Wall Stories
I WAS SO HAPPY TO HEAR THAT I WAS BACK IN THE STATES. MY STEP DAD WAS
STATION THERE FOR A FEW YEARS ACTUALLY WE LIVED RIGHT NEAR THE BERLIN WALL
.FOR THESE POOR GERMAN PEOPLE TO BE SEPARATED FROM THERE LOVED ONES ALL
THAT TIME. AND FINAL GOT TO SEE THEM AFTER SO MANY YEARS OF THIS COLD WAR.
.I WAS A MILITARY CHILD THAN WHEN WE WHERE THERE FROM 84 TO 89.I ALSO WAS
THERE FOR TERRORIST ATTACKS. .I REMEMBER WALKING OUT TO THE SCHOOL BUS
STOP AND WHEN THE BUS PULLED UP THERE WAS MPS MILITARY POLICE IN JEEPS AND
MACHINE GUNS IN FRONT OF THE BUS AND IN BACK. TAKING US TO SCHOOL. SO
THERE WHERE GOOD AND REALLY SCARY TIMES THERE...BUT I LEARNED THE LANGUAGE
AND VERY HAPPY TO HAVE BEEN THERE.
Stacie (Rydeski) Gray--Overseas Student
I was just a kid back then, and I was standing in a disordered line to
cross the wall. I was so excited and happy that it came down at last. but
when I saw the people. the troops, all together, it reminded me of
something. a long time (2 years ago or so) I use to live in Berlin (east),
and I was kind of close to the wall, not trying to get up or nothing. just
looking, anyways, my grandpa use to live their because old man get to live
next to the wall. (of course, they can't escape) I was leaving from my
grandpa's house, and I just wanted to stay still and think, laying against
a wall of my grandpa's house. I saw the tower with the Soviets, their were
two of them, 1 in Binoculars, the other was just like waiting for
information from the other one. I Waved. I wasn't scared, but then the
Russian just pointed at me and told the other Trooper. the other looked
back, smiled and wave. then the other Lighted a Peace sign, then smiled ,
then both of them kind of chuckled, and looked away.
Dana Barben
I was born in 1987 in Silesia, Southern Poland so I got a glimpse of
both worlds in my early ages. The two earliest I remember from my life
it's a night when my grandma lost MY pacifier so I did not stop crying for
12 hours straight; the other one is the Berlin's Wall fall I was three
back then I did not exactly knew what was going on but I remember watching
it on black and white TV with my grandmother and grandfather who earlier
that month had his foot amputated.
From this moment a lot of things changed in my life. My grandfather
left to Western Germany; for a better medical help and two of my uncles
with families left looking for a better life. We had food on the table and
clothes to wear, was more accessible and we had more channels than just 4.
Every since the wall fell my generation of Poles started dreaming american...
The difference was that the American Dream is actually possible first time
from almost 148 years and I've decided to take advantage out of it.
Partially thanks to the Berlin Wall and Polish War history itself I've
learned how to pursue my goals no matter what will happened.
Berlin Wall gave me a real European/Polish identity that I could relate
to. I know that after getting my masters degree I will be back in Poland
trying to heal the country and get rid of all the Commi-mentality, old
politicians who are corrupted to the bone and their only interest is their
personal... I hope that it brought some brighter light on the situation
because everybody knows how terrible the idea of the Berlin wall was and
how socially unjust it was but I want to show you Blacks, Jews and most
important Poles and Germans that It is about time to look beyond the
differences. Let us all start all over! no more hard feelings, no more
judging... make Love, not War!
Tomasz Sobek - University of Connecticut
I was 3 when we moved to Berlin, Germany. We lived there for 3 yrs. I
remember the first time I saw the wall. It was this great big thing. My
parents told me that their were children on the other side of that wall
that did not get to see people of their family without special permission.
I thought that was so sad. Skip forward to November 1989. I was a freshman
in high school. I saw a news report about Berlin, I yelled for my dad to
come see what was going on. The whole family was gathered around the TV,
all of us were crying and very emotional. I was so small I do not remember
a large amount but the thought of all of those kids being able to finally
see their families whenever they wanted meant so much to me. That is my
story.
