Alfeld-Augsburg-Bad Aibling-Bahrdorf-Bamburg-Baumholder-Bebra-Berlin-Bremen-Coburg-Frankfurt-Fulda-Giebelstadt-Giessen-Hammelburg-Heidwinkel-Heilbronn-Herzogenaurach-Hof-Kassel-Königslutter-Linz-Mahring-Malmsheim-Mannheim-Memmingen-Munich-Mt. Meissner-Nottau-Nürnberg-Oberursel-Offenbach-Passau-Rothwesten-Sontra-Salzburg-Scheyern-Vienna-Wasserkuppe-Weiden-Wels

 Way back on that fateful day in 1995, while attending the last Charleston, South Carolina, reunion, yours truly, Ralph R. Thadeus (Scheyern 53-56), made that unforgivable Army mistake of volunteering.   Little did I know that the simple statement “my neighborhood in St. Louis has a Best Western hotel and also a good German restaurant within a reasonable distance”, would lead to almost ten years of heavy involvement in this reunion group.   It’s been fun - - - - but!   The but part is that what once gave me great joy has now turned into a chore - a “job” if you will.   I have come to the conclusion that it is now time for me to sit back and enjoy my retirement.

I have a lot of good work to look back on.   When I made our first mailing for the St. Louis reunion, the hotel sent out 299 letters to the mailing list passed on from Bill Case. About 50 of them were returned leaving us with a net distribution of about 250 names.   Today our mailing list stands at over 900.   I started out our checking account with my donation of $25 and got $300 from Bill a few months later.   Today we can justifiably say that we are in decent financial shape.   One of my proudest achievements was the introduction of our semi-regular newsletter, The ASA Interceptor.   I put us on to the Internet and our web site, since it’s inception, has gotten over 10,000 “hits”.   Letters and e-mails coming in and going out are more than enough to fill a three-inch binder every year.

All of this takes an enormous amount of time and effort that I am no longer willing to assume.   So, back in October of 2003 I notified the other Board Members, Jim Natividad and Mike Issel, that I would continue to handle everything through the conclusion of the Florida reunion but once I have reconciled the reunion finances, that would be it.   Unfortunately, at the Melbourne reunion, there were no volunteers to take over this newsletter or to host the next reunion.   By default, I am still stuck with the same things I was doing as before.   But things must change.   Information and news about the reunion group will now go out in e-mail format.   This includes all further information about the upcoming reunion in Charleston.   If you are already on the e-mail list, fine.   If you are not sure send your name and e-mail address to alpiners@att.net.

The purpose of starting the ASA Interceptor newsletter was to foster a unity of the German/Austrian ASAers, regardless of duty station, and thereby have a decent sized reunion - something in the range of 50 members and their spouses.   With a mailing of about 900 for the Melbourne reunion, a turnout of only 32 members (including one from the 116 th SRIC of WW-2 and a Chitose member) was disappointing.   So, the purpose of the newsletter is not being met and the time and effort to put it together, get it printed, paste the labels and stamps on and lug it to the post office, is not worth it.

I urge all of you to give us your e-mail address.   If you are not personally on the Internet, try to see if your kids or grandkids would accept e-mail for you.   All such e-mail will have a subject of “ASA Alpiners update.”   If all else fails, we will make a small mailing to supporting members only relating to reunion matters.   A supporting member is one who has attended one of the last two reunions or has made a minimum $10 donation to cover the time frame since the Minneapolis reunion.   Check your mailing label on this newsletter.   If there is an asterisk (*) behind your name then you are a supporting member.   If there are two asterisks (**) behind your name, you are a supporting member and we have you on our e-mail list.   If you are not a supporting member you will not receive any further mailings.   Our objective is to get as much information as possible out to our supporting members by the way of e-mail.  

RETURNED MAIL

 The following individuals have been deleted from the mailing list because of returned mail.   If you know how to contact these individuals, please do so and let them know that they are no longer on our mailing list.   If they wish to be informed of our reunion plans, they must contact Ralph Thadeus with their current address.

