August 26, 1971

 Dear Dad & Mom,

I got Dad's letter a few days ago.  He kind of left me up in the air though; down to 462 feet and still no water!  What happened?  I bet that they did find it eventually, though.  I wouldn't think that the neighbors world hit water and you couldn't.  I'm really glad to hear that the plans on the house are moving along so quickly.

It's hard to believe that summer is almost over and that school will be starting shortly.  I wish Lore the best of luck in the sixth grade.

Before I get into my news, I must ask if Dad's birthday present ever got there.  I figure it should have arrived two or three weeks ago at least.  If not, please let me know right away because it was insured and I might be able to get some of my money back on it and get you another one if it never got through the mail!

Well I've got some pretty big news which I just found out yesterday.  I knew that sooner or later somebody would realize what a waste it is to have two officers working at the club, and that some kind of change would probably result.  So, it turned out that the brigade commander here at Bamburg found out I had a BA in Psychology which seems to be a rather rare degree among officers.  So because of that he tapped me for a position which is empty now, but he had been trying to find someone for it.  the name of this new job which I will start officially on Sept 5, is Drug Abuse and Equal Opportunity Officer.

Right now I really don't have much information on exactly what my job will consist of, except for the fact that it will deal with two of the most pressing problems that the army has right now, especially in Europe and Vietnam, which are drug use among the troops, and racial problems; mostly between blacks and whites.  Of course I will just be concerned with the problems here in Bamburg which takes in several thousand men.  There have been a few other places in Germany which have created this position in the past, all accompanied by a lot of publicity and pats on the backs from Generals.  So you can see that the brigade commander here doesn't want the be left out of the lime light, so he jumped on the band wagon too.  I won't start until Sept 6, because on Monday we are having our annual I.G. (Inspector General) Inspection, which is the hardest inspection a club can get, so I have to stick around for that.  I really am looking forward to the change in jobs.  I was rapidly getting tired of the club routine, although everything has been going OK, and this new job sounds pretty interesting.  I just hope it is a job that I can really do something in, and not just an empty position like a lot of jobs in the army are.  Well I will let you know all the details about the job when I find out more myself.  the only bad thing about it is that it might be a lot harder to get leave during Christmas now because it's kind of tough to ask for leave right after you have started a new job.  I'm going to still try, but I really don't know how good the chances will be.  I can promise one thing and that is, whenever I do get another leave it will be home.  I really don't think you know how much I miss everyone.  You might think that I would get used to it after as long as I've been here, but it really gets worse every month!  There is some very promising news, that has been going around lately, and that is that some officers that are VI (voluntary Indefinite), like me are getting their 3rd year obligation taken off.  I know one 1st Lt.who has already had this happen to him, so instead of 3 years to serve he only has two!  If I don't get that, which doesn't seem too likely at this time, there is still a good chance that I might be able to get out as much as 3 or 4 months sooner.  Well, I've got a least one more year not matter what, so i hope this new job isn't too bad!

It was good that Nixon put on the wage and price controls, I think, but it was a lot better that they exempted raises due to promotions for military people.  I was really worried there for a while that I might not get my extra money for First Lt. which had been rumored.  So far Nixon's policy hasn't seemed to have much effect on the US dollar over here.  It's still going down in value, just like before.  When I first got here, the dollar was worth 3.68 Marks, now as of today, it's down to 3.39, which is quite a bit if you happen to deal with large amounts of money, but for the average American over here who doesn't spend large amounts of US dollars on the German Economy, I don't think it hurts too much.  One good thing to come out of it, is that my car will be worth 10% more when I get it back to the states, I think.

Well I better close for now.  Please write as often as possible.  Keep me posted on the progress of the house.  I really hope I can see everyone within the next few months. 

August 12, 1971

Dear Mom and Dad,

Well by now I imagine that you are enjoying your summer vacation.  I hope everyone is well and having a good time. I got Dad's letter and was glad to hear that you are progressing with preparation for building your home. 