Shawna - Overseas student
My family was stationed over in Germany for the second time in the mid
to late 60's. During that time I was fortunate to have two trips to
Berlin. We all remember the duty trains, and our overnight trips.
My feelings both times seeing the "Wall" were ones of great
sadness, outrage, and yes, I was counting my blessings that I was an
American where Freedom rang.
I can see in my mind's eyes even today the barbwire fencing, the area
for landmines, other sections where dogs patrolled, in some places the
river as a barrier between the wall and freedom, the guards with rifles
slung over their shoulders on roof tops and their observation towers,
being told that only old people lived closest to the wall because they
were too frail to make any attempts to escape. The tears always came when
you noticed the top of the wall with the broken glass cemented in place as
you visualized a brave soul making it through all the treacherous
obstacles only to have their hands shred to pieces trying to climb over
this horrible structure. If that vision wasn't horrific enough, the
crosses on the western side showing how far someone had made it before
being shot down by the eastern guards. Why was all this necessary to keep
people in and others out if communism was so wonderful?
I can't begin to describe my elation when the "Wall" came
down, and my prayers that some parts of it would remain standing so that
no one would forget all that the "Wall" represented and those
who died trying to escape it. I prayed that history, this time, would
never be repeated itself!
Cindy Walsh Titus - Overseas student
My parents were stationed at T-berg from '82-'86. They were Air Force.
We used to live right across from BAHS up near the cemetery. I remember
the first time I saw the wall and all the hated graffiti that West
Berliners tagged on the wall. We were near the Brandenburg gate looking at
the wall. I asked my mom what is that and why is this city divided. A
short quick history lesson ensued, but it really did not sink in and me
truly understanding the situation until the wall came down and I saw it on
TV. We were stateside by that time. One of the most striking icons of the
cold-war, a city, and country divided is finally coming down. I was
watching CNN that night and I could see all the revelry of the Germans
standing on the wall itself, sledge hammers being taken to it, the
singing, and all the jubilation involved warmed my insides. Having been in
Berlin when the wall was up and traveling to the East and then seeing a
country reunited I was in shock.
M. Handy - Overseas student
I AM 11 YEARS OLD YOU MAY THINK I DON'T FEEL ANYTHING
ABOUT THE WALL, LITTLE KIDS DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE BERLIN WALL.BUT
THE FIRST TIME I HEARD ABOUT THIS I DID CRY, I DID FEEL BAD. I HEARD ABOUT
THIS AT SCHOOL MY SCHOOL TEACHER MS.PITARDI TOLD US ABOUT THIS, AND MY MOM
DID TO. MS.PITARDI PASSED THE PIECE OF THE WALL TO US. I HEARD A LOT OF
PEOPLE DIED AND ACTED IN THIS. BUT FINALLY A PERSON STARTED HITTING THE
WALL WITH A SLUDGE HAMMER. NOW ALL THE PEOPLE GOT TO SEE THEIR FAMILY
AGAIN.I WAS BORN 1997.
- brianna jessup
I was at work - working late when someone at the civilian firm I worked
at came to me and said - hey - didn't you hear the Berlin wall came down.
Having lived in Berlin for 3 years, grades 5-7, (68-72) - I too -- like
the others here -- was impacted by the Wall and the cold-war itself.
When I heard the news and then confirmed it - I was stunned. Shocked.
It was like another world - as though I was living in a dream. Living
there, at the forward battle-edge of the Cold War - the Wall seemed
permanent. Fixed. Unmovable as it was. Supported by thousands of tanks and
Warsaw pact troops.
When I heard that news it made me think back to one particular incident
where I learned that even the Communists were people, forgive me if I
share:
It was 1972. Armed with my dad's binoculars I humped through the woods
behind the army apts. in Dueppel. The woods gave way to a small clearing
and then the wall. One of those observation platforms was there - not too
far away from the guard tower. We kids used to play army (US vs. Soviets)
in those woods and we knew our way around pretty well. We'd frequently go
to the wall and peer over.
