European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 30, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pago 8 the stars and stripes monday. March 30, 1987 4 an East German guard Tower looms Over a landscape Cut by a Security Fence near bad hers feed there Aren t Many escapes in this area reports sgt. Dieter Reyes. Students View harsh reality of Border by Wendy Bourland staff writer you Don t notice anything different about Wildeck until you gel to the end or town. Here inc main Road abruptly ends giving Way to a Barren Field. A red and while Chain hugs he dead end Road. Across the Field there s a Lall Fence of sharpened steel step off the Pavc Rnell and you re in East Germany. Forty five government class students he Ameri cans from he Arnold High school in Wiesbaden Andich germans from St. Stefan George sir Natl gymnasium in Bingen stood at this East West division Fri Day afternoon the first of three stops on a Border tour Given by sol. Dieter Reyes or the i lib Cav regt. Bad the teen agers looked hard at the Chain at inc stretch of ground beyond it and at the shadowy form fan East German Border guard staring Back at them from an observation lower inside the steel Fence sever Al Hundred feet away. Don t put your Arm across Don t put your head across Don l put your hand across warned the Ger Man bom Reyes 45, a squat grizzled Soldier. He had joked and laughed with hem As they walked to the end of the Road now his face was Stony. You could cause a Border incident he explained absently touching he pistol strapped across his Chest Don t breathe across a Girt said. The other laughed. Briefly. With the same Pointer he used during a slide show at Headquarters that morning Reyes poked a Stone Marker on the other Side of the Chain a foot from a hedge running alongside the Las House on the Street. This Stone is marked with . On the other Side he began which stands for kingdom of Prussia the original Border. This Side is marked k.h., for King Dom of Hessen where we  Reyes poked the Stone again. I m not supposed id Louch this he said his eyes Dietly and cold. But i Don l think they la do anything about  the tour had begun in a briefing room at Headquarters. Inside Hung pictures of East German Border guards Border dogs observation posts and soviet weapons. East and West German Border signs poles and Marker stones were also on display. As Reyes showed slides he recounted the history of the Fence from the first Waist High wooden Barrier to the touch sensitive Metal fencing used by East Ger Many today. The East germans realized if they did t do some thing they d have a country without people he said. At the first Border site Reyes old grisly stories about failed escapes. There Aren t Many escapes Inthis area he said. You can see Why he told of watching an East German try to escape. The Man drove a front end loader up to the Fence raised the loader climbed it and jumped Over before he hit the ground he had 20 bullets in him Reyes said. They left him there for 12 hours i was 10 my Lars away and there was nothing 1 could do. You cannot Cross inc  was he dead a student asked. No Reyes said his face a mask. The Story had an Impact. Do you Sec Why we can t All be friends an Ameri can girl said to a Friend As they walked Back to the bus i Don t Sec Why you have to break a country in  her Friend was silent. As the bus followed Reyes jeep up inc Hill and up a Din Road to inc next location it got suck. Stuck 880 Yards from the Border. Unable to get to inc top the bus backed up and Slid sideways into deep mud lurch ing dangerously to one Side. Reyes called the reactionary Force at observation Post Romeo one of several . Army observation posts along the East German Border. The group had toured Romeo earlier caring in the Smalt dining facility visiting the recreation room where off duty troops watched videos on television and played com Puter video games climbing the observation lower. In 20 minutes inc six Man team arrived in an a Mored personnel Carrier. The vehicle appeared from nowhere at the lop of inc Hill climbed Down and spun into position churning up huge chunks of the soft Earth. They re showing off somebody said. They prob ably Don t go l to do his  after inc students tiled out the rear doors and into the rain to soldiers tied a Tow Chain to inc bus. Three soldiers with machine guns guarded the area. In three minutes the bus was free. The soldiers grinned and waved As they tiled into the tracked vehicle. The final Border site an the tour was a 2d-minute drive from of Romeo in the Middle of the Werra River the Fence began immediately on the other Side or the River followed by yet another Fence. Mouses lined the Bank smoke poured out of a Chimney. Chick ens dashed across a Yard and an empty bus drove by. Reyes pointed out the observation towers and a Bun Ker up the Hill behind the houses built into the ground. The group drenched and chilled by the wind whipped rain listened As he talked at night this whole area is lit up like a Christmas tree bul the East German people have to turn their lights out at 10 . They treat their people like dirt there s 1,193 Miles offence along inc Border he said "1,393, including the Berlin Wall. There Are j5,000 Border troops 50,000 if you count Berlin. Are there any questions no one spoke. While Reyes talked three people came Inlo View across the River a Man and two children. One child wore a Bright yellow Raincoat. The three of them stopped for a moment looking at the people standing in the driving rain across the River. Then they turned and walked away the Man glancing Back once before he moved out of sight. The mood in the bus on the return trip was subdued. There was no loud chatter no laughter As there had been on the Way up. Students quietly discussed whal they had seen. It was interesting said Joseph Williams 17. It showed me the world can be like  what was on their minds they re thinking How Lucky they arc Hal they Don l have to stay Over there said Rica Williams 17. "1 think it s cruel Luil houses arc so near the Fence and icy can l go to inc other Ink and can l go there said 17-year-old Heiko Bicker. Judy Flack the american gov Crimeni class Isacher said i think seeing in the effect of a  thai they have to Wall Shtir people in is Good for the kids. It s hard to grasp it Wilhour seeing