 Supporting Members:   Jack B. Lower*, Bowie, MD; Joseph S. Prushinski*, Nanticoke, PA;

116th Signal Radio Intelligence Co. Veterans: Alvin Noulett, Garland, TX;  

Mailing List Members: James Moynihan, Rockland, MA; Louis Farkas, Jr., McKeesport, PA; William Kelly, Huntsville, AL; Rouse Todd, Annapolis, MD; Nickey P. Achee, Jr., Archer, FL;  

ASMN

Col. John Yurich* (Scheyern 47-48) dropped us a note saying how much he appreciated the newsletter.   John was last at our Pittsburgh reunion. Although he could not attend the Melbourne reunion due to medical reasons, he sends his regards to those guys he served with and reminds them that he was the skinny T/5 in the Orderly Room.

Hof Veterans: There is another reunion group composed of members that served in Hof, regardless of unit.   Includes Air Force RSM, ASA, any and all other American and German units stationed at Kingsley Kaserne in Hof/ Saale, Bavaria.   Their web site is at http://www.hofreunion.com

Joseph (Ret) Ratkowski* (Frankfurt/Scheyern 48-50 Rothwesten 65-66) dropped us a note mentioning the article about the 3250 th SSC.   It seems that Ret’s brother, who recently passed away, was with the 97 th Infantry Division during the war.   Ret retired in 1966 with 21 years service in the ASA.

Frank Morris* (Scheyern 49-53) writes: “Captain Jenkins, CO of Scheyern, was told to send a team to Bad Aibling to rehab the post for the 325 th (Comm Recon) to occupy.   I was told to go to Bad Aibling with Sgt. Shulty and Jim Natividad.   The post was in bad condition (with) no kitchen (or) mess hall facilities.   I hired construction and painters, electricians, plumbers out of Bad Tolz and Frankfurt to do the work.   One of the difficult jobs was to find kitchen equipment and heating stoves.   Well we spend about a month (there).   The job was completed in good time and the 325 th CRC arrived on time, as scheduled.   After briefing the staff, we return home.   Scheyern (116th/8608) was the first (ASA) troops at Bad Aibling.   I suppose a survey team had been there before.”

Pat Ulmen* (Scheyern 52-55) and his wife Patricia made their eighth trip to the Annual International Barbershop Quartet Singing Competition held in Louisville, KY, June 28 th to July 3 rd.   Pat’s group competed on July 3 rd but, unfortunately, did not make the scoring improvements they had strived so hard to achieve.   Pat reports that their contest performance was the best ever from a stage presence and personal involvement perspective but small errors in singing quality and synchronization were clear to the judges and resulted in their quartet ending up near the end of the pack.   Never one to let something like that to get them down, “The Pats” put on 3000 miles traveling to see friends and children before returning to their home in New Hampshire. In a later update, Pat mentioned that his quartet, the Granite Statesmen won the Northeastern District chorus championship, this past September, for the sixth straight year, and will therefore be competing at next year’s annual International Competition - which will be the second week in July, 2005, at Salt Lake City.   This will be a chance for you “ Salters” to catch up with Pat and maybe hoist a few.

Joe Strock* ( Wels 54-55, Bad Aibling/ Nottau 55-56) sent us a note that a small group of ex- ASAers and wives gathered once again in Reading, PA to visit and break bread, over the weekend of November 6 th and 7 th.   Besides Joe and his wife Millie, attending were Pat McFerren* (Scheyern/ Wels/Bad Aibling 52-56) and his wife Gloria, Bill Staats* ( Wels 53-55) and his wife Blanche, Merrill Schaeffer* (Scheyern 55-57) and his wife Linda, Eugene Varell* (Scheyern 49/Wels 49-52) and his wife Ely, and, also Karen Hoshour, widow of Jed Hoshour* (Bad Aibling 58-60).   They hope to meet again in the Spring of 2005.

Frankfurt Reunion Group: Roger Motsinger has planned a reunion for all who served in Frankfurt during the 1958-1965 period.   It is scheduled for September 16-18, 2005, during the Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati, in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area.   You can contact Roger at 17 Bailey Ave., Clinton, IL 61727 or by e-mail to rjmot@msn.com or John Greene at johngreene@insightbb.com.

FASAF will hold their annual reunion in Saint Petersburg, Florida, from April 29 th to May 1 st, 2005.   Their host hotel will be the Hilton St. Petersburg.   If interested in attending, drop them a note at: FASAF’05, PO Box 55221, St. Petersburg, FL 33732-5221.   They will contact you with further details.

