Witness to History!

[Lancer]

To what history were you a witness to?

I watched the Vietnam war on TV and participated in the cold war in Germany. Was in Bamberg and rotated into Hof on the old border with East Germany where we were border guards. I'd like someday to go for a walk...just from where I was then across to what was the other side.

Amazing to me that the tremendous conventional power that was built up just to our east just evaporated.

It was alot of training in ambush and manouver in our area of resposibility known as the Fulda Gap. The town of Fulda is there.

It was a growth experience for a 17 year old kid from Jersey. I got to understand communism first hand.

So, what history have you seen?

[lord of the mark]

I was in the crowd watching from outside the white house rose garden when Carter, Sadat, and Begin signed the Camp David Peace Treaty.

I participated in a student strike during the NYC fiscal crisis of 1975, and sat home during the famous 1968 NYC teachers strike.

[Arrian]

I watched a bunch of things on TV (Berlin Wall, Tiananmen Square, Russian failed coup, Gulf War I, etc.). Personal participation was pretty limited, though. I did go to Russia on a HS trip not too long after the failed coup with Yeltsin on the tank and all that, but encountered nothing that would cound as "historical." Which, frankly, was probably a very good thing.

-Arrian

[LordShiva]

I was there when Julius Caesar crossed teh Rubicon.

[Arrian]

Did you see Mark Antony givin' it to that shepard girl too?

-Arrian

[Zkribbler]

I watched the launches of our early spacecraft on TV, and also saw the moon landing (over a customer's shoulder -- I was delivering chicken at the time).

I was at some of the 60's campus protests.

I drove through Haight-Ashbury during its hayday, and happened to drive through Watts on the first day of the Watts riots (but didn't see anything).

I made it through a string of earthquakes including the BIG MOFO Northridge Earthquake.

I worked in the courtroom that handled the Buchwald v. Paramount Pictures case, which was touted at the time as the "Trial of the Century."

I saw Dodger First Baseman Norm Larker lose the National League batting crown by hitting a sacrifice fly to score the winning run in his last at bat of the season, when a base hit would have won it for him.

[Lancer]

Was at the night launch of the shuttle mission that fixed the Hubble. That was horsepower! Shook one to the bone even fairly far away.

"I was in the crowd watching from outside the white house rose garden when Carter, Sadat, and Begin signed the Camp David Peace Treaty. "

A high point for Carter.


"I watched the launches of our early spacecraft on TV, and also saw the moon landing (over a customer's shoulder -- I was delivering chicken at the time)."

My father actually came and got me so I could watch it on the tube, a first in itself.

"Berlin Wall"

I have a piece of it somewhere, little chunk of cement w/ spraypaint on it in a plastic display box. My German stepmother got it for me because of my history in Germany.

"I was there when Julius Caesar crossed teh Rubicon."

[germanos]

In the 80's I took part in the big rallies against the deployment of tactical nuclear missiles in the netherlands. They were the biggest rallies ever held here. 'Hollanditis'

I spent a month in Hungary in the summer of 1989, when they cut the iron curtain. There I witnessed the strirrup this caused to the east-Germans.

Later that year I travelled to the crumbling Berlin Wall, a day or so after it opened.

I was in Jordan when Saddam invaded Kuwait. In that first week it wasn't that great to sit inbetween Saddam and Israel

I survived operation 'Grapes of Wrath' while working in Beirut. I cursed the idiot with a jackhammer at early dawn . Turned out it was AAA.


Professionally, I dig up historic stuff. Some of it is on display in various museums.

[sabo10]

Re: Witness to History!

Originally posted by Lancer
To what history were you a witness to?

I watched the Vietnam war on TV and participated in the cold war in Germany. Was in Bamberg and rotated into Hof on the old border with East Germany where we were border guards. .

It was alot of training in ambush and manouver in our area of resposibility known as the Fulda Gap. The town of Fulda is there.

It was a growth experience for a 17 year old kid from Jersey. I got to understand communism first hand.

So, what history have you seen?

Sounds like me Lancer, I was in Bamburg from 73 to 74, my first month was in Schwienfurt

[Saras]

The Baltic Way:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_Way

[Lancer]

Re: Re: Witness to History!

Germanos, you got to see alot, you may see more with Putin flexing his muscles.

Originally posted by sabo10


Sounds like me Lancer, I was in Bamburg from 73 to 74, my first month was in Schwienfurt

You were in Bamberg a couple years before me then. You likely saw more racial problems than I did, I heard about them.

[sabo10]

Re: Re: Re: Witness to History!

Originally posted by Lancer
Germanos, you got to see alot, you may see more with Putin flexing his muscles.



You were in Bamberg a couple years before me then. You likely saw more racial problems than I did, I heard about them.

Oh God, tell me about it. A friend of mine nearly got beaten to death just cuz he was white and walking in front of the EM club.

[DAVOUT]

1. I was at the 1955 24 hours of Le Mans a few meters behind the 80 people who were killed by the Mercedes; once at home I see some drops of blood on my coat.

2. I was in Algeria in 1961. A military coup was started by Friday April 21. I was at the headquarter of the Zone Nord Est Contantinois, commanded by General Ailleret (3 stars). During the weekend, it was not clear whether the professional soldiers will follow or not. So, on Monday, with two dozens of friends and colleagues, we decided not to go to work until we know what side General Ailleret has chosen. This was taken quite seriously, and half an hour later, the Chief of Staff came to our barrack and explain that the General was decidedly faithful to the government of the Republic.
On Wednesday this General was promoted to the Army corps of Constantine; ten days later he was promoted to Deputy General in Chief in Algeria, and by June 9, fully in chief.
Therefore, I can say that 49 days after having helped (with my friends) this guy to make the good choice, he rose from a two divisions and a tenth of regiments command to the command of 400000 soldiers.
Although slightly exaggerated, this is confirmed in a book written by General Charles Ailleret, titled “Général du contingent”, page 104 : after describing incidents against the coup caused by conscripts this very day, he said “ even at the headquarter, soldiers refused to work ; it was enough that the chief of staff explained my opinion and what I have decided to do, for all of them to return to work”.
More seriously, why this General was chosen amongst 200 hundred ? The fact that he was not involved in the Algerian affairs (he was in charge for 8 years of the first nuclear explosion made 1959) was certainly a good qualification for the difficult ten months to come, but the fact that he was the only general to believe that the coup will fail because of the contingent was decisive.

[OzzyKP]

I was at the Supreme Court during oral arguments in Bush v. Gore. I didn't get inside, but I was outside witnessing all the drama.

I was also out helping lead a rally in front of the Supreme Court this March in the Morse v. Frederick case.

I attended most of the big anti-World Bank & IMF protests and most of the anti-war protests in DC in the last several years.

I was at Bush's first inauguration (and actually got a temporary job selling political memoribilia at some store at the JW Marriot in DC, so I met all sorts of rich Texans in DC for the inauguration.)

I was at Reagan's funeral procession.

The night of 9/11 I drove downtown and saw Humvees and heavily armed soldiers on every corner.

[VetLegion]

I was a kid but was here during the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatia...f_Independence