Nonprofit in Cleveland to warrior restaurant in Wiesbaden: food service supervisor supports

WIESBADEN, Germany - Before coming to Logistics Readiness Center Wiesbaden, James Elliott worked for a non-profit food bank, crisis center and homeless shelter in Cleveland providing meals and critical counseling to those in need.

The LRC Wiesbaden employee brought that experience and expertise - as well as care for his community - with him when he started working for the Army again in 2021 as an Army civilian and now food service worker supervisor at the LRC.

Years earlier, the 61-year-old 'Soldier for Life' was an Army staff sergeant, enlisted aide for the U.S. Army Europe commanding general and a culinary specialist with the Army in Heidelberg, Germany, for 6.5 years. After an extended break, Elliott came back to the organization he loves the most as an Army civilian to continue serving and supporting Soldiers. And for the past few years he's been doing just that for the U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden community.

As a food service worker supervisor, Elliott said he's responsible for managing a staff of about two dozen personnel at the Stronger Together Café on Clay Kaserne. His team of dining facility attendants includes three Army civilians like himself, 13 local national employees and eight contractors. Their primary responsibility is the health and safety of the warrior restaurant, ensuring everything remains 100 percent clean and sanitary 100 percent of the time.

"We have a multicultural, multinational team," Elliott said. "My team leaders do a great job ensuring we meet our mission tasks and exceed the standards regardless of the occasional challenges associated with language comprehension and the cultural differences within our team."

In the LRC Wiesbaden food service team, there are local national employees and contractors from Bulgaria, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Romania, and Germany, he said. Plus, Elliott and the other Army civilians on the team are U.S.

"What I do, as well as the LRC Wiesbaden food service manager, is mostly behind-the-scenes," said Elliott, "making sure all the equipment is fully operational, and the team has everything it needs to perform their mission. At a civilian-style restaurant, you could say I'm in charge of the front of the house."

Elliott is also responsible for the government purchase card, and as the GPC holder he procures all the expendable items needed as well as life-cycle replacement equipment. In addition to this, he's the hazardous material coordinator and responsible for HAZMAT training as well as the proper use and general storage of HAZMAT within the restaurant.

"Overall, my team at the Stronger Together Café does an amazing job making sure all the daily tasks are completed, and the dining facility is clean, organized, sanitized, healthy and safe for our community. I appreciate their hard work, especially my team leads who manage the staff," said Elliott.

LRC Wiesbaden 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 Wiesbaden directs, manages, and coordinates a variety of operations and activities in support of USAG Wiesbaden.

The 405th AFSB is the premier logistics integrator and synchronizer for U.S. European Command, enabling readiness solutions to 'Support the Warrior' by operationalizing U.S. Army Materiel Command capabilities and delivering readiness within the U.S. Army Europe and Africa areas of responsibility at the point of need.

The 405th AFSB is assigned to U.S. Army Sustainment Command and provides materiel enterprise support to U.S. forces throughout Europe and Africa - providing theater sustainment logistics; synchronizing acquisition, logistics and technology; and leveraging AMC's materiel enterprise to support joint forces. For more information on the 405th AFSB, visit the official website and the official Facebook site.