A LIFETIME OF
MEMORIES
B Y
Es I G : Z M A R G O T
ALLEN
Copyright() 2008 by Inge Margot Allen
All Rights Reserved
PREFACE
Inge Margot Allen wrote a compelling true
story about what it was like for a young girl
growing up and living a life of fear and horror in
Hitler's Germany during World War 11. She tells you
about a young girl's father who was a secret agent in
the German Army and how a neighbor dropped a
dime on him by telling the Russian authorities. He
was apprehended and put in a Russian
concentration prison.
She talks about the Berlin Wall and the
hardships it created. How Berlin's lifelines were
mercilessly cut off by the Russian government.
The reader gets a vivid picture of what it was like
to live terrifying nights of bombings and hiding in
crowded cellars with no lights and heat in freezing
weather. You get to know about the Berlin
Blockade and the Air-lift.
You get an in-depth account of starvation,
rape and cruel punishment of the German people.
This is a true story, only the names have been
changed to protect those still living.
Last night as I was sitting in my living room in
Las Vegas, Nevada having a cup of coffee, I felt all
alone. It was my birthday and none of my
family was available to celebrate it with me. My
husband Bill had passed away about 25 years ago
with a massive heart attack. I turned on the
television and the picture playing was Judgement
at Nuremburg, with Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster
and Marlena Dietrich playing the leading roles. It
was about the Nuremburg Trials of the Nazi War
Criminals. It was about three hours long and
watching that movie, I relived my life over.
The ringing of the telephone brought me
back to reality. I picked up the receiver on the
second ring and said, "Hello", it was my younger
son, "Hi Mom, happy birthday, I'm sorry I
couldn't be with you this year I'm at a business
meeting in New York. "I understand, son". "What is
it, Mom? You sound like you're depressed". "It was
just seeing the movie just now that brought me back
to my childhood days as I was growing up in
Berlin". "Mom, why don't you put all that down
on paper? I never met any of my Aunts and Uncle
and I know very little about my grandparents. It
would be nice to get acquainted with them even
though it's in a story". "OK John, I'll start on it the
first thing in the morning, now I think it's time to
go to sleep". "Sleep well Mom and good night".
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My name is Kristin Klemm. I was born on
March 25, 1935 in Berlin, Germany. I had two
wonderful parents. My father, Ulrich Klemm was a
g o o d - l o o k i n g ma n w h o t o o k p r i d e i n h i s
appearance. His clothes were always neatly
pressed, his shoes shined and his fingernails
polished. He was a commercial artist and many of
his paintings are in galleries and museums. It was
in one of the galleries where he met my mother
Brigitte, a pretty blond hair woman who was a
hostess at that time. My father was also an
excellent piano and accordion player. On weekends he would join up with a local band and play
in the beer garden. Some evenings during the week
he would take his accordion to Kurfurstendamm,
known by the locals as Ku'Damm. He would find a
busy corner and begin to play. Many people
would stop to listen and some requested certain
songs. Some nights he came home with as much
money and sometime more than he made playing
at the beer garden.
Berlin — 1940 — 5 years old
We lived in a single apartment with two
bedrooms, a living room, a moderate size kitchen and
a community toilet that was located five steps down
at the end of the hallway that we had to share
with the tenants next door. There were three in that
family and five in ours. That means one toilet was
to be shared between eight people. Each
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family had a key for the toilet and we had to
provide our own toilet paper and a note to hang on
the door saying that it was occupied. Leon and
Jennifer Swartz, our next door neighbor had a baby
boy born about the same time I was born. There
were times when the toilet was in use then we
would use the porta-potty to relieve our bladder
and when the toilet was not occupied we would go
in and empty it in the toilet. When ever we would
hear their door open we would look through the
peephole to see if they were going to the toilet.
They would do the same when we opened our
door.
My Mom and Dad had their own bedroom
and the second one was shared with my older sister
Doreen and my brother David. We couldn't afford
the luxury of having a full size bed but since we
were very young, Doreen was 4 years old and
David was 3 and I was a little infant. Doreen and
David slept in the same bed that was made of
concrete blocks with large wooden planks setting
on the blocks and an oversize mattress across the
boards and I slept in my baby stroller which laid
flat for sleeping.
Most of the houses were all grey and
looking up from the street you would see large
windows and balconies. Facing the front of the
building on each side were stores. The particular
building I lived in, there was a baker on the left
side and a beauty salon on the right side. In
between the double doors, the front apartments had
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three bedrooms, a full size bathroom and a four
foot by six foot balcony. In the springtime the
tenants would always plant geraniums in their
flowerpots on the balcony and being sure that the
flowerpots are facing the sun because geraniums
can't tolerate the cold weather. In full bloom the
geraniums show off brilliant bright red foliage.
