Excerpts from Letters to Mom in italics.
13 April 1962
Last week we (Joe Purcell, USAF & Doug Plaisted, [Nicknamed "Plastered."] (USA) went to Verdun, France, to see that famous cemetery where over 25,000 Americans are buried. We got there Saturday evening (we left in the afternoon) and found out it (cemetery) was about 25 miles away. We got up Sunday morning and discovered my windshield wiper was kaput. It was raining & we farted around getting it fixed [Solution was to tie a string out the right vent window to the right wiper and another out the left vent to the other wiper, then alternately tug left, then right!] & didn't have time to go to the cemetery because I had to be back by 4:30 Sunday afternoon.
It cost us about $2.25 for a room for the three of us. The room was equipped with a shower, basin, and get this - a douche bowl. It seems they're commonplace in Europe. I didn't know whether to urinate or wash my feet in it.
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My car is running fine. However there are some discrepancies. It needs shocks, and my window doesn't go down. My spare tire is bald, too. Problems are to be expected with a car, especially a used one. Yes, I wish I could take Bobby for a ride in it, with the top down too.
We have no combat training. We sit behind a desk in the day & behind a table absorbing bräu in the evening. It is kind of hard to lose wgt like that. Don't bother sending pretzels, perhaps at Xmas. That's about it! Wiedersehen.
25 April 1962 (Postcard)
Dear Alle,
This is the cathedral I visited on Easter. [The Kaiser Dom at Speyer on the Rhein.] It was built with acoustics in mind & it boasts organ pipes bigger than our haus and a tremendous choir. The cellar is the burial vault for Kings and Queens of Germany. It cost me 8¢ to tour it. There are gardens leading to the Rhine a few blocks away. We drank bier in the open air cafes along the Rhein. I will return for a river cruise this summer. The temp is in 80's & balmy wea. prevails. The convertable [sic] sure pays off in this weather. Love to all!
08 May 1962
This past weekend I got a 3 day pass to visit Amsterdam, Holland. I liked it so much that I plan on driving the 450 miles every chance I get. I'll probably spend most of the leave I have left up there. I regret taking so much leave in the states.
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The tulips were just blooming (late this year) and they were celebrating some holiday (I think VE day), so, people were there like bees on honey. Many streets you couldn't drive because of the people. There sure are a lot of canals in Amsterdam (almost as many as streets). It's called the "Venice of the North." Our hotel was centrally located across from the canal tours and near what's called "Canal Street." Canal Street consists of several blocks where prostitutes sit in windows and wait for you to come in. Most of the girls are beautiful and in their early twenties. The government limits them to Canal Street and supervises stringent health precautions. They aren't allowed to solicit on the street, so they sit in the windows in revealing dresses with their skirts high. Windows above the first floor have conveniently placed mirrors so you can see what you're getting without going up. Prices range from about $3.00 up. Of course, this is only what I've heard. I'll bet you don't believe me.
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We also went to Haarlem where some dikes are, and to Zandvoort along the sea. It's a resort that's real neat (sort of rustic). I plan to go swimming there in July or August if I get a 3 day pass. [Believe it may have been a nudist beach.]
For about $1.50 I got some meals that even I couldn't finish. The prices there are tremendous. If you don't drink, go to Canal Street, nor buy souveniers [sic] it is hard to go broke. (Can I borrow $10?) Just kidding! If Amsterdam had nothing else, it would be worth it just to sit in one of the thousand out door cafes and watch all the lovely women go by. You almost think you're on a Hollywood set.
I'm growing disappointed with my car. There are several little things wrong with it. I had no trouble on the way up or back till I got above Frankfurt. The engine was running like a dream. Then the fan belt broke on the autobahn & before I had a chance to stop, the engine got pretty hot. After that on the way back it seemed awfully sluggish. I'm letting it set till pay day and then take it to the garage. I'll probably devote most of my paycheck to get the car squared away. The following paycheck will be whittled down some $31 for my final insurance payment till next March. A car sure is an expensive item, especially a used one!
9 May 1962 (Postcard of Tulip Fields)
Hi Betsy, I wish you could see & smell all the pretty flowers in Holland. For miles and miles all you see is tulips. The people don't really dress like the girl in the picture anymore. Only for tourists do they wear the wooden shoes & costumes. Be a good girl & keep up the good work in school.
13 May 1962
I finished my AG 3&2 course yesterday and still have three units left to complete on my ABC Warfare course. If I would happen to make second class in November, I think I'll save enough money (and leave) to buy you a round trip jet flight from New York to Stuttgart or Frankfurt. Then I could show you around Europe for several weeks. So, be prepared to save some spending money in case I get promoted. How does that sound?