Anyway - so there I was on the tower. Already under observation from
the guard tower. You know - you did it too - your binocs looking up at
them, they looking back at you across the no man's land of death.
So I'm peering up. The vopo and the russian were peering back at me
through their binocs. We looked at each other for a bit and I flashed a
peace sign up at them. (Hey - it was the 70's!). What amazed me was first
how they just looked back - expressionless. then the fun part..
The vopo got bored and looked away, putting his binocs down around his
neck. The russian (amazing how military kids learn to tell
uniforms)...kept watching. then he looked away to check on the vopo - and
on the side of his body away from the vopo - he very quickly flashed a
peace sign back at me.
As a young person, that was one of those human moments when I started
to realize - hey - people are just like us.....it was a bold and risky
thing for the soldier to do...but he totally made my day and gave me a
memory to last a life time....
that wall coming down as just an amazing thing...
- Joe Vandervest - Overseas Student
I heard the news on AFN. Suddenly, I just wanted to go to Fulda, With
no concern about the traffic on the autobahn, We just started driving.
Along the root there were thousands just blowing the horn and the peace
sign held high. Many were saying loudly,
Wiel sind Fri (We are free). The cars were lined up for many many
blocks.
I felt so much joy. I gave away the only pair of sun glasses I owned to
one of the young ladies in a car. I will never forget the look on her
face. She looked so happy and held up her hand with her fingers, the sign,
we are free. I have a photo of me standing on the line at the border in
Berlin before the wall came down.
It was a great Day!!!
- Marie Davenport - Overseas Educator
"But on this Easter morning, as our red-shirted German neighbor
peered through big binoculars, two women on the east side came down the
street toward us pushing baby carriages. They were far away and I could
see that they stopped, picked the babies up and held them up in the air.
The red-shirted guy stared through the binoculars at them. My father had
learned that the women were his wife and his daughter and the babies were
his grandchildren. He had never seen them any other way. They held the
squirming children up in the air and then the man saw something move in
the distance and he signaled them. The women put the children in the
carriages and they were gone. A moment later an East German police car
drove by."
This is just a small section of a great post on the Wall by an overseas
brat. To read the whole comment go to http://patriotacts.blogspot.com/2006/11/government-issue.html.
cassandra complex - Overseas Student
I live a few blocks near the wall. I live in East Berlin. I saw
everything that happened in that wall. It was brutal and very traumatic.
Many people that are trying to escape died on the wall. I'll never forget
what happened.
-Jared Carter
As a member of the Berlin Brigade stationed in Berlin when the wall
opened up I remember many things. The night of Nov 9th 1989 My unit was
preparing to attack the training town of Doughboy City (Parks Range). At
4am we commenced our attack as normal. Around 7am, the units were
regrouping for another attack when the command brought us together and
announced that last night, the East German government left and the
division of German was over. Most of our initial reaction was that of
shock. A few "Can we all go home now?" chuckles emitted from the
crowd of soldiers. Parks Range is on the border where the "Wall"
(a chain link fence) is located. Looking over at the towers that line the
wall area and knowing they were now empty was a numbing thought.
There were memories of being at the range and hearing the sirens wail,
as another East German attempted an escape. Watching shadows in the fields
and hear the dogs set loose. A flash seen and the echo of weapons fire,
then silence.
I had a friend who's family defected several years earlier. I know what
the KGB did to her and her family. All the friends she had for 15 years
were gone. Then in a day, all the suffering her family went through was
finished.
There are a lot of different emotions that ran through my mind that
day. I watched hundreds of people line up to get money from the banks, the
stores being bought out, trabbie being left on the side of the roads. A
great thing happened that day, though it's execution could have been
handled better.
One last thought. As I walked along the wall near the Brandenburg Gate,
there are crosses that mark the place where bodies were found of those
attempting to escape. The last one I saw was dated 1988-11-27. If he would
have waited 1 more year, he could have walked across without fear.
