VIDEO HERE (13:36 minutes)
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At the 1:30 mark, the video mentions Schwäbisch Gmünd. My dad was stationed there at Hardt Kaserne (2:40 mark) with the 41st FA, working in the maintenance shop on the unit's generators used in launches. That's also the unit he was in when he applied for and received his promotion to Warrant Officer
At the 4:20 mark, the video mentions Heilbronn where I was stationed in the late 70s, although the Field Artillery was over at Artillery Kaserne (also known as AK) and I was across town at Wharton Barracks with the 26th and later the 44th Signal Battalions.
Our super secret squirrel radio site was on a hilltop overlooking Redleg Missile site. I could see directly into the site from the top of my tower there. I never saw much activity there other than guard patrols.
My girlfriend was with Det II, a mystery unit that supported the FA although I don't know in what capacity and the only reason I know that is because I attended a briefing once that displayed a diagram of which unit supported who.
I say Det II was a mystery unit because it was so fucking secure that in the year, year and a half I dated Shelby, I had no idea what her job entailed or even was. I'm dead serious. She had a Nuclear/NATO/Top Secret clearance and did not talk about her job with me because I only held a lowly Top Secret clearance and did not have a need to know. I knew Det II was a communications outfit because we worked with them when we were out in the field, but other than that, I have no clue exactly what they did. Her job site was behind a fence behind the MP station and if she was working late and I wanted to visit with her, we did our visiting on opposite sides of the fence with a guard monitoring our conversation the entire time.
Your girlfriend probably ran a tactical satellite rig for the nuke side. I spent 82 and 83 maintaining nukes in northern West Germany, we had a tac-sat rig that kept us in secure comms. The crypto guys figured out how to target the HBO satellite and would stand watch at night enjoying free movies. 27th Ord Co, 5th Group (Artillery), based outside Buren but we went TDY a lot. NATO bases all over the area around Paderborn.
ReplyDeleteThere were no line of sight or satellite dishes at her site, just a couple of open wire antennae and 292 Fox Mike antennae. It definitely had something to do with crypto, I just don't know what.
DeleteI'm sure we handled her traffic up at Two Nine, our secure site, but I honestly can't say for sure - that whole need to know thing again.
I too was in the 570th USAAG! I was in the 583rd Ordnance Company stationed at Simpson Barracks in Munster (Handorf). I was there from April 1988 to July 1990. By the way, there is a specific name for the NATO Top Secret Clearance. But I'm not sure if I can say what it was. Simpson Barracks is now a horse training facility for Icelandic Ponies.
DeleteI remember doing some trading with the 583rd, but the details are 40 years old and fuzzy. Probably still classified, too. They had parts and we had consumables is about all I remember for sure.
DeleteThey base in Büren was a low security prison for a while, then got repurposed as migrant housing for the surge of Syrian and Afghan refugees.
A friend of mine, an MP, had a triple X clearance which does not exist. When the Coms Colonel in Brussels ate a.45 slug for supper, my friend was dispatched from Munich to secure the scene with orders to not let anyone in. The USAEUR commander decided he was entering the crime scene anyway. He was back in Washington nine hours later and urged to retire. He didn't get past grumpy btw.
DeleteThere are clearances out there you will never hear of, or if you do, you will be laughed at and told to quit making shit up.
Was on temporary assignment to Red Legs Pershing site in Schwäbisch Gmünd in '85 as Dog Handler. Fun times!
ReplyDelete1/9FA, 56th FA BDE, at Neu Ulm and the CAS site in the woods an hour away. Now that CAS site is a storage lot for used cars, with the guard towers still there. The nuke storage site at Waldstetten is now just a park.
ReplyDeleteSome of the best NCO's I had in the early 90's were ex pershing.
ReplyDeleteI spent 1968 with the 41st FA at the other Kaserne down the hill from Hardt as a surveyor. I recall taking a bus up to Hardt one cold morning - we reached the cobblestoned central area of Hardt and the bus spun 180 degrees on the icy cobblestones. The mess hall at our kaserne served such bad food the GI's boycotted it after I left. Theft involving the mess officer or sergeant, I assume - very little meat served; potatoes and green beans floating in grease. . .
ReplyDeleteYeah? You were there at Bismark in 1968? We were there from 66-69. We lived in the housing area a couple buildings down from the school. Great place to grow up.
DeleteI arrived at Bismark Kaserne during the Tet Offensive in VN. Supposedly 40% of US forces in Germany were sent to VN; we were short handed. Only twice during a year with the 41st did I get two entire days in row off duty. Germany was beautiful and the German folks were amazingly hard working. I could see a soccer field from our barracks window; Germans in 3-piece suits would come at noon, shuck off their coats and vests and play soccer.
Delete2/29 FA Baumholder 91-93
ReplyDeleteI too was a generator mech (52D). Really enjoyed most of my time in FRG but not so much those long rotations at Graf and Hohenfels
From 1986-1989 I was in 294th US army Artillery Group 75th US Army Field Artillery Detachment (DET) Flensburg -Weiche we supported Bundeswehr 650 Rocket Artillery Battalion Lance Missile
ReplyDeleteNot anonymous but John B from Texas. Posted to wirecutters story years ago about going down the hill on cardboard when stationed with A btry in Gmuend. CAS at Inneringen was beautiful. Miss SG 42 years on now.
ReplyDeleteIt really was a great place, wasn't it?
DeleteI had a cushy assignment to Ramstein AB with the 32nd AADCom. We got booted and sent to Husterhoeh by Pirmasens. It's a great place if you like the idea of being assaulted by members of the Green Peace movement. Several guys I knew got mugged.
ReplyDelete32nd AADCOM was also stationed at Kapaun Barracks in Kaiserslautern back in the 70s. My best friend's dad was the First Sergeant for that unit. First Sergeant John Simpson.
ReplyDeleteMy B-in-law Steve worked at REDACTED while I was working at REDACTED. We both had TS/SCI clearances. Sister did not. She got so pissed when Steve and I would go off and chat about people we knew and "stuff" we did that overlapped. "What are you guys talking about?" "Can't tell you!" *commence bitching*
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