Have you seen any more of Joe [Bihon] since the last time? Has the Army changed him? What all did Tom [Vracavich, another high school friend serving in the USAF] and he say that night? Have you heard from any of my other friends?
Excuse my poor typing, I'm trying to type faster than I can and not look at the keyboard. I'm also not familiar with the operation of the typewriter. [First typewritten letter -- on onion skin paper.] It's after midnite and I still want to work on my course a little, so it's time to close. Love
20 May 1962
I found a place downtown where I think I'd like to stay. It's about one and a half miles from here. Everything seemed so clean and it really impressed me. I'll be paying about $4.35 per week for it. The landlady seems very friendly. I believe I can get her to do my laundry, too. I'd just as soon pay her than the EES (European Exchange Service, which we nick-named the European Extortion System).
The landladies [sic] granddaughter is 11 next week. She is a cute little girl and is trying to learn English. I should be able to learn Deutsch a lot better there. I told Uter (the little girl) I would take her to the circus next week. She sort of reminds me of Betsy.
Even though I'll have to pay money to live there, I still think I'll save enough dough in the long run. I won't feel so depressed like in the barracks, and won't be so quick to go in the stadt [city] drinking or to the club.
2 June 1962 [Saturday]
How is everything going at home? On Memorial Day everyone who can be spared is given the day off. Unfortunately, I had stand-by and had to be available from 4:30 PM on Memorial Day. I was woken up at 2:30 in the morning because something [classified] came up, and I had to go to work for a couple hours. It was just another exciting day. I was thinking of the picnic with all the good food and drink that you probably had down at grandma's.
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A few words on the BERLIN CRISIS: The rare reference in a letter to work merits a mention of tensions building up over West Berlin, the continuing problems with access to the city and the growing risk of nuclear confrontation. The unusual work reference might have been related to some blockage on the autobahn route, a plane buzzed by Soviet or East German fighters in one of the air corridors to Berlin or just some abrupt, unexpected communications changes behind the Iron Curtain. The Berlin Crisis was not just one crisis at a single point in time, nor was it restricted to West Berlin or Germany. It evolved. Just days before Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev issued an ultimatum to the West on November 27, 1958, the Polish Foreign Minister Adam Rapacki had pushed a proposal for a nuclear weapons-free zone in Europe which embraced both German states, Poland and Czechoslovakia. The Rapacki Plan would have prevented West German access to nuclear weapons and eventually secured a détente and disarmament in Europe. It briefly generated hope throughout the world. Krushchev's goals were to halt West Germany's expanding role in NATO under Chancellor Konrad Adenauer on the one hand, and on the other to gain diplomatic recognition of the GDR (German Democratic Republic), i.e. East Germany. He wanted to transform West Berlin into a demilitarized "free" city. Because the USSR now had the H or hydrogen bomb (since 1953) and the missiles to deliver them, Krushchev viewed Berlin as the "testicles of the West" and was about to squeeze Berlin. Krushchev told Polish leader Gromulka on November 10, 1958, "If a conflict results, they [the West] know full well that we are in a position to raze West Germany to the ground. The first minutes of war will decide… Their territory is small-West Germany, England, France-literally several bombs will suffice… Although a war "might drag on for years," the Soviet Union could also launch a nuclear strike against the U.S. "Today, America has moved closer to us, our missiles can hit them directly." Access to Berlin had been a continuing problem with the Soviets often blocking or delaying trains and autobahn convoys on trumped up procedural grounds while sometimes harassing air corridor traffic with fighter aircraft. The Checkpoint Charlie US-Soviet tank confrontation in October 1961 was not the only incident over Berlin. NATO contingency plans included use of non-nuclear ground and/or air action in East Germany and/or in Eastern Europe to induce the Soviets to restore access. The US "flexible response" strategy allowed escalation to nuclear weapons, too. World leaders were very worried that the political status of West Berlin might spark a world conflagration. Fehr, the happy go "bier prosting" hedonist, sometimes could not avoid thinking about the unthinkable during periods of crisis and especially later in October 1962 at the scariest part of the cold war. If Zweibrücken were to survive a conventional bombing or even a nuclear attack, how long would it take for Russian troops to arrive? What would his orders be if he lived? How chaotic would it be? Could he blend into the population to be a guerrilla fighter? The grim conclusion -Trink, trink Brüderlein, trink! -probably not. |
Today was a beautiful day; it's been very nice lately. I even got a little sunburned. I guess I'll go look for Brig and see if he wants to go along to Heidelburg.
