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The E-Mail Newsletter of the Army Security Agency Alpiners Reunion Group
Serving veterans of the SIS, ASA and INSCOM who were stationed in Germany or Austria
Volume 4 – Number 7
August 1, 2008
Ralph R, Thadeus, Editor
(Scheyern 53-56)
E-Mail Us
ASA ALPINERS REUNION UPDATE: St. Louis, October 2-4, 2008
The logistics for the reunion have been firmed up based on the results of the returned Planning Profiles. If you are now planning on attending the reunion, and DID NOT send in a Planning Profile, please contact me by e-mail (or telephone to me at 314-367-9577) so there are no major glitches. Seating reservations at the opening of the Oktoberfest and all bus transportation needs were based on the returned Planning Profiles and are pretty much now locked in place.
The Reservation Requests will be mailed out shortly, under a separate e-mail.
ASMN
Supporting member Charles G. “Chuck” Bowen (BA/Hof/Bindlach/Coburg/Bamberg 52-54) writes that his brother, Capt. Paul F. Bowen (now deceased) flew 76 missions in the Berlin Air Lift in an old “goonie bird” and it was his fondest memory. His brother was always proud of this time in his life. He had flown 14 missions over Europe during the war, from England, but the “raisin bomber” flights to Berlin were the highlight of his military career.
Chuck added that he thinks we all should make one last trip together to Germany as we are all getting up there in years now and we all contributed so much to the changing of German history during our stints in the country. Chuck added that he thinks we owe it to ourselves.
Editor: Eda and I may be spending a couple of months back in Europe next year. Nothing firm yet but will probably schedule our time to hit both the Pfaff Volksfest and the Munich Oktoberfest – probably August/September-ish.
Munich celebrates its 850th birthday In 2008, Munich will be hosting a great summer of festivals: the Bavarian capital will be turning 850 and this will be celebrated extensively. For a European city, 850 years is not really very old. What is astonishing, however, is that the town was able to evolve from a monastery to an attractive hub of culture and high-tech of European proportions. Over time, Munich has maintained its much-praised flair as a place with a zest for life combined with its openness to the avant-garde and progress.
The motto of the birthday is “Building bridges” and it aims to connect the founding of the city with today’s lively, colorful and yet tradition-oriented urban culture. Munich’s foundation goes back to Henry the Lion, who, in 1158, destroyed the Isar bridge on the old salt road, which lay somewhat to the north at the time. He then built a new bridge near “Munichen.” The city received market and minting rights in this context, which set the cornerstone for undreamt of growth into a city of over a million inhabitants.
Munich likes to celebrate. For its 850th birthday, it will enjoy three major events:
- June 14-15, 2008 City foundation festival: (Editor: Damn – this was too good to miss)
This traditional festival will take place in an expanded form with 10 000 performers in traditional costume. Artists and groups of all kinds will show the diversity of the town's cultural life.
- July 19-20, 2008 Old Town Ring Road festival:
A theatrical, musical and playful journey in time through the city's past and present on the Old Town Ring Road
- August 1-3, 2008 Isar Bridge festival:
A romantic festival on the bridge with a light installation, music under the bridge, dancing on the riverbanks, reflections on the water.
Throughout the summer, especially on weekends, visitors can enjoy theater, cabaret, concerts, exhibitions, lectures, tours, information markets and lots more in the city’s various districts. The events will be created and presented by a wide range of associations, initiatives, institution and artists. Further information about the birthday celebrations can be had by visiting the web site http://www.muenchen.de/Tourismus/6942/index.html
And the Maier Gustl saga continues. Fred Camphausen (Straubing/Bamberg 53-54) recalls that is was the Odeon with the telephones. Ray Lash (Scheyern 53-57) , Jamie Johnson (Scheyern 53-55) and Bill Schmidt (Frankfurt 51-53) all put their vote in for the Trocadero. Bill adds that there was also a pretty wild place called Lippmann‟s in Frankfurt.
Al Hayes (Giessen/Köenigslutter 53-55) says that both the Trorcadero and the Moulin Rouge had phones on the tables.