Remember the excitement, but never forget the sacrifice that preceded the
events.
I will always be a proud member of the Berlin Brigade.
-Spc 4 Brian Brown Berlin Brigade 1988-1990
My wife (Sally) and II, both DoDDS Educators, were attending a
conference just north of Frankfurt when the Wall came down. For me, it was
exciting, but also somewhat anticlimactic.
As a young airman in Germany from 1964-1966 I fell in love with the
country, people and customs. I played in a rock band in those days and
through the music got to meet and see a lot more of the country and people
than some of my counterparts.
The Wall had only been up for a couple of years and there was always
plenty of talk about on base and in the German Community at large. We
visited the Wall along a border town and I can still feel the shiver that
went up and down my spine - the one I felt 20 years later upon visiting
that same wall again, and latter still when I crossed the border for my
first visit to the east from Berlin. I was attending a conference in
Berlin which was sponsored by the German Government. One of our professors
made the comment that the wall would probably never come down in our
lifetimes. Two years later, history proved him wrong. I was elated. As a
student of German back in college I would read the literature books and
dream of the day Germany would be whole again.
- Bill Edwards, Overseas Educator
The night of 9 November 1989, I was dancing off a football field, in
Texas at half-time. I could see my mom and dad standing at the bottom of
the stands, waving madly and screaming..."the Wall is coming
down!" I still get goose bumps, thinking about that night.
My father was stationed in West Berlin, '83-'86. He worked with the
French and the British, and we would go to East Berlin to the ballet and
dinner. Of course with all the men in uniform the East Berliners would
stare and stare. So then, on the 9th all I could picture were those people
walking around West Berlin! Then 22 December, I got the best birthday gift
ever...Brandenburg Gate officially opened!
I understand what many of you have said, "no one I have met
understands what the Wall means"...that all changed 1 year ago. One
day walking though my office parking lot, I saw a license plate "9
Nov"...2 days later I met the woman who owns it. Her family was
separated by the Wall and now they all live here in Texas.
- Yolanda Young, Overseas Student
I attended BAHS in the mid 1970's. Living in Berlin had a big impact on
my life. Like many others I never thought to see the day that the wall
would come down. I was so excited to watch the news. I called my family to
make sure they had heard. I wanted to celebrate and jump for joy, but my
husband at the time was like, so it came down. My friends and office
workers, were like that's good, what do you want to do for lunch? All I
wanted to do was shout at them. Didn't they understand the importance, the
impact? Very few people that I have met understand Berlin and the wall.
- Jennifer, Overseas Student
I lived with my parents in Berlin from 1965 through 1973, graduating
from Berlin American High School in 1972. Because of my dad's job, we were
not allowed to drive through the East Zone while there, but the last year
I was allowed to ride out with a friend's family. While travel on the Duty
train seemed edgy---having flag orders cut ahead of time to travel, having
the coal-burning East German locomotive hooked on for that part of the
trip through the Zone, having mirrors check the bottom of the Duty Train
for escapees, keeping the draperies in the train compartment shut when the
train stopped within the Zone---it was far worse to sit at the gate
ignoring the East German guard (since the U.S. didn't
"recognize" East Germany) until they decided to let you through
to the Russian guard so you could present your papers.
In November 1989, I was just beginning a new life with a new love in
Phoenix, Arizona (we've been married 16 years now), and we watched the
wall fall on television. Tears flowing, I called my dearest German friend
in Berlin, Karin Heinrich, to see if she was going down to the wall to
help tear it down with her bare hands. She said no, because it was an
absolute mob scene already, so she was watching it on television, too! I
called my dad to share the moment. He's a microwave systems engineer who
had been instrumental in the design of the Teufelsberg equipment
configuration and resulting architectural design during our eight years in
Berlin (yes, you can blame him for all those "phallus in the
forest" jokes, but it WAS the best configuration for reception and
jamming). Although our family members were all working towards the
ultimate demise of the Wall, deep inside we never thought we'd see it come
down.