16 June 1962
My residence is once again the Kaserne (barracks), because even the $17 is too much a strain on my monthly budget. Perhaps in August or November I'll be able to afford living on the economy again. You see, in August I should notice an increase in pay of about $40/month. Longevity will kick in and my advance pay should be taken care of. No, my address wouldn't change regardless of whether I lived on or off base.
I wish you could see a beer tent. They have a regular carnival surrounding the beer tent, and that tent holds about, well, quite a few thousand people. In order to hear the band (12 piece), you must be in the front section. You must plan 15 minutes ahead of time if you have to go to the head. Everybody is happy and singing and prosting (toasting) and having a ball. People stand on the table tops arm in arm and swing back n forth with the music. It's about the only place you can leave a beer fart and nobody knows it, or whose it was, or cares. I read this paragraph to Brig and he said it's a good description.
I was elected to the board of governors for the enlisted men's club. I also met a girl in the beer tent that I've been dating lately. She's rather nice, and I hope to continue the friendship.
28 June 1962
I am going up to Amsterdam on the 21 of July for 3 days. Brig and I are looking forward to the trip. We have our passes tentatively approved.
I'm really coming along fine with my girl in Zweibrucken. She only speaks German, so I am learning Deutsch a lot faster. I take her out several times a week, and end up at her house for an evening snack. The first time I was there, her mother poured me a cola, and my girl said I only drink beer. So, over my protests, [Let's protect her identity and call her Gretchen.] Gretchen (my Schatz) [ "my treasure."] was sent out for a liter of Parkbräu for me. Ever since, they always have a couple bottles handy to wash down all the chow they put out for me. I actually feel like one of the family.
Did you ever eat European style? One holds the fork in the left hand and knife in the right hand (like us), but they don't shift hands to put the food in their mouths. At first it's as bad as eating with chop sticks, but now it's the only way I eat. A sandwich here is a piece of bread (tasty) on a plate, and then you pile the butter and so forth on top. Next you grab your knife and fork and commence eating in the aforementioned style.
The weather had been very nice; I have been swimming several times, and have a little tan. I was afraid to go swimming because I thought I'd lose my girl because of my Herculean physique. I decided that was the wrong attitude and am glad I did go swimming. She sure fills out her bathing suit. Her mother wanted to get her a bikini but she wouldn't wear one. I don't care, I guess she gets too many looks from the guys anyway. When I date her I don't spend as much money as when I'm with the guys.
16 July 1962
I'm real happy to hear John [Tobias] made Dean's List. I'll have to write to him soon. I would like to see him again. I intend to take German after this second class test is finished.
I screwed up again. I hadn't checked my oil lately and the engine burned up. That's a hard way to learn to check the oil. Brig said he'll split the cost with me, [What a guy! A real buddy!] so it'll be about $23 apiece for another used engine. [AG3 Fehr got to know one scruffy man of few words quite well, an indispensable blue-collar German mechanic. His name was Zeb and he ran a junkyard/garage low-key sort of operation. The AG3 learned all sorts of German words for automotive parts, such as clutch, engine, dingsbums (thingamajig), und so weiter and so forth.]
I don't know why you feel sorry for me. I'm having a ball. The women are beautiful; the bier is unsurpassable; and the food is delicious and cheap. I have pretty much free time, and although I don't think so, I usually have enough money. There is always something going on or something to do. The wine fests soon start and the beer tents go all summer. Then the October Fest begins, and God only knows what else goes on.
Joe Purcell [The human emergency brake and boogie-woogie piano player. On one occasion, broad-shouldered Joe was vital in getting the '53 VW down the mountain and to the refuge of Zeb's garage to repair the brakes. Although a more circuitous, gentler-sloped route was taken off the Kreuzberg mountain, the VW eventually had to come to a Halt sign somewhere down-gradient - at the intersection of a main highway. Those old VWs couldn't gear down all the way to first, i.e. were only synchronized down to second gear. Joe volunteered to jump out as the vehicle slowed down in second gear and then threw a body block into the right front fender giving way a few short, choppy steps until he was able to bring it to a halt.
Joe also loved to play boogie-woogie on the piano and threw all his unbounded energy into it whenever a Gasthaus was discovered with a piano, tuned, or not. The Germans loved boogie-woogie and sent all the bier the party of Ami's could consume as long as Joe tickled the ivories! Joe's entourage kept mental notes of the Gasthäuser (plural, for Gasthaus) that harbored a piano.] goes home 07 August and he promised to drop in.