When going in through the front entrance
doors the front apartment stairs would be on the
left and I had to go through another door that
would take me to the big courtyard. When you face
the building from the back courtyard the baker
would be on the right and the beauty salon would
be on the left. The baker had a very large window
and when he opened the window in the
summertime you could smell the fresh pastries he
was baking. Also, when the beauty salon opened
their window you could smell the perms that ladies
would get. Most of the back apartments had only
one bedroom, kitchen and living room to the left.
On the fifth floor looking to the right in the corner
there was the wash house with two large doors that
was always locked when not in use.
Doing the laundry was a chore in itself. I
will run this by you very slow hoping not to
confuse you. To begin, you would spend at least
two hours in preparation to get a fire started to heat
the water. It was your responsibility to supply the
wood and the coal to keep the fire going. Now for
the confusing part of washing your clothes, since
there are many families living in the same
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apartment building to use the washroom it had to
be organized and pre-arranged. First, you had to
sign the schedule sheet for the day you want to use
the washroom. Then you had to reserve a
clothesline on that day to hang your clothes out to
dry. There were only three clothes lines in the back
courtyard. If you were late or missed your
scheduled date you had to wait until everyone had
their schedule that could be about a month later.
Looking up at the building to the fifth floor
those apartments had five windows and most of the
time weather permitting the windows were opened
and we would relish the heat coming in from the
sun to keep us and the apartment warm. I learned
very early how to count. I knew that to go from
one floor to another floor there were ten steps and
to go to the fifth floor where I lived there were
fifty steps. So, by the time I got into kindergarten I
could count all the way up to fifty.
Our apartment was on the fifth floor to the
left. It had a large door with two locks on it and
big enough to move furniture in and a slot for mail
delivery but no mail pick up. If you had to mail a
letter you had to bring it to the post office and
there you could also pay your gas and electric bills.
Outside the door was the hallway and the kitchen
was on the right and then came the children's
bedroom which was across from my parents
bedroom. At the end of the hallway was the living
room. The kitchen and the bedroom were the same
size 8 feet by 10 feet. The living room was the
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largest room in the apartment. In our kitchen we
had a wood stove on the right side of the room as
you enter the door. Attached to the stove was a
large stove pipe for the smoke to go out into the
chimney. There was a pantry and a double sink
with a small water heater above it to make hot
water. We had a china cabinet where we would put
our dishes and glasses on the upper shelves and the
pots and pans would go on the bottom. Against the
• wall was an L shape wooden bench and a table
that would extend out to seat 8 people
comfortably. Sitting on the bench was a treat for
me. I would sit by the two large windows behind
me and day dream a lot waiting for my supper to
be served. On the wall on the left side of the
kitchen was a rolling block table. That just about
took up all the space in the kitchen.
Behind the kitchen door my mother had her
mops, the broom and the vacuum cleaner and most
of the times we kept all the doors in all rooms
closed allowing more floor space for us. Our
bedroom was next to the kitchen and then the
living room which was always warm. In the corner
was a large 2 feet by 8 feet high stove with a 9
inch by 9 inch door with a stove pipe attached for
the smoke to be released into a tube going into the
wall behind the stove. This is what kept the rooms
warm. We also had them in all the bedrooms. We
always kept the fire going with coal to keep all the
rooms warm.
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In the living room there was a couch with
pictures of my grand-father with his full grown
mustache. Below their picture was my mother with
her sparkling blond hair sitting on a chair with her
black skirt and white blouse. On her long shapely
legs she was wearing her high heel black patent
leather shoes. Next to her was my father with his
jet black hair. He was wearing a black suit and
white shirt with a black bow tie. He was a sharp
dresser and a handsome looking man. I always
admired looking at those pictures in the living
room.
In front of the couch was a coffee table and two
end tables one on each side of the couch and a floor
lamp. There was a chandelier hanging from the
ceiling but we seldom used it because
electricity was too expensive. Also in the room
were two small club chairs and a small table
between them. The two large windows were
covered with fancy lace curtains and draw drapes to
close at night. On the right side of the room
away from the wall was a baby grand piano where
my father would sit down and play. During the day
the sun coming in from the window behind him
provided enough light for him to read his music.
My father kept the piano locked when he wasn't
using it so we kids would not go and play on it.
The piano was draped with a small brown lace
table cloth with a large crystal vase filled with a
dozen red roses that my father always brought
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home to my mother every Saturday after he
finished working.
