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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 6 – Number 1
February 1, 2010
Ralph R, Thadeus, Editor
(Scheyern 53-56)
E-Mail Us
REUNION XIX – OCTOBER 14-15-16, 2010 – MYRTLE BEACH, SC
Well the dates are set and the Headquarters Hotel has been chosen so now the only things Jim Natividad has to work out are the final details. That’s his job - your job now is to start putting away your shekels, figure out your transportation there, and make up your mind that you’re going to attend.
Our Headquarters Hotel is the Landmark Resort, 1501 South Ocean Blvd., Myrtle Beach, SC 29577. As usual our block of rooms is being held under the reservation name “ASA Alpiners.” You can get a look at the hotel by going to their web site at: http://www.landmarkresort.com.
As time progresses, we’ll add more details about the plans for the reunion.
If anyone out there would like to post the reunion in the VFW or Legion magazines, let me know.
ASMN
Speaking of reunions – it’s been a long time since we traveled west, so the Board will entertain any suggestions about having the 2011 reunion on the WEST COAST. If there is anyone interested in being the reunion coordinator for a 2011 west coast site, get in touch with any one of the board members: Jim Natividad, Ray Lash or myself.
Supporting Member Ted Atkinson (Scheyern/Memmingen 53-55) has some thoughts about his time in Germany, he writes: “In reading the memories of others, it brought back a few memories of my own. Ninety nine percent of my time in Germany was spent in Memmingen (1953-1955). At that time we were living in a residential house with a great German cook and a lovely German Putzfrau, and at one time nine dogs. We had beer delivered to the house weekly from a local brewery. I used to write to my Dad telling him not to begrudge his taxes, I was enjoying every penny. Our site was on a bombed out airstrip. We had five movies a week sent to us which the German girls liked to come to see. Needless to say many of us married German girls. (Yours truly included) We had a "deuce and a half" and a "three quarter" at our disposal to travel back and forth to the site as well as to buy groceries and to pick up other "necessities" from town. We were the only GI's in town with the exception of some CIA personnel.
One night while bringing girls back home in the front of the deuce, I noticed I was being followed by a MP jeep. Knowing the town better than the jeep driver I was able to turn off my lights and by making a few illegal turns was able to loose him. A few weeks later I received a phone call from a friend from back home who was stationed in Ulm asking if he could come for
a weekend visit. While visiting he told me the story of being on duty as a MP and losing a deuce in town. He has since passed away never hearing the rest of the story.
Memmingen was a popular place to visit. One sergeant came looking to buy a car. After buying the car he found it could not pass inspection due to lack of safety glass. Rather than having to replace all of the glass in the car he was told by a German where he could go to have the safety glass certification stamped on the glass. After having the glass hand stamped with acid the car passed inspection a half hour later.
My future wife Gabriele had applied for her immigration visa in 1951, sponsored by her oldest sister and her husband who were already in the States. She came to America in 1954 and worked in Knoxville Tennessee for a year. I was discharged in 1955 and we were married in my hometown, Newburyport, MA, a beautiful city near the Atlantic Ocean. Marrying a German national has provided me 55 years of happiness.
On our many trips back to Germany and Memmingen we found ourselves honored by city officials at festivals. Germans still appreciate our efforts after World War II.
Our thanks to Bill, Jim, Ralph, Ray and all those that have made the past reunions possible. (And those to come also.) We enjoy the opportunities to see friends of 55 years and to meet new ones.”
E. Harold Schiffer (Bad Aibling 62-64) tells us the following story about clearances and other good stuff at BA: “The person in charge of pulling clearances at Bad Aibling was a Captain who during those unpleasant duties was involved with a Foreign National from Eastern Europe. I know because I would often see them together in some of the Gast Houses, dance Halls, etc. in town and surrounding areas. I would speak German with his girlfriend. I guess he treated me well because I could spill the beans. I thought about that, but he treated me well since the day he arrived at Bad Aibling from the States. I saw no harm in what he was doing or any harm in what the others were doing as well.
I would also imagine that he was discreet with what he discussed with her and she probably did not have any relatives who were in the East.
In as much as it was common knowledge that I spoke German and was dating a few fräuleins, no one ever bothered me about it. What secrets could I give up? I often said if I was captured and told them I was a cook, they would beat the crap out of me for lying.
I was a US cook, from Brooklyn, who also served the Midnight Chow. I had an open door policy after Midnight for all those who needed sobering up or were broke or lonely and who wished to take advantage of my hospitality, free coffee, cake, leftover food, etc.
The radio was always on, tuned to Radio Luxemburg with many of the famed Beatle songs playing during the wee hours of the morning. At times we played the Armed Forces station with Jim Ameche who was the host. He was the brother of Don Ameche.
He would start off with, "It's Midnight in Europe" and name several major European capital cities where the Armed Forces served. He would play some nice romantic tunes and the show was enjoyable.
