First Sgt. Shaun Canfield, senior enlisted soldier with Intelligence and Support Company, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, U.S. Army Europe, holds a saber prior to a ceremony commemorating the Army's 241st birthday June 14, 2016, at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. The saber was used to cut a specially prepared cake marking the occasion. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)
First Sgt. Shaun Canfield, senior enlisted soldier with Intelligence and Support Company, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, U.S. Army Europe, holds a saber prior to a ceremony commemorating the Army's 241st birthday June 14, 2016, at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. The saber was used to cut a specially prepared cake marking the occasion. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)
Col. Bill Williams, deputy chief of staff of U.S. Army Europe, speaks during a ceremony at the Strong Europe Cafe dining facility on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany, June 14, 2016. The ceremony commemorated the 241st anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Army. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)
Col. Bill Williams, deputy chief of staff of U.S. Army Europe, cuts a cake during a ceremony at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany, June 14, 2016. Williams is flanked by Staff Sgt. Leonard Romine, left, and Pvt. Donte Edwards, who at 49 and 18, respectively, are the oldest and youngest soldiers in Wiesbaden. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)
German army Brig. Gen. Markus Laubenthal, chief of staff of U.S. Army Europe, waits for his food in line at the Strong Europe dining facility in Wiesbaden, Germany, June 14, 2016. The dining facility marked June 14, the 241st anniversary of the creation of the U.S. Army, with a brief ceremony. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)
A U.S. Army Europe soldier receives his plate from a Strong Europe dining facility contractor at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany, June 14, 2016. USAREUR marked the 241st anniversary of the creation of the U.S. Army with a ceremony and special meal service. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)
WIESBADEN, Germany — A traditional cake-cutting ceremony was held Tuesday at the home of the U.S. Army Europe headquarters to mark the Army’s 241st birthday.
The ceremony, at the Strong Europe dining facility on Clay Kaserne, was attended by German army Brig. Gen. Markus Laubenthal, USAREUR’s chief of staff. Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, commander of USAREUR, is currently in Poland overseeing Anakonda 16, a large multinational training event.
As part of the tradition, the garrison’s youngest and oldest soldiers were selected to take part in the ceremony. The oldest soldier, Staff Sgt. Leonard Romine, 49, a military policeman, joined the Army in 1987 — a full 10 years before Pvt. Donte Edwards, with the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, was even born.
The tradition is meant to symbolize the continuity and consistency of the U.S. Army, with the oldest soldier representing competence and experience and the youngest the potential of the next generation of fighting men and women, Col. Bill Williams, USAREUR deputy chief of staff, said.
In addition to the cake-cutting, USAREUR held a garrisonwide run early Tuesday morning, and will be holding a formal ball on June 25.
The U.S. Army traces its roots back to the Continental Army, formed by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1775. The nomenclature “United States Army” was formally adopted in 1796.
