Life must be good in Germany

Two years ago my daughter-in-law dragged my grand kids to Germany for a three year stay.
She is a civilian working for the Army. My son quit his job here in the states to follow her but he found another in Germany.

While at first I was very sad that they were moving so far away for so long I was also very happy for them. They have gotten to see many things and visit many countries while over there.

This past Christmas was hard but I got threw thinking only one more year to go and they will be moving back home.

Then I get a phone call today to tell me my daughter-in-law has gotten a promotion and is moving to a new base in Germany. My son has also found a position he can transfer to on this new base. I am thinking this is great. They are doing very well. Could not be prouder of them.
Then she drops the bomb shell. To get this new job they must sign up for another three years.

Life must be good in Germany but I sure miss them grandkids. A vacation to Germany may be in my future.

John if you don't have one get a passport and go. It's interesting and you will have a good time! Plus the grandkids need to see you!

Rick

That is what I would do. Great excuse to go traveling! If life gives you a lemon, make lemonade! Hav fun in Germany!

By all means GO! Do whatever it takes to get there.

Yes, by all means go and start making plans now. Start looking at air rates now. Sometimes you can fall into a really good deal on airfare if you can be flexible with the dates. When you plan far ahead your son and DIL will be more able to arrange time off from their jobs. Go get those tickets spoken for now!!! Jim

Get your butt over there and visit the grandkids. They need some face time with you. You are not getting any younger and it could turn into a biyear event.

I am sorry for you. I thank God every day, I have 9 grand-children and they are all within an hour and a half drive from me.

John,

I was stationed there from 1984 through 1985, would have been 1986 but saved 3 months leave and left the Army on terminal leave. When I left Ft. Hood, TX, is no way I wanted to go to Germany. When I got to Germany, I loved it. I was there when there was still a West and East Germany, and a West and East Berlin. At that time, it was 4 Duetzmarks to 1 U.S. Dollar, and since our Army (government) checks were in U.S. Dollars, we were doing pretty well over there. I had an apartment on the economy (downtown Mannheim) that I was paying $100 U.S. Dollars for each month, with our government picking up additional amounts for through COLA and something else, but I forget now. I was dating a very nice and pretty widow almost twice my age that took care of just about everything that I needed taken care of. We visted much of Europe, but not the communist countries because although I could have, like my native Poland, I would have had to surrender my top secret security clearance afterwards, and that just wasn't worth it to me, especially since I had never met or talked to any of my first generation cousins in Poland, if I had gone to visit them, I wouldn't have known if I was actually meeting them or a government plant playing them, me. The whole time all of that was going on and I was living the time of my life, on a daily basis I was reading story after story in one of our Times, Army or Air Force about law after law being written back home in America of my fellow Americans losing liberty after liberty, at the same time in Germany, they were building their angers and might to TEAR DOWN THAT WALL, which they did, after I left.

There I was in Germany, watching my fellow Americans losing rights, freedoms, and liberties, the whole time that I was watching Germans making strides to gain everything lost back home, AND as I was getting ready to leave, ETS from the Army, I had ITT courting me to stay there working for them maintaining some very sophisticated communications equipment as a GSA or GSE, "Government Service...something or other". I was going to do it too. Single American guy making major $$$ in Germany and loving it, but there was one problem. My three years of built up leave meant that I hadn't visted or seen my family in three years as well. I told ITT, they had a deal, AFTER I went back home to America to see my family. I came back home to Indiana, saw my family and friends that I hadn't seen in years and fell in love with home and them because we still had more freedoms than Germany. Do we now? After becoming so complacent and used to being lazy and fat and not having to fight or scrounge for much since most is or was available to us just by walking out the door, I don't know that we are as free anymore. Maybe we are, and maybe we aren't, but I do still have my family and friends, and no one in DC will ever take that away from me, unless its over my dead, cold body.

Much good luck to you and your family, and if you can ever get a chance to visit them, do it while they are there and can show you around. Spend a week trying to learn to speak German first, and when confronted by Germans in Germany, do your best to try and speak their language in their nation to them, and you would surprised at how well they will begin speaking English to you because they will be greatful that you will have enough respect for them to try, like me, you will no doubt butcher their language, which will be more than they can take, so they will say "En Aglaise bitte...", to which you will ask, "Vo es derbanhauf, der gasthouse, ein dopplebach, and der hot chicks?". Do it in the Summer time when you can stroll around the lakes. You will be simply amazed at the beautiful sites around the lakes, in public. Just beautiful, trust me. If you're married, don't take the wife on those strolls. Trust me on that too.

