European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 11, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Page in the stars and stripes sunday january 12, 1986 the reagans with German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and hit wife during the Wreath laying ceremony at Pitburg cemetery. Pitburg b Fly but the bitterness is fading by James new York times it is difficult to to Trad traces of the Cal pulled the German 1own of Tilburg Niho jux Emburg Border to the Center of world to Erin n Jusi More than nine months Snow dusted Seilal Hills look much As they did when a White House Advance Taam visited the Koj Nef Iohp car Jetry last Winter in preparation for a visit to West Germany by president Reagan at which to would Lay n Wreath. The americans failed Loriol it some of ihl1 Doo gravestones bore the names of s3 men. Outside the entry to the . Air Force s 36th Tachica fighter Wing whose 11,000 members and Depond Rinir make up Hall of Pitburg s population the Only Novelty on a strip of used car tots is a Mcdonald s. In a gesture of american German Friendship Bolh nations stays no Fly outside the Headquarters of the f-15 fighter boo both nations National anthems Are played evry Day. Alter pondering Iho mutter for a moment col. Peter d. Robinson. 45 years old the base commander said the juror Over president Reagan s cemetery visit actually strengthened the Bonds Between the communities mayor then Mallei who became an overnight american television personality last Spring offered a similar judgment "1 can say that the ties Between the Btl Burg americans and the Tilburg germans were not Only not damaged they have become even since the May 5 Wroath laying ceremony by president Reagan and Chancellor Helmut Kohl nine Tilburg women have joined 6,000 others who have Mamed american men stationed at the base. One of Hallel 5 favorite jests is that if the 16.000 americans born Here Tud stayed the town would have an american mayor Loday. Foreign minister Hans Dietrich Gen Cher and i closest aides meanwhile have no for Gollen the humiliation Sull ered on the Day of Rengan s Vail when their plane was it irs no allowed to land at he Tilburg base because air Force Ona was already on 1he Tarmac. Only Afler Genscher threatened to Fly Back to Bonn and make a diplomatic scandal i a senior american official order the control lower to allow the incensed foreign minister to land in his own country. On nov. 17, Halle Robinson and other figures from both communities gathered at the Kolm Shohe cemetery to remember the Al clams of dictatorship and War in Germany in this Century the americans and the germans and until they pulled out of Tilburg a Lew months ago French military men have observed this tradition since 1959. The mayor said the ceremony was deliberately Tow key with no allusions to the May 5 event. The people Here wanted said Hallel a while haired Veteran who fought in he Gross deutschland division on the russian front in world War ii. They wanted beyond bit aug t Frontier i is not so easy to weigh the lasting Impact of an event that at the Lime was occasionally portrayed As a political catastrophe for ils two principals. Rougon and Kohl and a Burden on the relationship Between nato s two most important members in the immediate Aher math of the Pitburg visit Kohl s Christian democrats were soundly Defeated in an important election in the populous stale of North Rhine Westphalia. But an encouraging upswing in the West German Economy and i he optimism generated by the american soviet Summit meeting in Geneva which deprives the opposition social democrats of a a or foreign policy Issue make Kohl s Center right coalition the Odds on favorite in National elections expected in late january 1987. At the official level. The relationship Between Bonn and Washington appears to be excellent and Reagan s popularity was clearly enhanced in Wert Gerr Rany by his decision la go through Wilh Ihu bit bum visit. It was t that people thought the Choice of Pitburg was so wonderful commented an advisor to Kohl. Bui Reagan s going showed he was a Friend even in bad times Michael Stuermer a conservative historian said interests of stale Linnley triumphed. On both sides of the Atlantic he observed some of the elites Hove understood that Iho relationship is Loo important to be exposed to German infighting and american although the historian maintained that a lot of artificial excl men was Wndle by Tilburg he acknowledged thai 1 what remains is a kind of Biller i Hope Hal most of our politicians have understood thai historic symbols matter said Stumeier. Who at the 11th hour lobbied for shilling the Wreath laying ceremony to an abandoned Abbey in Hesse where German civilian and military War dead Liesl Rewn in unmarked Graves. You cannot treat symbols some West germans however say the Pitburg visit was a Victory for those who would like to Bury or radically rely Lerret the nazi past. I fear hat he whole thing was wrongly said Waller Jens a professor of rhetoric Al tub Ingen University and an activist in cellist causes. Germans must understand that for the whole world is is far More than two letters in the alphabet thai is Means 6 million jews cruelly killed Las month a i
