REMEMBERING. . . . .

REMEMBERING THE GERMANY EXPERIENCE

I love it when a grandchild asks questions.   It is gratifying when they see beyond their personal orbit and connect you with history. My granddaughter Kim is the catalyst for this next series of stories I am posting on my blog.

 I was married at the beginning of World War 2 (1942).   My husband had applied for and received a commission in the US Naval Reserve. His service covered the  war years 1943/1945. After discharge he attended Denver University on the GI Bill intending to teach school, but became disenchanted, and re-enlisted for another tour of duty.  He was  posted to Headquarters USAFE in 1951 and we spent two years in Wiesbaden, Germany.

We had two children, Mike 8, and Patsy 4, when we embarked on this new adventure. This was a very exciting time for me and I began to write long letters home describing our experiences in this strangely fascinating place.
Luckily, my mother-in-law was a 'saver' and she kept all my letters.  When we arrived back home she presented me with a bundle of my own writings, tied up with ribbons.
   I kept them safely stored until I reached a point in my life when I had the time and the inclination to transcribe the letters into a readable document.  
This finally happened some years later,  after we retired and  moved to Carson City. We had  upgraded our computer from my husband's antique Apple to a new Gateway with a word processor that I could manage.
The result was a series of stories that I  compiled into a booklet that I entitled: THE DEAR HEARTS CHRONICLES.    
The reason for the 'dear hearts' was that in writing letters home I had to include both our families and make duplicate copies, and the greeting covered everybody!

I plan to post excerpts from these writings on my blog, with the hope that readers might find my stories of interest.   We were in Germany during the Occupation years. The war was over, but cities were demolished from the bombings, and the people crushed in spirit.
 The US sent forces over for reclamation and reconstruction and to help the German people recover and restore their economy.  The US had a program that provided housing and schools for the American contingent, plus maid and houseman services.
  The restoration on our quarters in Wiesbaden was not complete, so we were assigned temporary housing in the Munich area, in a little Bavarian village.  It was a picture-book place and we were delighted with it, and with the two 'servants'; our maid Lisl, and the jolly houseman, Alfons.  We lived in Bavaria for 3 months.
Stay tuned for more stories.
B. Owen