Good luck, and Happy New Year.

Mark

It must be the socialized medicine!

Mark I did my last hitch in Germany in the 90's at Mannhiem, 5/77 Armor.
While you were there I was doing a 4 year hitch in Baumholder.

3 tours in Germany and I loved most of it. I've even got a set of the border signs.



I really think he should go. He sould contact his daughter, she may be able to get him discount tickets through the SATO office or whatever they are calling it now.

Rick

Rick,

97th Signal, Coleman Baracks. Right outside of my maintenance shop was OCS (Old Coleman Stockade). Every time I was a bad boy or even thought of it, my Master Sargeant walked me over to the window, opened it and pointed, "Ahh Ski, one of these days".

I loved Germany. Miss it from time to time too.

Mark

LOL Mark, I can see a first shirt doing that! I was on Sullivan Barracks. While I was there an Infantry soldier killed a cab driver on Coleman about 100 yards from the front gate at the prison. Security cams caught it.

Rick

Nope if she is a US government employee they get to use the military medical system when serving overseas. Her kids can attend DOD schools on the base and they also get PX and commissary. Or thats they way it was before I retired in 96.


Besides the "free medical" over there wasn't all it was claimed to be and most of the Germans I knew carried additional insurance so they could get decent care.

Rick

I was in the 97th, C company 1972-74

At age 70 I got my first grandkids last year---twin boys. They live in Denver....might as well be Germany. Go see your grandkids.

Well Jerry yer just another guy that needs to take a trip!

Rick

After the spring thaw. Old joints.

John
That picture is missing one thing, that is YOU!!! get over there and get with them grandkids, am sure you are proud of family making a good living, but understand you would like them closer.

Get on over here.... Where is she going to move to???? Life IS good for civilians that were hired and moved over from the States (or other places outside germany).... DODDS Schools are rated higher than most if not all schools in the US....

Driving is safer cause they got speed and traffic light cameras :shock:

And plenty of kodak moments.....

They are in Heidelberg now and the new job is in Kaiserslautern.
The excuse I got was they are closing down Heidelberg and we need to be next to a base for the girls.
But if I read between the lines I know she just finished some classes that makes her better educated in her field; she was not happy with her last boss and or his policies; and they are having so much fun over there.

She keeps us informed about the girls threw facebook. At least once a month they are posting pictures of a new place they got to visit. So many I could not even begin to give you a list. They are going to Bruges, Belgium next weekend to visit.

I was orginally very worried but they are doing well. Their house in Maryland is rented to a nice couple and my son has found a job that lets him keep his top secret clearance. So life seems to be very well for them in Germany and I just had that feeling this was going to happen.

What I need to look into is......
I think they get a free trip home every year or so as part of the deal. They must be using this time/money to visit new places over there.

Rick;

Not only do the get the medical; PX; and DOD schools; I also think they are getting some form of BAQ or BAS which ever one is housing; and free move over there and back home.

Pretty much if the Army gets it they also get it.
The best of both worlds. Get all the perks of being in the Army oversees without the fear of being deployed.

Ah John K town is a nice area. Couple of sights to see if possible if you visit is the church in the cliff in Idar Oberstein and the Roman ruins in Trier.

If time permits you will not be too far from Bastogne.

But most important is the grand kids.

Rick

The NATO headquarters for my 97th Signal when I was there was in Heidelberg. If get there, got to do it during summer when they have the lighting of the castle. They shut the power off at night time to the entire city of Heidleberg to light the castle in red and possibly green, I don't remember. Its beautiful. And if you do a Google search for Heidelberg pictures, they will have pictures of the bombed out castle from fighting during WWII. If get a chance to tour there, tour the castle. It is sooooooooo huge.

Most importantly of all, your family in their home. Can never ever replace that.

Mark
Heidelberg Castle

John--go or it and go to Germany. Last fall i went to Frankfurt for my granddaughters christening and it was just fantastic!! So much to see over there and the people were very nice---although a bit stickler for correctness,a very disciplined society that follows the rules to the up most!