In November of 1989, I was a company commander in the U.S. Army's 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, then stationed in West Germany (BRD). The 11th ACR was headquartered in Fulda, Germany, with subordinate squadrons (battalions) in Bad Hersfeld and Bad Kissingen. We had border duty, that is, we were permanently observing the East-West German border—the regiment's primary mission during those Cold War days.

All through October, the political situation was tense. Things were changing fast, and we were caught up in the middle of them. The Iron Curtain officially opened on 9 November 1989, but it took some weeks for the entire Wall across Germany to fall completely. We had control of the border camp at Point Alpha, near Rasdorf (behind Huenfeld), the showcase of the "Fulda Gap," one of the expected main attack routes for a Warsaw Pact military invasion. Our orders were to observe the developments and report any unusual activity, but that the opening of the Inter-German Border (IGB) was strictly a "German event," and we were to steer clear of it.

It was mid-November 1989 when BRD and DDR officials agreed to finally create a crossing site where the state highway (B-84), severed for over 40 years, crossed between the two states. We were in attendance to observe and ensure nothing got out of hand.

On the serious side of matters, the emotions, joy and happiness we saw citizens and, in some cases, families express in being able to meet and greet one another without political and physical barriers was overwhelming. I will remember those feelings until my last days on this Earth.

Being able to speak rudimentary German made the experience even more rewarding for me. The expressions of gratitude shared with me and my soldiers confirmed that what we had been doing for decades had been the right thing.

(On the humorous side, I received a radio call from one of my lieutenants about a traffic accident he had been involved in with his army Jeep. Fortunately, no one had been injured. He reported that the car he had backed into was a “green and white Opel sedan.” He also informed me that the Polizei were already notified and on the scene. When I arrived a few minutes later, I was able to confirm that the German police was truly already on site—the Opel was one of their patrol cars! Needless-to-say, that lieutenant had to put up with much harassment for many weeks to follow from his peers.)

From Steven Steininger
Gelnhausen, Germany

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