Well everything is going smoothly over here for me.  It's been some time since I've written a detailed letter, so I will try to bring you up to date on what little news that I have.  In June the Custodian of this club was sent to Vietnam.  I had rather thought that I would be put in charge when he left, but as it turned out they sent in another man to take over, leaving me in my somewhat undefined position.  The new custodian is a First Lt., with a masters degree in accounting and a CPA.  I must assume that they made him Custodian because of these qualifications rather than a lack of ability on my part.  I say, assume because no one has said one word about it to me one way or the other.

One of the worst things I have found about the Army so far is the lack of communication between myself and my superiors.  Ever since I have been here I have never been corrected, reprimanded or counseled in any way, or for that matter, praised or applauded.  But yet I find myself in a job that must be considered limbo!  It is neither challenging or stimulating and definitely not necessary and it has long ago ceased to be interesting!  I sometimes wonder if my card that has my name and rank on it, was folded, bent or mutilated and as a result I have been misplaced in this vast red tape machine that they call the Army.  If the Army has a category for people like me, in my type of positions (because I know I'm not alone) then I think they should call it missing in "Inaction"!  I don't want you to think it's all bad though because it really isn't,  just somewhat boring and a little disheartening.

On a brighter note, I will tell you that I was promoted to First Lieutenant, right on time, June 22 which is almost exactly a year since the time I went on active duty.  It's no big deal because everyone gets promoted to first Lt after one year unless you are a complete mongoloid idiot, in which case you are promoted directly to General.  The day I got promoted, I got a phone call and was told to report over at Brigade HQ in a uniform.  Finding my uniform and putting it all together was the hardest part.  I reported to the executive officer, a Lt. Col.   A Major read my orders and the XO pinned my silver bar on.  I shook hands with him and the major and a couple of Lt's who were witnesses and left.  That's all there was to it, short and sweet.  It is nice to be a first Lieutenant though, at least it's not the bottom man on totem pole, and of course a little more money.

A month or so ago, my car broke down and I had it in the shop for about a month, so I have't been going around the country side too much lately.  I have my car back now and it's running OK again, but it was so expensive that I hardly have enough money left for gas, at least for the rest of the month.  I must admit, that as much as I like that car, Iv'e had a whole lot of mechanical difficulty with it.  Much more than should be for a new car.  I'm going to give it another chance though.  I had so many parts of the engine replaced this time, that it should be almost like new...I hope. 

Boy I really miss everyone and I sure would like to come home around Christmas, but at this time it is impossible to say if I can do it or not.  The trip would cost at least $400 round trip, so that will pose a little problem, but not too big. 

Although the Army stinks, Germany is still great.  this is the beginning of the beer fest season when beer flows down thousands of German throats like water.  We had a beer-fest of our own here at the club last week, with a 16 piece brass "omp-pa-pa" band.  We went through 15, 50 liter kegs of beer.  Needless to say a good time was had by all.

Well I have to close this letter now since it is midnight and I have to go downstairs (I am writing this in the office) and close the club for another night.  Write whenever you can I really look forward to your letters.

July 20, 1971

Dear Mom & Dad,

Well here are my final pictures that I took while I was on leave.  I hope that by sending these pictures to you I have in some small way been able to share my trip with you, because I really wish you could have all been with me.  After these last pictures, I will get off a more comprehensive letter.

Well after driving through the rugged mountains of Switzerland I finally made it to Interlaken.  This picture is of the river that ran through the town, which joined the two lakes together that Interlaken is between.  The water in this river and in the lakes, is the cleanest looking, that I think I have ever seen.

Here is one means of transportation that you can use to see Interlaken.

This one was also taken on the river with a few of the mountains in the background.  It was a little too cloudy when I was there to see Jungfrau.

As you can see, progress and tall buildings even come to places like Interlaken eventually.

Well after Interlaken I went back "home" to Germany, but before I went back to work I took another day at one of my favorite towns, Rothenburg.  I think it was June 1st when these pictures were taken and that happened to be the day of the Meister-Frank festival.  To make a long story short, this is to celebrate a time about 300 years ago when a group of attacking Huns came into Rothenburg and were about to destroy the town.  However the leader of the Huns made a deal with the Burger-Meister of Rothernburg; if the Burger-Meister could drink 10 liters of beer in one large chug-a-lug they would go home and leave the town alone, if not, then the Huns would stay.  Well the Burger Meister took the challenge, and drank down the 10 liters without so much as a hic-up, right in the middle of the town square.  The Huns were good to their word, and left and the Burger-Meister became a town hero.  Every year there after the  townspeople have held a celebration in honor of this event, and also because in later years it has proven to be pretty good for business.  That will explain, I hope, these next pictures.  Above you see a couple of young men riding down a street dressed in what were the local garb of the time.

