The 254th Base Support Battalion
(BSB) is located in Schinnen, The Netherlands. Tucked away in the southeastern province of
Limburg, it is a twenty-minute driving distance from Belgium and Germany. In
Schinnen, about 30 minutes from Maastricht, Ziek Kaserne lies nestled at the end of a quiet country road. The only route to the tiny Army installation runs parallel to the railroad tracks that transport passengers to and from the nearest civilian station,
Heerlen.
Many still refer to the site as the Old Emma Mine complex. The kaserne was the site of Shaft 4, a mineshaft that ran 6.5 kilometers from Schinnen to the Emma Mine in
Hoensbroek. Its construction lasted 10 years, from 1946 to 1956. Coal production ceased in 1965, after only four years, when Dutch engineers discovered large quantities of natural gas. More than 45,000 workers and families were affected when the
Limburg-area mines closed. Then, in 1967 — after France withdrew from NATO and asked Allied Forces, Central Europe, to leave — the former AFCENT relocated to the Limburg area, as did its support element. In 1969, the AFCENT Support Activity relocated again, this time from Heerlen to the Shaft 4 site, where it’s been ever since.
Main
phone numbers: 011-46-443-7512 or DSN 360-7512
Mailing
Address: 254th base Support Battalion, Unit 21602, APO AE
09703