Continuing with the tisch telefons my good friend Jack Wood (Scheyern 54-56) wrote about his first encounter with them. When Jack arrived in Frankfurt (December 54) a gang of them went out and wound up at Maier Gustl‟s. It was there he had his first German beer – a potent brand called Bulli Bach (Sp?). Jack said he thinks he had two of them – probably one more than necessary. The bottles came with a tag around the neck with a little wax bulldog‟s head attached. (Editor: Remember the white elephants around the Mampi Cognac bottles?) Jack thinks he had saved a few of them but over the years they must have been lost.
Jack continued that he is inclined to go with the Trocadero for the tisch telefon place. “I tried my luck with one, one night at the Troc in Frankfurt. The response on the other end was something like „Sorry, wrong number. Oh well, back to the drawing board. But, strolling through Munich one fine day, I recall seeing a place called Trocadero. I was kind of amazed to discover that there was more than one of them.
Jack concluded his e-mail saying “While the Bulli Bach tags have been lost, I still have my Bierdeckel collection – 44 of them mounted on an old piece of plywood I found on the beach. (Hey Woody – got a few of them myself. Favorites are all from of our old haunts: Urbanus Brauhaus, Klosterbrauerei Scheyern and the Müllerbräu)
Someone sent me an e-mail saying that they, and a non-mailing list friend, were going to attend the reunion. Somehow the e-mail got gobbled up by my PC and for the life of me I can not remember who it was. They had NOT sent in a Planning Profile so I now have some logistics problems. If you were the one, please contact me so we can work things out.
Ed Clary [Not Cleary] (Herzo 68-69) points out that the Berlin Olympics were in 1936 and not in 1938 as published in the last newsletter. Take note Big Z.
Jim Pettit (Scheyern/Kassel 55-57) writes “Your courier story reminded me of my first of many trips. Nobody really wanted it so it usually went to those low on the totem pole like me. It was done by the trick on mids after everything from the day before was wrapped and packed. The destination was Nuremberg. I was looking forward to catching a few winds during the 75 or so miles out because I was driving back and it was already 2 a.m. We had just left the town of Scheyern and were heading for Pfaff when we came upon a bonfire in the middle of the road. The driver, whom I forget, wanted to stop, I, of course had the .45 out and told him if he stopped the shooting was going to start. He thought better of if and put the pedal to the metal. The adrenalin negated the need for a nap and there was plenty left over for the return trip. Needless to say the staff car screamed past the fire site wide open.”
NEW CONTACTS
James Ellis McCallister (Salzburg 53-55)
William R. Carpenter (Scheyern 52-54)
Tom Lamp (Bad Aibling 5/63-7/66)
LOST CONTACTS
Robert Lane (Hof/Herzo/Coburg/Hamelburg 49)
TAPS
Supporting Member CSM Dave Bontly (Bad Aibling 64-68&70-72/Augsburg 78/79/Munich 80-82/Kaiserslautern 82-85) passed away on July 9, 2009 in Melbourne, FL. We were unable to find any obituary for Dave so contacted Roy Getz, of the Chitose Group, who supplied the following:
This is what went out to the Chitose Group. Dave was a good friend as he was to many.
Many people have inquired about the circumstances of Dave Bontly's death. Dave, who was our historian and had served on the board, had made many ASA friends particularly with the Chitose Group. Dave, while not in the best of health, did not appear to have any severe problems until a couple of months ago when he started to develop extreme fatigue and weight loss. He went to the hospital at that time, for a few days, for tests, and they never really came up with a diagnosis except to take better care of his self. About a week before his death he still had the problem and his Dr. ordered some more test, the test showed his kidneys had shut down and he was admitted to the hospital again and dialysis was started and more testing conducted. At this time it was discovered he had an infection in his blood stream possibly from a dental visit and that he had 2 heart valves that had to be replaced. Open heart surgery was done and he seemed to be rallying but died on July 9th. Dave was a retired CSM and in addition to his tour at Chitose pulled 3 tours in Germany, 1 in Korea, 1 in Viet Nam and stateside at Arlington Hall and Devens.