Opposite the couch was a long wooden
cherry mahogany cabinet with a door on each side
for his and her clothing. In the center of the cabinet
from the top to about half way down to the bottom
were two glass sliding doors where all crystal
glasses and momentous were kept. The bottom
shelf resembled a bar. My father had his
blackberry brandy and a bottle of 5 Star Hennessey
scotch. Below the glass doors were 6 drawers
where photo albums, my father's sheet music and
any miscellaneous items were kept and there was a
radio and record player. The floor was covered
with a carpet. All the other rooms had hardwood
floors. The hallway and the kitchen had linoleum.
The floors always seemed cool coming out from
the living room. My parent's bedroom had no
window in it but there was a small window on their
bedroom door covered with a curtain. You
couldn't see inside the room but you could see
when the light was turned on.
Against the back wall of their bedroom was a
king size bed covered with a burgundy comforter
and two large pillows. There was a night table on
each side of the bed. In the center of the room
against the wall was a large cherry mahogany unit
with a large mirror in the center and on each side a
double door that opens to 5 drawers from top to
bottom for their clothes, blankets and bed sheets.
On the other side of the bed was a dressing table
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with a large mirror where Dad would always put
his keys, wallet, ring and watch. When my father
would go out to play the piano on the job he would
always wear his black onyx ring and matching cuff
links. My Dad was a very handsome man and a
meticulous dresser.
Out in the hallway to the right against the
wall was a floor mirror. Above it was a sign that
read; look in the mirror before going out. If you
like what you see then you're ready to go out and
face the world. Along the wall were racks for
coats, jackets and umbrellas. The bottom of the
racks was for the kids. The shoes were placed on
the floor. You always changed your shoes when
you came in and put on house slippers to muffle
the noise of walking on the floor and put on street
shoes when you went out. The doors were always
kept locked regardless whether someone was home
or not.
Schoenberg is a suburb of Berlin and located
near the Tempelhof Airport. Apartments in
Schoenberg were government owned and very
expensive. If you could afford to live in one of
those apartments you were considered well off. My
parents were very proud people and tried to give us
the best that they could afford and in order to do
that they both worked two jobs. If there wasn't a
silent movie showing my father would take his
accordion to the market place and play for hours
on street corners and play any request the people
wanted to hear. There were times when he brought
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home more money than he earned at the movie
house. My father loved his music and he was a
very good musician. My mother would make
clothes for people that wanted a special dress made
or some alterations on their garments. When ever
she had material left over she would make a dress
for me or my sister Doreen.
In 1936, my sister Kirstin was born. I moved in
the bed with Doreen and David and Kirstin got my
baby stroller. Since I was the smaller of my sister
and brother I had to sleep in the middle of the bed
between them. There were many nights that we
had pillow fights and believe it or not, I always got
the better of them. In 1940 when I was five years old
I started to go to kindergarten. It was a big deal for
me. On my first day we kids all got a zuckertute
which was an ice cream cone shape made from
paper and filled with candy, cookies, crayons and a
coloring book. It was hard for me to carry this candy
shape cone because it was as tall as I was.
I was happy to see most of the kids that lived
on Leberstrasse Street the same street that I lived
on. It made me feel at ease and at recess time we
would talk about the electric trolley and how the
conductor would have to reverse the power pole at
the end of the line to go back in the opposite
direction. I remembered many times my mother
would take me, Doreen and David to the Berlin Zoo
on the same trolley. It was a big thrill for me
because I would go to the children's zoo
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and pet the animals. I asked my mother what that
thing was around the collector's waist and she said
that it was a money changer, for the people who
didn't have the exact change. She also explained to
me that you could buy your tickets for a one way
ride or you could buy a 10 fare ticket and every
time you used it the conductor would stamp it.
Then she told me something at that time that I
never forgot and that is always give your seat to
older people and especially to women carrying a
baby in her arms. My kindergarten school was a
big grey building with iron gates at the entrance
and on the front of the building there were at least 30
big windows. In Germany, school house are divided
up in three sections. They are, children 6 years old to
12 years of age, then from 13 years old to 16 years
old and two years of trade school where the
classes are for 3 hours and 5 hours for on the job
training.
Going back to my first day in kindergarten
we had a 10 minute rest period in the school yard
and Ralf, my next door neighbor and I would
exchange candy and crayons. I was comfortable at
this time because my mother was by my side all
the time but when the whistle blew and we had to go
back to the classroom my mother had to leave and I
was alone for the first time. The teacher, Miss
Helen Rubinstein was very kind and gentle with us.
