Every place I ever lived or served in Germany and France, to include where I was born, is now gone. There is goodness in that, in that when the purpose is no longer served, we should no longer linger.
Oops - there is one exception - Patch Barracks, in Vaihingen, near Stuttgart.
But there is also a lesson in this, one writ large:
"Interviews with Germans and Americans who are still here or once served in Heidelberg suggestedthat the conflict that began on Sept. 11, 2001, spelled the end for American military life in this city of Mark Twain, known for its revered university, a stunning castle dominating the Neckar Valley and the legend of the stuffy “Student Prince” sent here to study but beguiled instead by a beer hall barmaid.
After the Sept. 11 attacks, the American troops here hunkered down. Fences were erected around military housing, where American children once played with German neighbors. German friends who used to come freely onto base had to be signed in and escorted, Mrs. Hingtgen recalled. “It kind of closed us off.
I can only say, "Es tut mir Leid, meine deutschen Freunde."
Storied U.S. Barracks Closes With Little Fanfare.
Read the complete post at http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2013/09/the_times_they.html
Posted
Sep 10 2013, 05:53 AM
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Argghhh! The Home Of Two Of Jonah's Military Guys..