European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 1, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse F wednesday August 1, 1990 the stars and strikes a a a Page 9over Here ,4 amp a a it Quot a 1 ,rt�y5-Sski a to. Sas Handy Pruitt at 65, a Herr a Quot As Many address him has been at the Hahn base longer than anybody else civilian or military. He likes to say a to from the old air Force. A a. A. A. A a a a a a a special of ceremony honors Gung to wartime foe by Rand Pruitt staff writer Hahn a West Germany a forty five years ago Gerhard Zschiesche a Gung to Corporal in hitlers army frantically ran through what is now Rhein main a slinging an a into nazi War planes. Chaos ruled. The . Army was just outside the Gate and moving in. Zschiesche and other aircraft technicians were determined not to turn Over perfectly Good planes to the enemy a it Cut my heart to hit into a Brand new air plane with an a you know a says Zschiesche who made a futile sprint toward the autobahn before surrendering to a laughing texan in a jeep. Y for a Man trying to run away from the americans he did no to get far. The former Hitler youth Leader ended up working for them for 41 years. Nearly 40 of those years have been at Hahn a where he went from Basic maintenance labourer to Mechanic inspector and supervisor. For the past 11 years he a held the tilled technical adviser to the Deputy commander of maintenance the highest civilian position in the maintenance Complex. Tuesday in a special ceremony with troops and a three Star general the air Force awarded him the outstanding civilian career service medal a first fora local National employee at Hahn. At 65, Zschiesche or a Herr a Quot As Many address him is the old Man of Hahn. He a been there longer than anybody else civilian or military. A a in a from the old air Force a he a always saying in near perfect English. A when i came Here Hahn was a Farmers Field a he said painting an Early picture of the 50th tac fighter Wing but that a getting ahead. Back to a frightened 20-Ycar-pld German Soldier that Good natured texan he ran from and the twisted Road that took him to where he is today. A a in la never forget him a Good looking blon headed Guy with watches up to the elbows on both arms rings on each Finger a i said. The Soldier added Zschiesche Shiller youth knife to a collection hanging from his Belt. Together the men had a Good laugh. He knew he be harmed. Quot i was an aircraft technician. We were not fighters a Zschiesche became a prisoner of War but not under the americans. He was Given to the French a few months later and interned at a labor Camp in Chat Auroux. Life in the Camp was hard something he refuses to talk about. A fight with a guard put him on a blacklist. He was promised head be the last to leave. A French Farmer came to his Rescue. Prisoners were allowed to work for civilians and the Farmer needed help. Zschiesche desperate to leave told the Man he knew everything about farming. It was a lie he hide when the Farmer handed him a milk bucket and pointed to a Goat. A i was sliding through Goat manure but 1 Learned a Zschiesche said laughing a a a he also Learned to speak French. �?o1 could Only speak German with the cows so i had to learn French Quot he said. The Farmer by coincidence had earlier in the War been a prisoner in Germany. A the said to me a ill no special retirement plans a Quot but if i look at the list my wife gave me. A Gerhard Zschiesche treat you As i was treated in a German Camp a and i thought a of no a a but the Farmer reached in his pocket and gave Zschiesche the keys to the Yine cellar. A you will live like a son in my Home Quot the Man said. �?o1 was treated As a son Over there and i will treat you the same a a for More than a year Zschiesche slept in the same room with the Farmers son. Later after learning that Zschiesche a parents had relocated to near Hannover the Farmer bought him a train ticket. He was Home for Christmas it was 1948. In nearby Celle he spotted a newspaper advertisement placed by the americans seeking aircraft mechanics for the Berlin Airlift. He immediately got the Job. In 1950 Dejee lived an invitation to work at erd ing near Munich but he was transferred to Hahn. It took the Munich ticket agent a half hour to find the route on the map and Zschiesche recalled his comment Quot that a the end of the world a a Zschiesche also remembers stepping off the bus at Hahn in february 1951 and walking with his suitcase across the base. There was Only the maintenance hangar and some Barracks. Trees stood where the air planes would someday taxi. The planes did no to arrive until ,1953. Zschiesche said the americans at Hahn were impressed with his German training and asked if he could help them find other qualified germans. He found 30 men. A a we had no specialists like we do today a he said. Mechanics knew every nut Anthill to on an aircraft every system. F is Hische said he preferred to work for the americans rather than the germans. A in the German air Force you be got to bring something of who you Are. In the american air Force its a show me what you know and what you can do then i will put you in the chair wherever you belong a a Zschiesche will Lake some fond memories with him. He still recalls the Day Hahn s most famous Wing commander look his first Solo glider flight through a German american glider dub. When anyone completed his first ride he received a spanking and saw c Huck Yeager the future sound Barrier breaker get a sound whipping. Hell also never forget the Good natured Competition Between americans and canadians when the . Fliers upgraded from the f-86f to f-86h fighter. The canadians,.stilj believing they had the better plane challenged the americans. A there was a whole Wing of canadians coming Over Hahn a Quot Zschiesche said. As the canadians hew Over they opened up their Speed brakes sending Down Rolls of toilet paper. A that was their Way of saying we were full of it Quot he said laughing. Zschiesche has no special retirement plans. He smiled. A but. If 1 look at the list my wife gave me what to do. Tuesday he cleaned out his desk and removed he big nameplate. Quot people Call me or a otherwise it will break your Tongue a he said then got serious. Hell miss this wide open place in the huns pick where the sound of lighter jets plays havoc with casual conversation a German american kind of place that has come to mean More than a Job. Quot i could cry a he said. A a in be enjoyed every Day
