We are the champions

 

An informal account of how

Baumholder became known as the

“Home of Champions”

 

By Ignacio “Iggy” Rubalcava

 

When Brig. Gen. Frederic J. Brown took command of the Baumholder military community in 1977, one of his primary goals was to instill esprit de corps in the community. According to longtime members of the community, General Brown was displeased with the overall appearance of Baumholder and with the morale of the soldiers and families.

He was determined to instill pride in the community and make it a beautiful place to work and play. His perseverance paid off and Baumholder began to shine. Morale began to climb as the post varsity basketball teams brought several USAREUR championships to Baumholder. Baumholder athletes continued to excel in various sports and the community began to be known as the “Home of Champions.”

The expression caught on and soon Baumholder became synonymous with “Home of Champions.”

Renaming the gym to “The Hall of Champions” was the logical thing to do, since it was the home court for the championship basketball teams of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.

The Baumholder post newspaper also changed its name from the Baumholder Community News to the Champion Times, to reflect the spirit of the community. It was later renamed the Post Union and when Baumholder became part of the 104^th Area Support Group, the paper’s name was again changed to the Herald Union.

Athletics was not the only area where Baumholder excelled. From 1979 through 1981, Baumholder finished as one of the top three USAREUR energy efficient communities. Revenue from these awards was invested directly into the community for such projects as a motor pool renovation, construction of a roller rink, the purchase of playground and sports equipment, construction of the “Kommunity Keller,” the USO Women’s Resource center and the addition of lights for the football field.

When General Brown left, the new commander, Brig. Gen. Dave R. Palmer, continued the tradition of a winning community. Attesting to that was the participation of Baumholder athletes in the 1988 Olympic Games. Although Baumholder athletes were highly challenged in the years that followed, the community maintained its winning attitude and there was no turning back from its heritage.

The ‘90s arrived and Baumholder continued to shine. In 1992, 1993 and 1995, Baumholder received honorable mentions in the Army Communities of Excellence competition. In 1991, 1992 and 1994, Baumholder was named as a USAREUR Community of Excellence. In 1997 Baumholder racked up three awards as it was named category champion for customer focus, the most improved community and finished fourth place overall in the USAREUR Community of Excellence competition.

To date, Baumholder continues to reflect its “champion” attitude in the way it conducts its day-to-day operations.