European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 04, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse 1the" Way it was before we \ started shrinking by Hans Peterson memories of Germany in the Early 1950s. A Vij. A Streetcar named roundabout shuttled folks with military authorization Between Frankfurt Points such As the main train station the in Farben building to Day s Abrans Complex and the palme Garten botanical gardens. The bumpy ride provided a great and free Way to see the devastated German City As the ancient Tram meandered its Way across Well worn tracks. A a. A i barely coherent gis in class a Ike jackets con ducted Maier Gustl s bavarian Beer Hall band in that sudsy establishment near the train station while waving Beer mugs at the Sodden masses swaying on chairs and tables./. " Young women and hopeful Black marketeers jammed the Steps of the Schuman pm across from the train station dreaming of the land of the big pm . The land of the round doorknobs a port Call to Bremerhaven and a 15-Daysea sick journey removed quartermaster Gas for cars with c plates. Detroit made cars were the Best and fastest on the autobahn s. German autos waved their Max Nix Sticks to indicate direction changes. Early an radio. Luncheon in Minchen hillbilly army couple of military policemen on duty at the main train station in Frankfurt Germany in september 1951. Gasthaus profile of a Leader with master sgt. Earl Cosgrove and that incredibly funny hillbilly opera of the air which interspersed legitimate operatic music with the horniest narration imaginable the floating Frenchman Salami and other wagnerian and Strauss an operatic takeoffs. The eternally twanging rhythms of stick buddy Jamboree. And of course those tales Well calculated to keep you in my Friend Irma our miss Brooks the great Guilder sleeve and gun smoke. And then came that halloween in 1953 when an _ assigned a reporter to spend the night at Frankenstein Castle. I first heard bored monologue then surprised reaction to that someone or some thing crawling from the crypt then horrified Realiza Tion followed by piercing final screams and the Ter Minal thud an tried to re establish Contact with its heroic reporter in vain. Ghostly and ghastly. Yes those were the Days. So Long before Usa eur Safe land started shrinking. We Are at the end Era imminent draw Down and the final goodbye is upon us. Hans Peterson works in Wiesbaden Germany i so into in station Bymark White ear an Berlin Jno Jhai you have faded into history i Salute you and thank rear venous me Nories. We met in october 1952.1 was a Young broadcaster selected to be the program direct to a of the Premium radio station in the entire world wide network of armed forces radio. You were growing rapidly. At Only 7 years you had Beautiful studios and added the latest state of the Art equipment every month for sending Beautiful sounds through the Berlin airwaves. The sounds were Happy fun and filled with sym Pathy and understanding in a City that had been Al most totally destroyed. There were millions of men women andchildre7i digging their Way through ruins to exist. They were on a
