he said, and to his day the program it’s still operational. In his position, Bryant also works closely with the USAG Benelux environmental office and the safety office on a regular basis, he added.
LRC Benelux is one of eight LRCs under the command and control of the 405th Army Field Support Brigade. LRCs execute installation logistics support and services to include supply, maintenance, and transportation as well as clothing issue facility operations, hazardous material management, personal property and household goods, passenger travel, non-tactical vehicle and garrison equipment management, and property book operations. When it comes to providing day-to-day installation services, LRC Benelux directs, manages and coordinates a variety of operations and activities in support of USAG Benelux.
LRC Benelux reports to the 405th AFSB, which is assigned to U.S. Army Sustainment Command and headquartered in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The brigade provides materiel enterprise support to U.S. forces throughout Europe and Africa – providing theater sustainment logistics; synchronizing acquisition, logistics and technology; and leveraging U.S. Army Materiel Command’s materiel enterprise to support joint forces. For more information on the 405th AFSB, visit the official website at www.afsbeurope.army.mil and the official Facebook site at www.facebook.com/405thAFSB.
| Date Taken: | 10.03.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.03.2024 04:49 |
| Story ID: | 482406 |
| Location: | BRUNSSUM, NL |
| Web Views: | 11 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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