TAPS

 Ciro J. Palermo* (Scheyern/ Trieste 50-52) passed away on March 24, 2004, as reported by his son Mike.   Ciro had bypass surgery on March 2 nd and was progressing well, but on March 22 nd he was readmitted to the hospital after showing signs of an infection.   By March 24 th he was responding well to the antibiotics when, during a visit from his wife Rita and his son Mike, Ciro experienced a serious arrhythmia that he could not overcome.   During the period of aggressive resuscitation efforts, Mike was able to contact all of the family members who were there, with Ciro, when he expired.   In his message to the group Mike mentioned that Ciro had purchased a new car last summer in anticipation of driving down to Melbourne to attend our May reunion. Mike also mentioned that the VFW performed a service for Ciro and that the playing of “taps” was one of the family’s most meaningful moments.

 Robert L. Frantz* (Scheyern/ Heilbronn/ Fulda/ Ansbach 48-52) passed away on July 14, 2003, as reported by Robert F. Evans* (Scheyern/ Kassel 55-57).   Frantz was an avid fisherman, camper and world traveler and had a great appreciation for the German culture.   He is survived by his wife Rita Ann, two daughters and seven grandchildren.

Donald R. Upton (Bad Aibling 62-64) passed away on February 19, 2004, as reported by his wife Linda.   Linda mentioned how especially sad it was because they were newlyweds when they came to Bad Aibling and would have loved to go to the festival and to see the place one last time.

LtC John A. Keating (USA Ret) ( Heilbronn/ Bamberg 52-55) passed away on November 17, 2003, as reported by his wife Gladys.   John had been hospitalized eight weeks prior to his death for a heart attack and then renal failure.   He was 85 years old at the time of his passing and his death occurred the day before his and Glady’s 53 rd Wedding Anniversary.

Norris Crary (No unit or dates on record) passed away on February 27, 2004, at home and in his sleep.   He had a stroke in 2000 and was diagnosed with cancer of the lungs in 2002.   He underwent Chemo but to no avail.   He leaves a wife, three sons and six grandchildren.   Notification was received by way of a returned reunion Reservation Request, unsigned.

Douglas R. Crawford, Sr.* (Scheyern 52-54) passed away on May 14, 2003, as reported by his wife Shirley.   Douglas passed away after a long struggle with heart disease.   He was 74 at the time of his passing.   He leaves his wife Shirley, one son and three grandchildren.

Theodore F. (Ted) Plossl ( Wels/Bad Aibling/ Nottau 54-56) passed away unexpectedly April 3, 2004, as reported by Joe Strock* ( Wels/Bad Aibling/ Nottau 54-56).   Ted was 72 at the time of his passing and is survived by his wife Jane, two sons, one daughter and two grandchildren.

Earl (Rocky) Sulflow (Herzo/ Coburg/ Hof/ Giessen 51-52) passed away on May 4, 2004, as reported by Len Bittner* (Herzo/ Coburg/ Giessen/ Hammelburg/ Hof 50-52).   Rocky served in various other ASA units and retired from the military.   He passed away in Reno, NV.

John R. Aglietti ( Aggie) (Scheyern 54-56) passed away on August 17, 1979, as reported by Jess James to Burt Slesinger’s E-Mail newsletter.   Jess mentioned that Aggie was a former NCO with Detachment V but we knew Aggie as the best damned search operator on Scheyern C-Trick, after he got booted out of Asmara.   There are many stories that the Scheyern guys who served with Aggie could tell, but let it suffice to say the drunk or sober Aggie could fish out a signal that others couldn’t hear, and copy 5-7 groups behind while he lighted up a cigarette.   We’ve been looking for Aggie these many years but this is the first definitive report that we’ve had of his passing.   Aggie is buried at the Calverton National Cemetery, Calverton, NY. .

Robert R. Thadeus (835 th Signal Service Bn. - CBI - WW2) passed away on June 16, 2004, as reported by his brother Ralph R. Thadeus* (Scheyern 53-56).   He is survived by his wife Mavis, sister Elsie R. Jewell, 12 children, 22 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.

Daniel E. Barczykowski* (Scheyern) passed away on July 15, 2004, from cancer, as reported by Mary Barczykowski.   Dan last attended the 1995 Charleston reunion.   Dan lived in Ft. Pierce, Florida, since 1959 where his wife still resides.   No further details are available.

Clarence D. (Sandy) Sandberg* (Scheyern/ Memmingen 53-54) passed away on July 4, 2004, as reported by Ted Atkinson* (Scheyern/ Memmingen 53-55).   Sandy and his wife Brigitta last attended the Minneapolis reunion.

