Editor, Times-Union: Today marks another anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. A concrete barrier constructed on Aug. 13, 1961, by the German Democratic Republic of East Germany that divided a city and separated families and friends, while preventing massive defection and immigration. As a young soldier with the U.S. Army, I volunteered and was assigned for duty in the City of West Berlin, Germany, during the Cold War era with the headquarters, Berlin-Brigade Command Element, S1 Section, located on the General Lucius D. Clay Compound. My job was to maintain 100 percent accountability and job placement of all incoming U.S. military assets to various U.S. military units within the City of West Berlin. My story begins on Oct. 6, 1979, at the LaGuardia Airport in New York City with an 18-hour non-stop flight to Frankfurt, Germany, and a connecting flight to the Temple Hoff Airport in West Berlin, Germany. My plane landed early in the afternoon where I was escorted by U.S. liaison personnel to what would serve as my new house during my tour of duty in the city of West Berlin known as Andrews Barracks. Andrew Barracks was once home to Hitler’s elite SS troops, and served as the execution arena for enemies of the Third Reich. During my in-country orientation our group of approximately 20 U.S. soldiers traveled by commercial bus in Class A uniform without name tags because of espionage issues through Checkpoint Charlie, which was a control point between East and West Berlin. Our bus was not allowed to enter East Berlin until an inspection had been completed by an East German border guard, which also included a head count. This procedure was repeated upon our return. Once we entered East Berlin, we were not allowed to photograph buildings, military installations or the citizenry during our short visit in the Eastern vector. During our journey, I observed many buildings scarred from the bombings of World War II as well as the massive bronze swastikas of the Third Reich at several building entranceways, including the Russian Embassy. Our group was given permission to visit the Russian cemetery located on the outskirts of the city dedicated to the Russian soldiers who died during the invasion of Berlin in World War II. The cemetery entrance was constructed of an archway made of beautiful red marble confiscated from Hitler’s bunker. Upon entering the cemetery, one observes a statue of Mother Russia facing north over the gravesites of the Russian soldiers who were killed in World War II. The grave sites were landscaped with marble walkways and various assortments of beautiful flowers common to the area along with weeping willow trees purposely planted along the confines of the cemetery giving the visitor the impression of a mother reaching, embracing and weeping for her lost children. Other memorable moments on my tour of duty was learning that a number of East German nationals had been killed attempting to cross over the wall to freedom while others utilized various improvised methods to facilitate their successful escape into the free sector of West Berlin. There are crosses and monuments throughout Berlin today which identify the locations of those who died in their pursuit of freedom. During our visit downtown, our bus stopped at what I would describe as the East German version of a shopping mall. In one particular restaurant, I observed a glass display case that contained one roll and one sausage link. When we requested more food items to purchase we were denied without any explantation. Every day I would see the West German people climb wooden scaffoldings in hopes of seeing a loved one or to scream obscenities at the East German border guards who enjoyed taunting and gesturing at those frantically attempting to voice their dislike for the political quagmire imposed by the Russian and East German governments. The windows of the buildings located in the Eastern sector near the wall were sealed with plywood or material that made it virtually impossible for anyone residing in these particular buildings to peer over the wall into the free sector of West Berlin. Today, the visible scars of war have since been replaced with tall modern buildings and magnificent landscapes, while the stories of those who survived the invasion of a foreign Army and tolerated the occupation of others remain an endless story. Those who once suffered the agony of oppression have since been freed from the grip of communism and socialist ideology where freedom now abounds within a city once divided by political tyranny. The lesson that I learned during my tour of duty in the City of West Berlin was that a price must be paid to remain free. Rick Bradley Warsaw