- Diana, Overseas Student
November 9, 1989 is a day I will never forget. I was coming home from a
friend's house attempting to make the strict curfew that my father had
set. Three U-bahn trains later (they were all too full for me to get on) I
was able to attempt my trek home. I was unaware and actually quite
frightened of what was going on and where all of these people were going.
Of course, I didn't think to ask anyone. When I finally arrived home, late
for curfew of course, I learned what was going on and where all of these
people were going. They were fleeing to anywhere on our side of The Wall
that they could find for fear of it quickly going back up. I also remember
the next night, my family going to Brandenburg Gate to celebrate the
event, and all of the major news networks being there and the parties that
were occurring. I remember that there was a guard standing there at the
wall, and a French man who I had been conversing with, jumped up and
climbed the wall, stood on top, and mooned him.
- Danelle (McMurray) Schmidt, Overseas Student
I was stationed in West German in the late 80s and had driven through
the corridor a number of times. As a US soldier I had to salute the
Russian Guard and present my tediously correct papers to this man, he
would look at the papers and not understand a word, and return the papers.
I would then take the papers to a shack where I would pass the papers
under a darkened piece of glass (will they return them?) and wait, and
wait, and wait, for their return. Finally I would return and we would be
on our way. I remember "bribing" the Russian with gum,
cigarettes and candy, just to make their day a little better. I once
visited the Soviet War Museum in East Berlin by myself and a Soviet guard
magically appeared and escorted me around the museum. As I saw names I
remembered we tried to communicate. It was laborious but I felt he
understood that Americans weren't that bad. I gave him a few dollars at
the end of the tour and he gave me a Soviet sports badge, which I
treasure.
I also recall a sumptuous feast for four in East Berlin, total cost,
about five dollars. The woman curtsied and curtsied when we gave her a few
dollars tip. I remember tipping the flower seller in the restaurant in
Hotel Moskva and jokingly saying into the "microphone", testing,
testing, testing. I remember buying a HUGE stuffed bear for $20 and it
filling up the back seat of my car. I remember not believing the wall was
coming down and telling my Division G2 "it's a trick"... Yes,
life has changed.
- Joel
August 13, 1961 is a day that will live with me forever. I was in
Berlin the day The Wall went up, but watching the news coverage on the
night of November 9, 1989 was surrealistic. It was hard to imagine
something that had made Berlin "The Divided City" for so long
was about to come falling down and be breached by hundreds and thousands
of Berliners from both East and West. Even today, as I look at pictures of
the Brandenburg Gate, it's difficult to comprehend that the barbed wire
and the concrete are no longer there.
- Overseas Student
What I had expected had happened. The wall had come down for the same
reason it had gone up-East Germany was losing all the people they needed
to function. I think a lot of people were surprised by that but I had been
predicting it all along. Kurt Lange ended up in the Reichstag. My wife and
I visited them in 2002 and had a great reunion. We were very sorry to
receive a tearful phone call from his daughter telling us he had died. He
was an exceptional water color artist and we are proud to have a small
gallery of his paintings. He always hand painted us a Christmas card every
year and these are very special to us. I only lived in Berlin but it feels
more like home than anyplace I have ever been. We are going back to Europe
in Aug 2006 to visit Prague and Budapest but will definitely include a
visit where my heart is.
- Kermit A. Work, Major, USAF, Retired
Well I moved to Berlin in 1986 and I never thought the day would come
that the Berlin Wall would come down. Boy was I wrong. I was with my mom
on that night at the bowling alley and when we got home one of her friends
called and said to turn on the TV. I instantly got goose bumps all over my
body just seeing the people climb over the wall. They were jumping for joy
and there were so many families reunited and it was one of the best
feelings in the world. I was so happy for these people as they would be
able to discover the freedom that they had been longing for. The next day
I went with my parents and my brother to the Brandenburg Gate to see and
let me tell you these people had packed everything they could fit in there
car to start a new life. I remember there was a man standing there giving
flowers to each person that drove through the opening and people were
cheering as families were reunited. You could just feel the
emotions.
