~Tracing Back The Steps of 1954~

Our first stop was a picturesque town called Bad Wildungen. The great part about this tour was to be reminded how gracious the Americans were in the wake of WWII. Instead of "to the victor go the spoils", we showed the world we were not there for glory, but to share blessings of our country with the people in this part of the world.

The bombs of WWII did not make this building look this way, its been like that since 1654. It's amazing that they are still standing. And we thought everything had to be built on the square.

Here is Larry in front of one of the homes he lived in during his tour in Germany. The baker would walk by and deliver fresh bread every morning. While the home, street and town have changed dramatically since the 50's, it was fun imagining how it must have been for a 20 something from small town Utah.

This hill on the edge of town is where the radio towers were located that Larry and his comrades used to listen to the Russians and other communists on the other side of the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. In addition to being able to pick up WKRP in Cincinatti, they could work out the coordinates to enemy tanks roaming the other side of the border.

This old hotel was the landmark from where we got our bearings. "The house was just down the street from the Hotel." When we saw it we knew we were close.

This town is rich in history, but post WWII left it a rural farm town. Now it boasts itself as a medicinal hotspot where people come to heal.

The moment was not lost on Charlene. For twenty plus years now she has heard the stories of where Larry served. It was a treat to see her husband walk the streets, see the sights and share the experience of walking down memory lane.

We enjoyed some summertime outdoor dining. Brats, schnitzel and traditional German food were on the menu tonite. Happy Birthday Char! Pretty fun to celebrate a birthday on a European vacation.

As is tradition, an after dinner walk revealed a magical night. The moon and twilight were beautiful.

The Edersee was the home to a Dam that supplied power to a munitions factory for Nazi Germany. The allies were quick to destroy and turn upside down what now is a tranquil, peaceful setting. It was remarkable to see how mankind could turn such a beautiful place into a war machine. Larry would come up here in the heat of summer to cool down. The Dam was still blown apart during Larry's tour. It was remarkable to see the progress that has been made over the decades.

This is Fritzlar, one of the three towns we visited on this tour. The half timbered homes are traditional Germany. The old parts of town haven't changed a bit in fifty years.

If you get out enough, you're bound to run into a local festival. These elderly gentlemen were entertaining the town with their singing and dancing. It's so fun to stumble upon these treats.

Larry and Char in beautiful Fritzlar.

This is Larry in the middle of the airfield the Nazi Luftwaffe used during WWII. You would never know that this airfield even existed at its height. The field is surrounded by trees where the hangers and buildings were hid. A wire mesh was laid down and sod grown in the mesh. Flying over head you would see a field, when in reality it was an enemy airfield.

Close to the airfield in Rothwesten was the base where Larry served. The base was given back to the Germans in the late 70's and run by the Germany military until a month ago -then it closed its gates/doors and was put up for sale. All of Larry's good living caught up as we just happened to run into the one man who would have a key to the base and the museum. We came around the corner and it was if he had been there waiting for us to show up. He let us in to tour and see the moth balled places that were once full of life and vitality as Americans protected the West from the Eastern threat.

Home sweet home. Young PFC Wilson at the barracks where he once lived. You can see that this base will very soon no longer be accessible. Its inhabitants have moved out and its future is uncertain. It was great to catch it while we still could.

This post has always been shrowded in secrecy. In fact shortly after WWII this was the place where the decision to create the Deutsch Mark transpired. The currency was created in NYC and DC and smuggled into the country in boxes labeled door knobs. From here it was funneled out and integrated as the national currency.

This is the theater / communications bunker where Larry worked. Down in the basement under the theater Larry would spy on the Russians and provide intelligence to American forces in Europe.

Hard to believe he walked through that door as a young GI to go to work helping provide intelligence to protect us during the Korean War.

This is a must see. Only in Europe is it OK to haul your glider with the equivilent of a GEO Metro. You see this all of the time cruising up and down the autobahns - we just shake our heads and laugh everytime. We had to take a picture for proof.

Alsfeld, Germany. This was one of the day trip towns Larry could take with his buddies back in the day. Towns like these epitomize the traditional old Germany. There is no mistaking that you are not in the States anymore.

The boys were cute playing hide and seek in and around the old town hall and church. These boys are learning how to take a proper picture, legs folded like little gentlemen.

Beautiful historic part of the city Alsfeld.

Just another reminder how fortunate we feel to be able to make these memories in this wonderful part of the world.

If there's a toy, then we're going to need to try it out. This one was pretty randomly placed in the middle of a square.

This was like walking into a calendar photo. You had to pinch yourself that you were seeing it in person.

We rounded off our trip with a Rhein River Valley tour on the way home. This is Loraley point. This stretch of the river is amazing because there is a fantastic castle every two miles it seems. Each is different than the last and each reminds you how strategic this portion of the river once was. A lot of power struggles took place to control the commerce that moved up and down this river.

Steve and his "monkey" boys enjoying the panorama.

Is that a nice brotherly hug or the makings of a head lock. Believe it or not, they actually get along really well.

It was a great walk down memory lane. We all felt priviledged to share the experience. We learned a ton about the history during his time in Germany and saw some pretty fantastic places. Thank you Larry for sharing that portion of your life with us.