Col. Marcus Hunter, far right, U.S. Army Garrison Japan commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. David A. Rio, far left, garrison senior enlisted leader, recognize several employees who are retiring after decades of service during a workforce town hall at Camp Zama, Japan, Dec. 3, 2024. The leaders also answered work-related questions from audience members during the meeting. (Photo Credit: Momoko Shindo)
CAMP ZAMA, Japan – U.S. Army Garrison Japan leaders hosted a town hall here Tuesday to honor employees and answer various questions from across the workforce.
Dozens of garrison employees attended the forum inside Kizuna Hall while several more watched virtually.
Col. Marcus Hunter, garrison commander, along with Command Sgt. Maj. David A. Rio, garrison senior enlisted leader, and Jenifer L. Peterson, deputy garrison commander, responded to questions ranging from future emergency drills to how extensions for Army civilians are handled.
The leadership first presented awards to several garrison personnel for their recent achievements while also highlighting others for their length of service and retirements.
Some of the employees retiring had served more than 40 years in support of the U.S. Army.
“We are honored by and grateful for the incredible service of our honorees today, many of whom who are retiring after decades of service,” Hunter said. “We are inspired by your service and the excellence in which you have served and hope to be able to follow in your good footsteps in everything that we do.”
Before the question-and-answer session, Sean Gilmore, acting chief of the Safety Office, reminded employees of winter safety tips in the workplace.
Gilmore said if employees decide to use an electric space heater at their desk, they must plug the device directly into the wall and place it on a flat surface. The device should also have tip-over and auto shutoff safety features to prevent overheating.
Holiday office decorations are also allowed but should be kept away from smoke detectors, sprinklers, aisles and emergency exits. Decorations must be flame-resistant or -retardant as well.
Ashley Sauber, who oversees the Employee Assistance Program, then encouraged the workforce to take advantage of its confidential services. The program includes short-term counseling, referrals and resources and is available to Army civilians, active-duty spouses, retirees and adult family members.
While taking questions from the audience, Hunter showcased the behind-the-scenes work by garrison personnel to support the ongoing Yama Sakura exercise.
The colonel said garrison assets, such as the Directorate of Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation and the Directorate of Public Works, provided services and site consultation for troops during the first part of the exercise held here.
Hunter said the garrison’s support to the exercise, which continues this month at Sagami General Depot and Camp Asaka, allows the U.S. Army, its sister services and Japanese counterparts to work as a combined team and increase readiness.
Rio addressed another question on the possibility of disaster preparedness drills being held on the installation.
He said the garrison is currently working with its higher headquarters to develop the concept and evaluation criteria for a large emergency management exercise next summer.
“What you will see as we prepare for that is a training path that ultimately gets us to next August where we execute the full-scale exercise,” Rio said, adding it will involve standing up the Emergency Operations Center.
Hunter later clarified the policy for Army civilians looking to extend their assignments past five years.
While Congress considers a proposal to end the “five-year rule” in the National Defense Authorization Act, the process for extensions remains the same.
The colonel said the garrison will advocate to retain employees, but the approval for seven-year tours will still come from U.S. Army Installation Management Command headquarters and Army Materiel Command for nine years.
“At each of those [levels], first and foremost, it has to be a strong business case,” he said. “IMCOM is a worldwide structure with more than 100 garrisons all over the world, so they make those decisions for [overseas tour extensions] based off of that.”
Rio, who will relinquish his leadership role to Command Sgt. Maj. Rick Meeker on Dec. 12, expressed his gratitude to what garrison employees have been able to accomplish during his tenure.
“There’s a very high level of ongoing activity in the garrison,” Rio said as he recognized that employees have given their personal energy, time and effort to make things happen. “I just want to say thank you for that because it is super important what we do every day in support of the mission here.”
Rio also encouraged employees to participate in the garrison’s Quality of Life Action Team, which held its first meeting of fiscal 2025 on Thursday.
The team is comprised of members throughout the garrison who address issues within the organization. Those interested in joining the team can reach out to their supervisors.
“I look forward to everyone’s participation and feedback,” Hunter said. “And if you don’t know who your representative is, then talk to your direct leadership so we can ensure everyone has representation there.”
In closing, Hunter said he appreciated how the workforce came together during the forum to discuss challenges and how they can be improved.
He also touted that garrison employees have helped Japan become the U.S. Army’s No. 1 duty assignment with their hard work and dedication.
“That is amazing and that is because this is an awesome place and this is an awesome team,” he said.
“Thank you for the incredible work that you do, the way in which you do it and the service culture that you have established not just within our team, but across the entire community.”