She would line all the girls on one side and the
boys on the other side. She told us to find our seats
and without talking we were to take out
ii
our coloring book and color the pictures in the
book. It was so quiet in the classroom you could
actually hear the trolley as it drove by the school
house. It was then that I found out that boys and
girls did not go to the same classroom together.
For the next three years I knew just where to go to
get picked up in the afternoon to take me home and
where they would drop me o ff to go to the
classroom. It was a steady routine. I was given a
note to take to my mother. It was the school's
dress code. Girls are to wear dresses or skirts and
boy were to wear long pants or knickers with socks
and thin shoes. Our fingernails were to be clean at all
times and our hair was to be neatly combed. We
would have a back pack with our school supplies
in it and it was to be on our back allowing our
hands to be free.
On my first day of school I remember
wearing a white blouse, a pleated skirt and black
shoes. At the end of the day we were gathered
together to take a group picture. After the picture
taking the bell sounded and we lined up like little
soldiers and walking in front of our teacher. When
we got to the front of the building I saw my mother
standing by the big gate, I happened to look back and
saw my brother David playing soccer, he didn't
see me and we went home. We walked about 5
blocks passing many stores. I wanted so bad to
have an ice cream cone but my mother said no and
that was final.
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When we got to our apartment house there
was a note posted on the bulletin board in large
letters; THE CHIMNEY SWEEPER IS COMING
ON FRIDAY AT 8 AM. My mother was not
happy to see that because that was the day she
would go shopping for the week-end. In Germany,
some stores would open from 6 AM till 12 noon
and reopen at 1 PM till 6 PM. The clothing store
hours were from 9 AM to 5 PM Monday through
Friday and from 7 AM to 12 noon on Saturday. All
stores were closed on Sunday. It was a day of rest
for the store owners.
Sundays was always a very busy day for us.
We could go to a movie or go to the circus when it
was in town or go to the Zoo. We could play in the
city park or just go into the city and do some
window shopping. My brother had to go and get
the Sunday paper for my father and if there was a
good movie playing that's where we would go. I
remember one particular Sunday my sister Doreen
and David was going to take me to the movies. It
was an American film with German translation
written on the bottom of the screen. The picture
was, Mr. Bo Jangles, with Shirley Temple. We had
our dinner at 1 PM and the first show began at 2
PM. After we had our dinner and took the garbage
out we would stand in line by my father to get our
money for the movie. We kids did not get a weekly
allowance that was our treat for the month. As we
were walking to the movie house Doreen and
David would frequently stop and look in the store
13
windows, I kept on pulling on their hands saying
let's go we don't want to be late for the first show.
When we got to the box office I gave the
woman my 15 cents and she gave me a ticket. At
the door another very nice lady took my ticket and
brought me to my seat. I later learned that she was an
usherette the same job my mother had when she
worked in the movie house wearing the same type of
uniform. After the movie we went home and my
mother had sandwiches and lemonade on the table for
us. She left us a note saying that she and my father
were off to work and to be sure to clean up and get
our school clothes ready for school and have our
homework completed and don't forget to shine your
shoes. Just before bedtime the 3 of us, me, Doreen
and David would play ONO until 7 PM and then
we went to bed. David and Doreen would read a
book with a small light burning and sometimes
Doreen would read to me from a story book. She
didn't do it often.
In 1936 Adolph Hitler got 99 percent of all the
votes to be inaugurated for the next 4 year term.
That year Mussolini visited Berlin and the newspaper
announced that Albert Speer became Hitler's Chief
Architect and the movie being played at that
time was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. A few
years later Greta Garbo became a big hit with the
soldiers with her popular song that was played
constantly on the radio der Caseme for deem
grossen Tore. In the United States the
Americans knew it as the song Lily Marlene.
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Another big song hit was- Bei Mir bist du Schoen
and Harbor Lights. The feature film was the Lady
and the Tramp.
As I was growing up I noticed many times
that my father would be out of the house for a
month. But one time went he came home he had a
large German shepherd dog with him. It was a
female and he named her BEBE. When Kirstin and I
were about to put the key in the door we heard a
dog barking loud from our apartment. When Dad
opened the door he had the dog by his side and
said to us. 'Don't touch me". We Looked at him
with a surprise look on our face. We could not
understand why after all the years that we couldn't
hug our father. It was later explained to us that the
dog was his protector because my father was one
of Hitler's secret service agents. He was always
dressed in civilian clothes and never wore a
uniform and as the war was getting closer to Berlin
he was to have the dog by his side at all times.
