European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 26, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse Purdue gets final quarters clearance from inspector Franz Riedel. Families get final instructions while in bus at Munich continued from Page 11 seem funny and even the Price will be Worth Early monday morning the Grogg aggregation uttered through breakfast with the Purdue then retreating to their own Barren apartment to await the German inspector who theoretically could delay their departure because of a Nail Hole in the Wall or a grim oven in the quartermaster stove. But As someone mentioned Only onegin some 4,000 had been shot Down at this final inspection and not too surprisingly the Purdue checked out in order. The bus showed up at 6 . And after winding through the housing area pick ing up departing families headed forthe Munich Airport trailed by a truck carrying All the suitcases. Now All the planning for the Mas Sive redeployment began making itself Felt. The truck carrying the Luggage snapped a fan Belt on the autobahn just outside Augsburg but the far sighted organizers had arranged for a second empty truck to tag along just in Cas of such an emergency. At the Airport unaccompanied Gistand military personnel with dependents were quickly herded into separate Lin Sand within a half hour each Man and family had run the processing Gamut through customs inspection of baggage. Under the watchful eyes of it. r. Darden Deputy commander of usage . Army reception group european maj. William n. Eckert the 24th inf div representative what problems cropped up were quickly resolved whether it was a matter of shot records or orders or customs questions. Setting up customs in Munich eliminated the often lengthy delays at Mcguire fab n.j., putting one of More arduous processing Early in the game when travellers Are better Able to Cope. If there was any fault to be found it was that As Purdue put it the processing was almost too those with families were shuffling documents so quickly that at times they resemble Handbill distributors passing out pamphlets outside an emptying auditorium. Darden explained that the system had Page 12 been worked out and tested on the 24thinf div s Advance parties of some 1,000 personnel who left prior to april 1. Including Purdue s group More than7,000 people had been processed in approximately six weeks As Well As roughly 900 tons of cargo. The one Day High Mark was 650 people. As Darden and Eckert pointed out the system paid off when a Man gets on the plane said Darden he s with paperwork yes but the trip was far from finished for the Pur due family As the air trip across the Atlantic claimed Dede and Lela via sick Ness. Sandy was a familiar sight Lead ing one or the other of her toddlers Down the aisle on emergency Calls. At Mcguire the Purdue made a Hasty run on the by for a fresh Supply of diapers for the Little one. Following a two hour Layover while the four engine chartered Jet was re fuelled and spruced up and the 165 Pas sengers diminished to 96 As some got off to pick up cars or take leave Tim before heading on to it. Riley John grabbed his wife two recovering Chil Dren and his fiddle he s a country and Western perform Rand moments later the plane was again airborne on the final flying Lap. Chasing the setting Sun Halfway across the continent the Jet came Down finally at Forbes air Force base near to Peka about 7 30 . An hour and a half later the buses completed the 65miles from Forbes to Riley pulling into the historic Post in lightning punctuated darkness. The sign outside the Gate read Home of the 24th infantry Back in Germany it was 3 ., tues Day a full Day had elapsed. Yet though the setting has change for the Purdue and their fellow wearers of the Taro Leaf the commitment remained the same their services still belonged to nato. And lest they forgot the German roadsigns around it. Riley alongside Ameri can traffic signs would be daily remind ers that Europe was t really far away. Tomorrow a look at it. Riley Purdue family on ramp take a last look at Germany before departure the stars and stripes