Here we have some of the "good guys" resting up before participating in one of the mock battles.

This man is riding a very large horse, as you can see.

This is the man who plays the part of the Burger-Meister and as a matter of fact he really is the Burger Meister.  By the way that armor is the real thing.

Here come the Huns, about to meet the Rothenburger's in a mock battle, which was pretty wild even though it was just acting.

This character is the leader of the Huns, a real villain-type

And once again, here come the "good guys" led by the "Burger-Meister"

At the end of the day they had a parade down the main street, with this  group leading the way with authentic 18th century instruments.  They played very 18th century marching tunes, also.

Well that's the end.  I will try to get a letter off shortly.

July 15. 1971

 Dear Mom and Dad,

Well whether you want to or not you're going to see a little more of Geneve before I move on to somewhere else.

This is the Palace De Wilson, on the Quai De Wilson, both named after President Woodrow Wilson.  this was the original League of nations Building.

Here's a good shot along the shore of Lake Geneva with the city in the background.  It rained shortly after I took this one.

A Swiss Swan Swimming

I bid farewell to Geneva.

Here are the pictures I've been really waiting to send you.  After Geneve I drove to Interlaken, which took about half a day.  These next 8 pictures were all taken along the way which was through the most beautiful country I have ever seen.  My only regret is that I didn't take more pictures.  The one above was taken at the very beginning of the road that led through the Grimsel Pass.  I took this route because it looked like a shortcut to Interlaken.  It seemed to be a very little traveled road, and it turned out to take quite a long time to travel it because of it's very steep and winding nature.  However it was well worth it.  I really can't describe how spectacular it was.  This was the last picture I took until I got to the top, mainly because the road was so nerve shattering that I didn't dare stop any place to take photos.

This is the top of Grimsel Pass - 2165 meters, or 7144 feet.  There's a small hotel here and also a restaurant where I stopped and had lunch.

This one was also taken from the very top.  you will notice that there is another small hotel on the other side of the frozen lake.

This one was taken on the way down.  The road going down wasn't quite as bad as the one going up, if you believe that from lookin at these pictures.  Can you even imagine how they could find a place for a road in land like this?  I can't either, but they did.  If you look very  carefully, you will see another hotel in this picture.  It blends right in with the rocks.  They say switzerland is a nation of Inn Keepers, and I can believe it because they put them any and every where.

Here's another one taken on the way down.  Notice part of the road below me in this one.

This one was taken just as I was almost all the way out of the Grimsel Pass, but it was still quite high.  I took this one mainly to show you some quinine Swiss cows.  they are somewhat of a different breed than you will see anywhere else.  In most of the Swiss towns, the hottest selling items for tourists are these big cow bells that the Swiss ;put on their stock  so they can keep track of them in the hills.  I was tempted to stop several times and appropriate one, for free from a real swiss cow, but I didn't.

These are the last two I took on the Grimsel Pass, on the north side.  About 35 miles down this valley is Interlaken.  If you put these last two pictures side by side you will get a panoramic view of what the whole valley looked like because I took them from the same spot.

July 15, 1971

Dear Mom & Dad

Here's another dozen pictures for you.  These were all taken in Geneva Switzerland.  I left Cannes early in the morning and drove most of the day through France until I got there.  Geneva is right on the French border so the predominant language spoken is French.  Geneva is a city where you are likely to see people from all over the world, many of them in their local dress.  I saw a lot of Africans, all of whom spoke French and none who  sported an"Afro" hair-do. 

I start out right in downtown Geneva.  I took this one mainly to show you a picture of a streetcar, which are very common in most large European cities.

Walking a few blocks from where I took the first picture, I came across this open air market which is another sight that is very common over here, especially in Germany.  Usually you can buy just about any kind of fruit or vegetable you can think of at these places.