Ron Nattress* (Scheyern 55-57) passed away on July 18, 2004, as reported by Merrill Schaeffer* (Scheyern 55-57).   Schaef had lunch with Ron about five weeks before his passing and became aware that Ron was very sick with cancer.   Ron last attended the St. Louis reunion.

Jed A. Hoshour* (Bad Aibling 58-60) passed away on July 27, 2004, as reported by his wife Karen.   In mid-July Jed was taken to the hospital with pneumonia. A cat scan discovered a huge mass in his chest area and modules on his lymph glands.   This was caused by CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia.)   Medications were not effective and on the 26 th Karen was advised that Jed would not survive.   Karen stayed with Jed until the end and was glad that she was able to tell him goodbye.   Jed and Karen were at our last reunion in Melbourne, Florida.

Dean Riggins* (Scheyern 48-52) passed away on August 31, 2004, as reported to Jim Natividad* (Scheyern 47-54) by Dean’s wife, Dolores.   Jim had an opportunity to talk to Dean before his passing and at that time he (Dean) was fighting the “big C.”   Dean and Dolores attended dinner with Ralph and Eda Thadeus, Bernard and Annaliese Heberle, and, Sylvia and Duane Vincent in Vancouver, Washington, during the summer of 2003 during Ralph and Eda’s western trip.

Dewey Pickleseimer (Bad Aibling) passed away in February 2004 as reported by his wife to Harold Schiffer(Bad Aibling 62-64.)   In his e-mail, Harold mentions that Dewey was a cook/baker at BA, spent many years in the military and was from Old Kentucky.  

Warren Augustine Noble, Jr. (Bad Aibling 60's - ASA Lifer) passed away on July 24, 2002 as reported by Ken Mancil(Bad Aibling 62-65).   Noble was active in the Friends of the ASA in Florida (FASAF) and hosted their 2002 reunion in Fort Myers.  

FRANKFURT TOUR 2004

By John C. Greene (Frankfurt 60-62)

Eighteen (18) ASAers and spouses met in the Fall of 2004 for a wonderful reunion and Rhine Valley tour in the Frankfurt, Germany area. The group arrived in Frankfurt on September 13th and ended the week long reunion‑tour together on September 18, 2004. The ASAers group was part of a Globus Tour that stayed together at the Rhinefels Castle & Villa in St. Goar, Germany, about 60 miles Northwest of Frankfurt and which included ASAers who were stationed in Germany between 1955 and 1964.

ASAers included: Jim Nardella and wife Pattie ( Clochester, CT), Ralph Christ and wife Cheryl (Akron, OH), John Greene and wife Joie (Lexington, KY), Bill Rudderow and wife Gwen (West Palm Beach, FL), Joe Tovarek and wife Ellen (Oak Park, IL), Jim Barber* and wife Jackie (Montgomery , AL), Jack Barnes and wife Virginia ( Bardstown, KY) and Larry Paff and wife Judi (Cincinnati, OH).

All of us had the Gutleut Kaserne in common and the majority of us worked at the I. G. Farben Building sometime between 1960 ­and 1963. ASAerJim Barber*, who was stationed as an ASAer in Bamberg (54-56), toured with us before and he and Jackie continued on to Bamberg for more of their own ASA memories.

Bill and Gwen Rudderow arrived in Frankfurt a few days before the rest of us, and he renewed his memories of Frankfurt by walking everywhere in the city.   Bill wrote that he couldn't believe how the city of Frankfurt had grown since the early 60's when most of us were stationed at the Gutleut Kaserne. "Sky scrapers now fill the downtown horizon and there is a huge subway system and a shopping area under the street in front of the Hauptbahnhof."

On the tour's "at leisure" day our group of ASAers and spouses hired a private charter bus that took us into Frankfurt for our own ASAE tour of where we lived, played and worked as ASAers. Our first stop was at the former I. G. Farben building. It is now a part of the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität.   The University's head librarian gave us a personal tour including a visit to the Eisenhower Room and areas of the building where many of us had worked. The communication center which was located in the park near the Farben Building no longer exists. The area is now planted with trees and flowers. Inside the Farben building we all rode the paternosters which are still in operation and the wood elevator "boxes" are as beautiful as we remembered them in the late '50's and early 60's.

