Courtesy Photo | Carmen Loveless, a transportation quality control inspector and U.S. customs border...... read more read more
ANSBACH, Germany – Carmen Loveless was an Army spouse for many years. Her first transatlantic overseas military move was in 1982. Then she moved again in 1986, 1991 and 1996. She also moved a couple of times within the U.S. With all this experience, she certainly knows the hardships and difficulties associated with military moves, and she’s got a lot of empathy for Soldiers and Army Families who do this every three to four years.
Thankfully for the Soldiers and Families stationed in the U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach community, they have Loveless on their side and there to help. The transportation quality control inspector with Logistics Readiness Center Ansbach said she knows how lost people can feel when they have a houseful of movers in their home who don’t speak their language well and confusion – sometimes chaos – starts to set in.
“I moved so many times myself with the military, often new places where I had no family or friends. It can be scary and overwhelming,” said Loveless who is a German local national employee with the U.S. Army and also a U.S. customs border clearance agent. “Having gone through this myself makes me want to help them even more.”
“I don’t mind if I must come in on my day off to make sure a household goods pack and pick up goes smoothly. I don’t mind working longer, if people need my help. It makes me feel good to know I have a responsibility to our Soldiers and their Families to ensure they are taken care of,” said the proud mother and grandmother of a 2-year-old grandson.
Empathy and a caring heart can go a long way, but Loveless has something else that benefits USAG Ansbach community members during their transitions and their moves – experience and knowledge. Loveless has over 20 years in the transportation quality control business, and she’s worked with hundreds of commercial moving companies and equally as many Army Families and Soldiers. As a liaison between the two, Loveless said her role is critical in ensuring safe, successful, pleasant moves.
“When I’m out inspecting household goods and unaccompanied baggage shipments, I’m making sure the moving companies doing the pack outs or deliveries are doing everything right and by regulation,” said the 62-year-old host nation employee who is from Lich, Germany, near Giessen, where she first started supporting Soldiers and Families as an employee at the Army and Air Force Exchange Service in 1982.
“I inspect to see if everything was okay with the moving company that packed them in the states and everything is okay on this side. If there are any issues, I’m there to help,” Loveless said. “I know what it’s like. It can be a scary situation because you're often by yourself.”
“During one of my moves in El Paso [Texas], I had movers in my house who only spoke Spanish, and I was kind of scared because I didn't know how to talk to them and they wouldn't listen to me,” she said. “I've been through that, and that's why I want to help the Soldiers and their Families to make sure they know if there are any issues with the movers, they're not by themselves.”
Loveless not only supports personal household good moves; she also has a lot of experience with deployments, redeployments and unit moves. In the past, when Soldiers who live in the barracks were deploying, their personal belongings in their rooms were packed up and stored at another location. Other times, entire units were ordered to return to the U.S. With hundreds of Soldiers deploying within a short time span or an entire unit picking up and leaving Germany, Loveless said she often worked until the middle of the night, including Saturdays and Sundays, to get all these shipments inspected and get the job done.
“I really didn’t mind, though, even during the stressful moments and extremely long workdays. I have been here doing this since 2004, and I really love my job,” she said.
LRC Ansbach 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, transportation, and food service management as well as clothing issue facility operations, hazardous material management, personal property and household goods, passenger travel, property book operations, and non-tactical vehicle and garrison equipment management. When it comes to providing day-to-day installation services, LRC Ansbach directs, manages, and coordinates a variety of operations and activities in support of USAG Ansbach.
The 405th AFSB 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: | 11.22.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.22.2024 02:33 |
| Story ID: | 485905 |
| Location: | ANSBACH, BAYERN, DE |
| Hometown: | LICH, HESSEN, DE |
| Web Views: | 9 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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