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Saturday, June 30, 2012

AMERICAN TROOPS LEAVING GERMANY

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For the best effect, please be sure and watch this MSNBC television news video in "FULL SCREEN" mode.


After first completing Basic Combat Training in Company "D", 3d Battalion, 1st Brigade at Fort Lewis, Washington, and then completing the Field Radio Relay and Carrier Equipment Repair (MOS 31 L 20) course at the United States Army Southeastern Signal School at Fort Gordon, Georgia in 1968, Germany was my first assignment.




When I arrived in Germany, my first impression was a bad one, for I was a dumb, backwards, naive, ignorant Private First Class, lonely, and freezing cold.

The chow in our mess hall was inedible swill (the mess sergeant was eventually court-martialed for selling our rations to the Germans).

I tried surviving on the bratwurst und brotchen (which I love!) which I would buy from a stand out on the street, but on a PFC's pay, I couldn't continue doing that, could I?

Fortunately for me, I was sent TDY (i.e., "Temporary Duty Assignment") on Repair Team A-2 to Spangdahlem Air Force Base.

When you are a PFC in the United States Army and you get stationed on a United States Air Force base, it's like you have died and gone to Heaven!

Ooooh, but life on that Air Force base was NICE!!!

What a RADICAL change from the Army!

As a draftee, I was only in Germany for a year, after which I reenlisted to go to the old Republic of Viet Nam.

By the time I left Germany, I loved that country and those people!

They were SOOOO nice to me!

When I went to an Oktoberfest in Kaiserslautern, I joined in with the Germans swaying and singing, while drinking a soft drink, for I'm a member of The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints, and don't imbibe alcohol.

I couldn't speak their language and they didn't speak mine, but BOY, those Germans just loaded me up with all sorts of candy, cookies, and pastries!

I wish I could go back there and visit.

I did learn to say, "Mox nix" a lot!

On my personal channel at the YOU TUBE web site, I get lots of compliments from Germans (and other folks in other countries) who see my homemade amateur videos of ME(!) strumming my guitar and singing original songs that I composed, or performing favorite songs that other folks wrote.

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