Moving out of the main commercial section of the city I came to a large park which extends along the shore of Lake Geneva.  This fountain was in the park.

In the same park, I came across the subject for this picture.  It seems only appropriate that in what could be called the world capital of clocks and watches that they would have one made of flowers.  There is also one of these in Interlaken, both of them are working models.  As you can see, it was 10:30 when I took this picture.

this is a monument to the Reformation of the church.  the whole monument is about a block long with statues of many different people who played important parts of the Reformation.  This is across a large tree covered mall from the university.

Back down town I ran across this river which runs into Lake Geneva.

This is Lake Geneva with part of the city in the background

This is an interesting monument, only I don't know what it represented.  It was unusual for the fact that it looked like the top of a church steeple that had been cut off and placed there.

This is one of the cruise boats that will take you on an all day ride around lake Geneva.

This is the Geneva Opera house.

This is the main entrance to a very large church downtown.  It was rather bare inside though.

The International Exhibition on Education.  This is where I got some of the literature that I sent you.  

Still more pictures to follow!

July 14, 1971

Dear Mom, and Dad

Here are some more of the pictures that I took while I was on leave.  I want to try and get the rest of these sent within the next few days, so I can concentrate on writing you a good long letter to catch you up on my news on this side of the Atlantic.

In these pictures you will see Cannes France, where I went after Monte Carlo.  I stayed there for about a day and a half.

This is a shot taken along the waterfront.  notice the French flags.  The beach at Cannes has a reputation of being one of the best in Europe, but as you can see for yourself it doesn't look as attractive as most of the ones on the West Coast.  Anyway 99% of it is all private beaches belonging to the hotels in the background.

This is just another picture of the beach at Cannes, taken in the opposite direction of the first shot.

A picture taken along the boardwalk by the beach.  I took this one to show you a real French Poodle, in his native land!

This is not exactly the most classy hotel in Cannes, but it is where I stayed and it wasn't too bad.  Two meals a day plus a room for about $10 a day.

In France you can "read the writing on the wall", so to speak.  This bit of Communist expression was right next to my hotel.

In Cannes, this is one of the most popular buildings.  The "Movie house".  The film festival was in progress while I was there and this is where all the films are shown.  It is also a good place to look for International stars if you are so inclined.

This picture gives a good idea of the many different countries represented down at the Cannes dock.  From front to back: Monaco, USA , England,Panama, and England again.  I spent a lot of time down at the waterfront.  I found it very interesting.

Again, down at the dock I came across this VW bus, waiting for a ship  to Africa!  It says on the side:  "From Berlin to Cape Town, via East Africa"

Here's a closer look at one of the big private boats from panama.

This is a group of men playing Bocce ball.   it is played by throwing little steel balls.  I don't know much about it, but it must be interesting, because it seems like the men around here spend 80% of their time playing it.

My last shot of this group is a close up of a boat from New York, USA!    

More to come.....

June 27, 1971

Dear Mom and Dad,

In the last envelope of pictures I left off at Monte-Carlo.  These next 12 pictures are all from Monte-Carlo.

Just as  the race was about to begin, this ship came off shore and let all it's cargo of tourists out to add to the already jammed streets.

Here is a shot of a group of Monte-Carlo cops, about ready to clear the streets of people.

I took this one to show you how many people were crammed into every available spot.  This picture was taken fairly early in the morning.

 This is just another view of the city, taken from along the route of the race.

To tell you the truth, this is about the closest view of one of the race cars that I got during the whole day.  They were taking this one to the pits about two hours before the race began.

This is one of my favorite pictures that I took during my leave.  This is what I call determination!  this guy was going to get a good view of the race no matter what.  I have no idea how he got up there in the first place, but it took three men to get him down.

A shot of the Ferrari service truck.

A shot of the Lotus service truck.

This is a picture of the front of the Monte-Carlo Casino.

This is a statue that is on the dock at Monte-Carlo.  Notice the Helicopter behind it.

This is a picture of the palace where the prince and princess of Monaco live.

My final shot of Monte Carlo is just another view of the harbor with part of the city in the background.