Lived in Germany 12 ½ years. First tour was in Heuchelheim, near Giessen as a little boy, say, 1950 to 1953, then Bad Wildungen/Bad Hersfeld, from about 1956 to 1059, and finally, Camp King, Oberursfeld 1960 to 1964.
Wrestling for FHS, backpacking around Europe, playing football for FHS, and life long friends.
In 1997, I was delighted to receive a transfer to return to Germany after sixteen years away. In the interim, the Berlin Wall had come down, and East and West Germany were reunited. America was involved in conflicts in Bosnia and Korsovo, with parents deployed from Giessen. Improved telephone service and the Internet made communication with the States quick and inexpensive. When I began teaching in DoDDS, families whose children had special needs were not sent overseas; but educational trends had evolved since the cultural upheaval of the 1960’s to include mainstreaming of special needs students and the concept of IEPs.
Until after I arrived, I didn’t discover the troublesome relationship between the school and community that existed in Giessen. The NCA report given in early 1998 stated that “there’s plenty of technology,…“discipline is a major concern,…[and] kids have little pride in the school”— facts most of the faculty well knew. (more…)
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