{"id":416030,"date":"2025-04-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=416030"},"modified":"2025-04-17T11:31:36","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T11:31:36","slug":"bavaria-public-affairs-officer-receives-accolade-honors-during-retirement-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=416030","title":{"rendered":"Bavaria public affairs officer receives accolade, honors during retirement event"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n As part of the ceremony, Zeilmann was granted the privilege of signing the Book of Dragoons.
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TOWER BARRACKS, Germany \u2013 After more than 41 years of service, Franz Zeilmann, U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria media relations officer, was honored during his retirement ceremony March 21, 2025 at the Reed Museum at Rose Barracks at Vilseck, Germany.<\/p>\n

As part of the ceremony, Zeilmann was granted the privilege of signing the Book of Dragoons.<\/p>\n

The Book of Dragoons, described as the oldest and most treasured artifact of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, dates back to 1836, with the first signature belonging to Maj. Gen. David E. Twiggs, the regiment\u2019s first colonel. Signing the book is a part of the Dragooning ceremony, a tradition in which individuals place both hands on a cavalry saber held by the regiment\u2019s colonel, swear an oath, and then write their name into the book.<\/p>\n

Typically, only those who have served in the unit are allowed to sign. Regimental commander Col. Donald R. Neal Jr. and Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis Doyle, however, made an exception for recognizing Zeilmann\u2019s efforts in creating strong relationships between the U.S. military and the local German community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we found out that Franz was going to retire and that we would get a chance to honor him over here, sergeant major and I were talking about what we could do for Franz,\u201d said Neal. \u201cNormally, only folks who have served in the unit sign this book. But we talked internally, and there was no doubt \u2013 we were doing it. He has done more for this regiment than many of us have done or will do, and he\u2019s been doing it for about 40 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zeilmann\u2019s work, often described as \u201cbeer garden diplomacy,\u201d has been instrumental in creating lasting connections between Soldiers and the local community.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of the senior leaders come back not just for 2CR, but to visit the folks in the community,\u201d said Neal. \u201cAnd right at the center of that has been Franz, enabling those relationships that allow us to be successful.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the ceremony, Zeilmann followed the tradition by swearing his oath and signing the historic book.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor as long as this regiment exists, you will be a part of our unit, part of our memory, and we can\u2019t thank you enough for all the service you have done \u2013 not just for 2CR but also for the USAG Bavaria community,\u201d said Neal.<\/p>\n

Zeilmann started his career as a mechanic before working in recreation services and later public affairs in 1991.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have seen this place completely transform,\u201d said Dwayne Key, deputy to the garrison commander for USAG Bavaria. \u201cYou have been a part of building partnerships that help sustain the mission and the operations of every single tenant and mission partner.\u201d<\/p>\n

The garrison commander Col. Stephen C. Flanagan also presented the national flag to Zeilmann which was flown at the Grafenwoehr and Vilseck headquarters as a sign of recognition for his many years of support and dedication.<\/p>\n

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\n The garrison commander Col. Stephen C. Flanagan presenting the national flag to Zeilmann as a sign of recognition for his many years of support and dedication.
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In addition to his public affairs work, Zeilmann dedicated over a thousand hours to giving tours of the Grafenwoehr Training Area, Tower and Rose Barracks, and the historic water tower.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese tours are not just a great tourist attraction, but, more importantly, they keep families connected to their history,\u201d said Key. \u201cThere are still families who visit this place because their ancestors lived here. Thank you for keeping people connected to this place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zeilmann expressed his gratitude for the recognition and reflected on his career, which was shaped by his passion for promoting mutual understanding between Germans and Americans. One of his earliest responsibilities was reestablishing the German-American KONTAKT Club.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s time to say goodbye after over 41 years with the U.S. Army,\u201d said Zeilmann. \u201cThe great German-American friendship in Bavaria was the driving force for me going to work every day. It made my job easier and so much more fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he closed his remarks, Zeilmann thanked those in attendance for their support and friendship over the years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will always cherish the memories we have made and the bond we have,\u201d he said. \u201cThank you again for coming today. It means a lot to me. I will miss you all! It\u2019s better in Bavaria, because of all of you!\u201d<\/p>\n

You can find more pictures of the event here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1 \/ 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption \u2013 As part of the ceremony, Zeilmann was granted the privilege of signing the Book of Dragoons. (Photo Credit: Ella Haendel) VIEW ORIGINAL 2 \/ 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption \u2013 Group photo of the Garrison Public Affairs team. (Photo Credit: Lacey Justinger) VIEW ORIGINAL 3 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":416032,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-416030","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416030","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=416030"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416030\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":416037,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416030\/revisions\/416037"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/416032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=416030"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=416030"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=416030"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}