Benelux Family Legacy: Cornelis and Charles-Henry Hobbel

[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following story continues our series Benelux Family Legacy, which features multigenerational stories from U.S. Army Garrison Benelux and tenant unit partners. This series explores the people who comprise the garrison and delves into the legacy they have created in the Benelux.]

CHIÈVRES AIR BASE, Belgium – Cornelis “Nils” Hobbel, a contracting officer’s consultant with the Directorate of Emergency Services at U.S. Army Garrison Benelux, considers himself a hyperlink in a series between his father, who labored for SHAPE, and his son Charles-Henry Hobbel, who’s a hearth inspector for DES at USAG Benelux.

“I am Dutch, and I am French,” Nils stated. “My father was in the Dutch military, and when he came back from war in Indonesia, he took a civilian job when NATO was still in France. He met my mother who was an architect in France, they got married, and I and my sister were born in the SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) hospital in France.”

SHAPE was in Rocquencourt, France from 1953 till France withdrew from NATO’s Integrated Military Command construction in 1967. SHAPE discovered its new house at Casteau close to Mons, Belgium.

“I was born in 1966 so basically both my parents came to Belgium and saw the whole of SHAPE (built) from scratch,” stated Nils, who nonetheless has photos of when a few of the first buildings have been constructed.

For 17 years Nils Has served because the COR managing the Belgian providers contract for the garrison. His collective service to the garrison spans over 35 years and started with a singular want in highschool to serve within the U.S. Army.

“My last year of school I moved to the U.S. American High School because I wanted to be a helicopter mechanic in the U.S. Army,” he stated. “I needed to have a green card and a U.S. high school diploma, that’s all they said. Both of my parents were working for NATO, dad as a data program controller and my mother as chief commercial accounts.”

Nils defined throughout this era a part of his mom’s work required short-term obligation journeys to Germany. On one such journey, Nils accompanied his mom to start out the inquiry course of with the Army recruiting heart.

“They said ‘what’s your citizenship?’ and I said ‘I am Dutch,’” stated Nils. “But they understood I said ‘Deutsch,’ which meant German, and that was the big confusion.”

Nils defined agreements again then have been totally different between the U.S. and particular person European nations regarding army service and alternatives to hitch the Army. A number of months earlier than Nils was as a consequence of go away for fundamental coaching, a visit to the U.S. Embassy helped to make clear some data. Unfortunately, he realized because of the various agreements, as a Belgian citizen he was unable to serve within the U.S. Army.

“I came back home disappointed but needing to work,” he stated. “I first found a job as a school bus monitor (at SHAPE) in January 1987.”

Disappointed however decided, Nils continued to profit from his scenario and quickly utilized for an open steady place as a phone operator with the thirty ninth Strategic Signal Battalion.

“I was working mostly nightshifts and weekends for several years and from there I moved to the Tier 3 department when we used to have mainframes, and I would actually call in computers that were down,” he stated. “I was trained on the job based on aptitude and did weekly reports on UNIX mainframe language.”

Understanding automation and exceling at his job, Nils moved right into a place as a resistor capacitor community supervisor and data know-how specialist for thirty ninth SSB at SHAPE Healthcare Facility. He then moved into a job with DES supporting IT capabilities for the provost marshal’s workplace.

“So I’ve actually worked with the MPs (military police) since 1999,” he stated. “I would travel to Schinnen, (the Netherlands and) Brussels until at one point they consolidated all the IT work, and I was brought in to work with Patrick (Delmotte), Sam (Aubert) doing IT work (for the garrison).”

Enjoying his work however lacking the camaraderie he discovered within the DES store, Nils took a place downgrade for the chance to return to that atmosphere.

“That is when I joined the COR,” Nils stated. “I moved to the MP world and for nothing would I move away from this world again: I love them – this is home.”

Nil’s work and his DES work household could be inspiration for his son.

“Since I was six years old I’d come on base with my dad to his work, and most of the time it was to the same building I am working today,” stated Charles-Henry Hobbel, hearth inspector, director of emergency providers for the garrison.

“I remember driving him (Charles-Henry) around the installation in the Humvees with a helmet on, doing perimeter drives or sometimes letting him push the buttons for the emergency lights and sirens, testing out equipment,” Nils stated. “He loved it!”

Like his father, Charles-Henry or ‘CH’ as mates and colleagues know him, attended SHAPE International High School. Upon commencement, CH continued to college for just a few years however realized his unique path was not his final purpose.

“Since I was a kid I always wanted to join the Army, so I think I was looking for something that would give me the opportunity to work with Soldiers,” CH stated. “I applied to be a security guard but before working with the garrison, I worked for NATO in Brussels to gain experience and get my security clearances. Then after two years I moved to Chièvres Air Base.”

Eight years later CH sought out progress and a brand new alternative with the garrison, advancing into the function of fireside inspector.

“I’m in here now for eight months and almost nine years total with the garrison,” CH stated. “It’s a dream that I work here. Since I was a kid I saw all the military, the uniforms and it was my world, but now I get to work on this base – I can find myself here and this is a dream come true.”

Nils echoes his son’s expertise and shares comparable gratitude working on the garrison.

“Working for the U.S. government there is this trust,” he stated. “First, you prove you can do your job at 100% and now if you want to add stuff and grow, you can go for it. This is awesome, your potential is not limited! If you work hard, you are given a chance to be better at it and to me this is the American dream.”

Recently married, CH wonders if future generations could also be becoming a member of the household legacy.

“If one day I can put my son or daughter into the SHAPE system, I would do it,” he stated. “I think it’s good that you can learn from the diversity of the world.”

“I mean sometimes when I have to do (government purchase card) purchases maybe I’m not that happy, but other than that for over 35 years I have loved every single minute of it,” stated Nils. “We are proud to work here.”

***

This sequence, Benelux Family Legacy, will proceed to discover the numerous tales and experiences from the individuals who make up U.S. Army Garrison Benelux and its tenant organizations. Further tales like this on the legacy created by way of the garrison’s multigenerational workforce will proceed to be revealed each Wednesday for just a few extra weeks.

Read “Benelux Family Legacy: Patrick and Charles Delmotte.”

Read “Benelux Family Legacy: Jan and Patrick Maessen.”

Read “Benelux Family Legacy: Liz Schuster, Nicole Shoaf.”

Read “Benelux Family Legacy: Patricia Campo, Alessandro Ricci.”

Read “Benelux Family Legacy: Charlie and Patsy Herbaut.”

Read “Benelux Family Legacy: Leon and Michael Lee.”

Read “Benelux Family Legacy: Laurette Mauro, Philippe and Leslie Duquenne.”

Read “Benelux Family Legacy: Alain and François Trésignies.”

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