In downtown Frankfurt we had lunch across Gutleutstrasse from our former Kaserne in the small comer Gasthaus that was known to many ASAers as either "George's” or “Dutch Mike's". We walked in and around the former Kaserne and then made our next stop at the Romerberg Square/city hall and the Gothic Cathedral in old Frankfurt. Some of us walked across the Iron Bridge to have apple wine and a wonderful German dinner in Sachsenhausen, very near the Henniger Brewery Tower. Many beer barges are still located on the river as they were in our Army days. The Stadium (public pool), where many of us went swimming and girl watching, is still in operation. Kaiserstrasse is still lively, but not a place to tour these days by a bunch of old ASAers. Our “memories day” in Frankfurt was a good day for all of us and a great experience after 40 plus years.

The Globus Tour also took us to Cologne where we toured the old cathedral.   Then to Heidelberg and the old castle where we had lunch at the 300 year old Red Ox, where many of us spent a lot of time in the 60's. Early in the tour we took a half‑day river cruise up and down the Rhine River and had dinner and a great view of the Rhine River Valley from atop the   Lorelei.

Some of us met for a couple hours with former ASAer (1955‑56) Al Meek and wife, Jo Anne from Lynnville, TN.   They had flown in from the States on a military hop for their own tour of the Rhine River Valley.

BEER BREWING MONKS BATTLE OVER MONASTERY'S FUTURE

(Editor: The following was sent to us a while back by Dennis Bennett (Scheyern/Bad Aibling 57-62) from the Deutsche Welle web site.   We thought that   you might want to know how bad things are getting back in Germany)

A power struggle at a monastery famous for producing beer is getting ugly. The future direction of the cloister is at issue: should the monks continue on a market oriented path or return to a traditional life?

Among beer aficionados for whom the consumption of beer is a near religious like experience, the Andechs monastery, located in the mountains of Bavaria a half an hour's drive from Munich, is an important pilgrimage sight.

Here, 23 monks oversee the production of seven famous varieties of much‑loved beer, all sold under the monastery's Andechs label. Sold around the world, its success has spawned numerous other businesses, including restaurants.

Now a power struggle between two high‑ranking members of the order has pitted one monk against the other in a battle over the monastery's future. At the heart of the issue is whether the monks and the monastery should focus more on a traditional life of quiet reflection and less on profit‑driven business ventures.

Brother against brother

Abbot Johannes Eckert, the recently‑elected head of the St. Bonifaz monastery in Munich which the Andechs is subordinate to, has a conservative opinion on the matter, while the prior of Andechs, Anselm Bilgri, the business‑savvy monk largely credited with the monastery's success, has another. Jürgen Schott, the business manager of Andechs' Culture and Events GmbH, has been caught in the crossfire.

Tensions flared a little over a year ago when Father Eckert was unexpectedly elected to the top position at St. Bonifaz, beating out the older Bilgri, who many thought was next in line. Taken aback, Bilgri retreated for a sabbatical year to reflect..

But that has not prevented the battle from raging on in his absence. Recently, Schott, Bilgri's confidant and supporter who organizes the monastery's summer culture festival, has been barred from the premises following accusations that he fraudulently misused the monastery's funds to pay for, among other things, a trip to Mallorca.

Monks In Mallorca

Schott has vehemently denied the allegations and submitted an action for an injunction, appealing to the regional courts to rule on the lawfulness of the ban and grant him access to the monastery. About the trip to Mallorca, he says it was for business and approved by Bilgri.

The Third Civil Division of the Munich State Court ruled against Schott on a technicality: the monastery‑related business venture, Culture and Events GmbH, which Schott led, did not have a rental agreement with the monastery, and, thus, he had no right to continue to work on the grounds. But that, obviously, presents a problem for Schott, since the summer festival which he organizes as head of the division, takes place there.

But by pushing out the likes of Bilgri and company, Father Eckert is hoping to inspire a generation of monks to return to a more conventional life, one based more on religious reflection and less on the bottom line.

“I want to leave, Andechs has lost its meaning to me,” said Schott after the ruling.   “The monastery no longer provides me with inspiration.”

The battle of the monks, as the German tabloids have dubbed the conflict, could have far reaching implications for fans of Andechs' special brew.

CONTACT INFORMATION

All Charleston Reunion or reunion group information or requests should be sent to Jim Natividad at natividad1374@yahoo.com, or 843-871-5448, or 502 Dogwood Circle, Summerville, SC 29485-5717.

Items for publication, address changes or e-mail updates should be sent to Ralph R. Thadeus at alpiners@att.net, or 107 West Pine Place, St. Louis, MO 63108-2111