From 'pound sand' to protector: how a USAG Rheinland-Pfalz Army Civilian turned rejection into leadership and community service

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – When he graduated from Hueneme High School in Oxnard, California in 1998, Lee Lewis longed to be a police officer. So, after t… KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – When he graduated from Hueneme High School in Oxnard, California in 1998, Lee Lewis longed to be a police officer. So, after three years of college, on Sept. 11, 2001, he took a shot with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. “They told me to go pound sand,” Lewis said, laughing. “They said I was a good candidate, but to come back in five years. I really didn’t have five years.” A challenge. Fortunately, Lewis liked challenges, and today, as the deputy director for the Directorate of Emergency Services at U.S.

Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz, he sees them every day. Along with his work in the community as both a semi-pro football player and his volunteer efforts coaching youth sports, Lewis has found his niche. Fusing these two worlds is where Lewis’ leadership shines, said Claude Jones, a colleague of Lewis’ since 2020. “He’s a team builder,” Jones said. “He’s someone you want to be like.” Not long after the Ventura Sheriff’s ‘No,’ Lewis found an Army recruiting station, got a military job as a policeman, and embarked on a career as a Soldier who also had a passion to coach and play