- Sheila Valerie Gagnon C/O 1997, Overseas Student
I graduated from K-Town in 1974 and stayed in Germany and remember well
the day when the wall came down. The first thing you saw were "Trabis"
(the small East German cars) all over the place. Then three days later, my
wife and I decided to travel through East Germany to Berlin (a trip that
would have been impossible only a few days earlier). We visited Gotha,
Leipzig, Dresden, Potsdam and Berlin. The roads were lousy and I remember
one section of Autobahn with so many holes, that you could not drive
faster than 20-30 mph and street signs just did not exist. The houses you
saw were falling apart. I remember Helga asking me why there was a big
arrow painted on the side of an apartment building in Potsdam. That was
still from the Second World War, in case the building was bombed, this
arrow showed the basement where survivors might be found. That means the
buildings had not been painted for 50 years. The basic products in East
German were dirt cheap, for $2 you could have a meal and a roll of 35mm.
- John Provan, Overseas Student
I was actually in Berlin when the WALL went up. I was a
little girl visiting relatives when I heard people running through the
streets yelling, screaming and crying. When I asked why this was happening
I was informed that a wall (some made of brick some made of barbed wire)
had gone up overnight. Friends and relatives who had been visiting in the
East Berlin Sector were now stuck there and would not be allowed to
return. Can you imagine the horror of learning that a member of your
family (husband, wife, children....) were now lost to you. You were told
that you would not be able to enter to visit and those in the East would
not be allowed to leave. I must now explain that my mother was originally
German so I may have a bit more insight than most other students that were
there. This is a day that I will never forget. I have German relatives who
woke up to find a wall on the sidewalk directly in front of their
apartment building. Of course, over the years we all heard the stories of
those poor unfortunates. My father was retired in Kentucky and I was
living in Massachusetts with my husband and children when the wall came
down. The first thing I thought was that I never thought I would live to
see the day that this wall would come down. My father phoned me and said
the very same thing. While the checkpoints had been open for people to
come & go, the constraints were severe. The East was still very much
in control of these people. This is why the fall of the Berlin Wall was a
shock to those of us who saw this all "up close." I only wish I
could have been there the day it came down.
- Marion Poole-Condon, Overseas Student
In 1989, I was teaching at BAHS for DoDDS, my wife was at
the JFK Schule. On the night of Nov. 9th, we were watching AFN and saw the
news about 8 pm that transit through the Wall would be allowed. We hopped
in the car, drove to Checkpoint Charlie. About a block away, an old German
gentlemen asked me what was going on. I told him that the Wall was
opening, he asked me to tell him the truth, what was happening? Once I
convinced him, he stopped another older German man and tearfully shared
the news with him - unbelievable for me to witness this incredible news
being passed between these people to whom it meant so much more than it
did to me. My wife and I waited at Checkpoint Charlie, witnessing and
experiencing all the events we have all read about since then. What a
night and what a time in the ensuing days!
- Jack, Overseas Educator
You've heard the joke about "when my ship came in, I was at the
airport". When the Wall came down, I was out of town! Along with
around 22 other DoDDS teachers from Berlin, I was on a bus somewhere in
West Germany, following the "Fairy Tale Road" of the Brothers'
Grimm. You can imagine how upset we all were to be so far from the action,
from history being made in the place we called home. It didn't take long
for all of us to make travel plans to return to Berlin, either by Duty
Train out of Bremerhaven or by plane from Bremen. We met up again Saturday
night near Checkpoint Charlie and joined in the celebration.