My kindness resulted in one of Ditty Boppers stealing one of the cooked turkeys that I had prepared in anticipation of Thanksgiving Day. I think that you and several other Aiblingers have heard the story of the missing Thanksgiving turkey. It has been published in other newsletters in the past.
Due to my allowing the open house, I almost went home a Private, however cooler heads prevailed and I was allowed to be discharged as a PFC when my time was up. Many years later, Major Pete Grittis, after learning of my exploits, complemented me for supplying the Midnight guys and trick shifts with gallons of coffee. "Coffee Makes The Army Go Round" and I was happy to supply it beyond the call of duty at Bad Aibling for my fellow soldiers.
Could you please send me a hard copy of the latest newsletter? I would like to share it with an old Army Buddy who does not have email.
Happy New Year from PFC Schiffer - Bad Aibling 1962-1964 - US Cook with Top Secret Crypto Clearance
Robert (Bob) Flanagan (Bad Aibling 66-68) sent us the following: “I was delighted to read the fond remembrances in the Jan 2010 "ASA Interceptor" and found an echo in there to a personal experience.
John Wilman wrote of BA, and was spot-on, from my own memories. I was at BA only from Sep 67 to Aug 68, when I was curtailed to return to Viet Nam for my second tour. He wrote of his fondest Christmas memory (perhaps in '64-'65, though he was there also later during my own single Bavarian Christmas in '67) of walking to and through the town, and enjoying Mass and a local's hospitality.
The scene was reminiscent of one in Book II of my 3 linked novels, "The ASA Trilogy." That's because the scene derived out of personal experience. In '67 at Christmas, my family and I made precisely the same adventurous foray into Bad Aibling town. I cannot remember if it snowed that day, Christmas Eve, but the snow fall was still fresh and mostly un-tracked. My wife and our four children (the youngest a tot of 1-1\2) dug our way through the snow from the base into town. We wandered the streets, ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the competitive displays of gingerbread houses and Christmas characters displayed under bright lights or candles in every shop window in town. Several bakeries had outdone themselves, competing for what must have been a major prize -- like a liter of beer -- and the town itself was decked out in seasonal finery.
We had hot chocolate and cookies and cakes and things I would not dare eat now and well after dark started back to the base. I clearly recall: the return was not nearly as much fun as the outbound trip. The little guy had long before given up struggling with the snow and pop was carrying him; the next youngest, about four then, began whining to be carried, but that wasn't about to happen. The older two just griped. As beautiful as the town and the experience was, we were glad to pass through the gate and follow the lights in our quarter’s home.
That same season, we attended the officers New Year's party at the lodge at Herrenchiemsee. LTC Templeton, fearing the loss of personnel in drunken driving over frozen roads, had decreed that all officers must go to the party on a bus, provided by the motor pool (we paid some EM out of club funds to drive the bus and not drink). The party was a gonzo mega-hit, and the food (of course) was great and the beer, wine, and schnapps flowed with regularity. I did the un-heard of and got up to dance. Too much food, too much Liebfraumilch, too much Memphis Shuffle, and on the way home on the bus, I threw up what seemed like three days' intake into a series of party-favor hats my wife had collected to take home to the kids. Bad enough! But what was worse was that way too early on New Year's Day, I had to make the mandatory Commander's Call at the CO's house, in dress blues; and the only blues I had were those I'd worn to the party and decorated with the prime rib and Liebfraumilch. [That unwelcome memory is also embodied in Book II.]
But it was a great tour, truncated as it was.
Happy New Year to all: be well, be warm, be safe.
Robert "Bob" Flanagan, BA '67-'68, author of Involuntary Tour, Book I of The ASA Trilogy”
NEW CONTACTS
Edward Sharpei – Bad Aibling 58-60
LOST CONTACTS
Bill Chaff (Frankfurt 69-72) – bchaffgolf1(at)aol.com
TAPS
Michael W. McCuller (Rothwesten/Augsburg 71-75) passed away on January 1, 2010, as reported by Glen Caldwell (Rothwesten 61-65, Oberursel/Munich 67-69 Augsburg 71-76). Glen wrote: “I was notified of Michael "Mac" McCullers death today with a call from his wife Susan. He passed away from a heart attack at home on New Years day. Susan asked that I prepare some information about his military service that could be put in his obituary and I submitted the following: Michael McCuller served in the US Army Security Agency as an Intelligence analyst. He was first stationed overseas in Rothwesten, Germany with the 319th Army Security Agency Battalion and then with the US Army Field Station Augsburg Germany where he rose to the rank of SP5 with duties of Senior Analyst and Reporter. His military career ended when he chose to work for the military contract company Mantech where he continued developing systems for US Army Intelligence.” Glen added: “In my 20 years of SIGINT work, Mac was one of the three top intelligence analysts that I worked with. He had an uncanny ability to identify, analyze and report on significant activities that occurred behind the iron curtain. He was a good friend and will be sorely missed.”