- Lin, Overseas Educator
When I lived in Berlin in the late ‘70s, my husband and son and I
used to cross Checkpoint Charlie to East Berlin almost every weekend. The
restaurants there were fine (our favorite was one which had also been a
favorite of Berthold Brecht. They served quail eggs in a red sauce that is
still vivid in our memories). We traveled with a pass from Berlin Brigade
Headquarters, and since the city was the last one in occupied status after
WW II, we were considered allies with Russia as well as England and
France. We carried a card written in German which instructed any East
German policeman who spoke to us to call a Russian to intercede for us. We
were not allowed to speak to an East German. We regarded all this as an
adventure. We were young, and considered ourselves politically
sophisticated. There was a tiny museum at Checkpoint Charlie in which were
collected pictures of incidents at The Wall. Black and white photos of the
bodies of those who’d been shot trying to cross “no man’s land” to
freedom. A wooden tower one could climb to look at the Eastern side.
Suitcases in which people had been smuggled, home-made scuba gear which
had been used to try to swim a border lake. It was homely and little more
organized than a garage sale. Everywhere were salvaged bits of terrible
efforts and sacrifices by people trying to escape to the West. We took
visitors to the museum regularly, and thought we’d seen all of the
exhibits. But one day there was a display of art from young German
students; grade school papers taped up along the little stairway to the
second floor. And there, halfway up, I saw the saddest thing of all. It
was a crayoned drawing of the wall, and under it the child had printed
this: “The worst thing about the Wall is that people can get used to
anything.” It pierced my pseudo-sophistication, and I never forgot it.
- Lee, Overseas Educator
I just visited the wall again this past year and am so
thankful that the museum was there. What a huge impact it had and still
has on all who were in Europe at this horrible time in history.
- Vicki, Overseas Educator
The Fall of the Wall resulted in one of the largest single-event
teacher inservices in DoDDS' history.
Some months after the Fall of the Wall, Marvin Kurtz, Social Studies Coordinator
in Washington, and I, Coordinator in Germany, began to put together a
week-long conference for Social Studies teachers in Europe on the impact
of the Fall of the Wall. The event included the Press Secretary for
Solidarity, the Director of Voice of America, and Bulgarian, Russian, and
American professors on topics of economics, history, current events, and
geography. The conference was such a success that a similar event was
sponsored DoDDS-Pacific about a year or so later.
- George, Overseas Educator
I saw The Wall for the first time at the height of the
Cold War. The grim experience is indelibly etched in my memory, most
notably, because I was led there by the son of a German national with whom
my family had corresponded and sent clothing in the post-war years. My
mother kept up the correspondence until her death in 2002. As a tourist in
Europe, in 1965, I had the opportunity to visit Berlin and stay with the
family. Helmut's mother lost her first husband in the war but had praise
for the Allied post-war efforts. They had nothing but contempt for The
Wall and shared the world's elation when it, and Communism, fell. Images
of Checkpoint Charlie, the execution sites and makeshift memorials will
always foreshadow these happier times.
- Jan, Overseas Educator
I wasn't in Germany when the wall fell, but a wonderful
DoDDS friend sent me a small piece of the wall which I treasure to this
day. Every time I look at it I am reminded of going through check-point
Charlie into East Berlin to visit several times during my teaching years
in Germany. I also remember coming back into West Berlin through
check-point Charlie. Waiting to be cleared was always interesting and a
little bit scary. That sure made me appreciate democracy!!!
- Mary, Overseas Educator
I was on Sabbatical Leave at Iowa State University when
the Wall came down. I turned on the TV after returning home from a night
class. I saw Peter Jennings standing on the Wall reporting as Berliners
were there knocking on the wall. I immediately called friends that were in
Germany and told them to get on the train and get to Berlin to witness
History.
- Scarlett Rehrig, Overseas Educator
I just groaned. I knew that now there was no limit
on the amount of Polish pottery my wife would be able to haul back.
Good thing we have two housing allowances.
- Bob, Parent/family member
This will mean easier access to works of the Masters that were located
in East Berlin.
And means freedom for many people.
It was a wonderful happening for all
- ELM, Overseas Educator
It was so exciting to witness the fall on TV. But my best
story is visiting a former DoDDS teacher who'd wed a German educator and
was living in Berlin. We went up to visit my friend and learned that the
night of all the excitement, they were completely unaware of what was
happening and didn't know until they saw the paper on the following day!!
- Paula, Overseas Educator
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