People were moving out of Berlin rapidly and
a lot of cheap apartments became available. We
were no different, we finally moved from the
apartment where I was born to a new street. The
school routine was the same for us kids, the only
change we had was a new address. The new
apartment gave us 3 bedrooms and a full bathroom
inside the apartment. We even had our own
balcony. When we moved however, we had a
professional moving company do the work. Our
biggest concern was how was the moving
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company going to take the baby grand piano out.
We learned soon enough that they didn't move
pianos. They hired a regular piano moving
company that was equipped to handle that job.
The next day after school I was waiting for
Kirstin to come out of her classroom and we were
talking and without realizing it we were walking
towards our old apartment. We noticed the big van in
front of the house and we decided to watch and see
how they were going to take out the piano from the
fifth floor. As we were standing in the courtyard
we saw the piano hanging in mid-air and very slowly
it was coming down inch by inch. I said to
Kirstin that we better be going home because
mother would be worrying about us. Our new
address was on KOLONEN STRASSE 49. Our
new apartment was in the front facing the street
and we heard a lot more noises from the
airplanes flying in the distance. As we look out the
window we could see the trolley going up and
down the street every 30 minutes.
On sunny days we could look out the
window and see if any of the kids were playing
outside and we could watch the cars driving by and
people getting off the trolley coming home from
work. In addition to the trolley there was another
foini of transportation and that was a large yellow
and black double Decker bus with big numbers
printed on the side of it. There also was provided a
special location to stop and pick up people. Nearby
our new apartment we learned that there was a city
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park with sand boxes and swings and benches to
sit on. It was like a whole new world opened up to us.
But there were times that we had to spend a lot of
time in the basement because of the bombing from
the planes. I hated when I heard the sound of the
siren because that meant that we had to sit in the
dark huddled together on the coal pile.
It was on a Sunday when mother opened the
door to the dining room and there was a long table
set for 8 people. We knew that it meant that we
were going to have company. At 4 PM the door
bell rang and standing at the door were my Aunt
and Uncle with a big bouquet of flowers in their
hand. It was the custom for visitors to bring either
flowers or a box of chocolates. My Aunt Laura and
Uncle Max were the parents from my mother's
side. They adopted Mom when she was 12 years
old. After the usual greetings we all went to sit
down at the dining room table where there was
coffee and cake. During the conversation I asked
my Aunt if they were going to stay in Berlin or
were they just passing through.
Aunt Laura and Uncle Max were circus
people. They worked with the Barnum Bailey and
Ringling Brothers Circus. Aunt Laura was a card and
palm reader and she would be dressed as a gypsy
and Uncle Max was a fire eater and would have fire
coming out of his mouth. He was always dressed as
an Arab. They traveled around the world in a
covered wagon pulled by a horse. They called it their
home. Uncle Max would tells us how
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hard it was to set up the tents and that everyone
connected with the circus had to lend a hand in
pulling on the ropes to erect the tent. They would
tell us some interesting stories about the places
they were and the people they met. The
conversation came to a close because Dad had to
get ready for work. They promise that they would
come back and see us again. When they left Berlin
they were heading for Vienna.
Berlin 1947 —12 years old
As years went by we would get postcards from
them and I would take them to school and show
them to my friends. I am now in the 6th grade and
going on 12 years old. There was more activity in the
upper grades and I liked going to the library and
taking out books on history that was my
favorite subject. I had one book called The Time
Table of History. It was fun looking up the places my
Aunt and Uncle were at from where they sent the
postcards.
One time I looked up the year 1935, the year I
was born and to my surprise that was the same
year that George Gershwin' s opera Porgy and Bess
opened in New York. The following year 1936
Ingred Bergman of Sweden got the Academy
Award for The Great Ziegfeld. In the
neighborhood at that time my mother said that
there were entirely too many Ingrids and Ingeborg
that she decided to name me Kristin. Richard
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Straus composed the Opera Die Schweigsame Frau
Known as the Silent Woman. Joe Louis lost his
h e a v y w e i g h t cr ow n t o G e r m a n bo r n M a x
Schmeling in the 12th round. The Olympic Games
were held in Berlin and Jesse Owens won the gold
medal and the German airship the Hindenburg
after its maiden voyage was destroyed by fire in
Lakehurst, New Jersey a year later in 1937.
When I was 12 years old in 1947 a whole
new world opened up to me. My favorite past time
was reading. I was constantly reading that my
mother had to put a stop to it because I was
neglecting my homework from school. Each week
we would find a new list of chores for us to do that
changed from week to week. Our bedtime hour
changed, now I was allowed to stay up 2 hours
longer before going to bed which was at 8 PM but
Doreen and David could stay up till 10 PM. At this
time my brother was a grown up boy and had his
own bedroom and was allowed to stay outside until 8
PM when my mother wasn't working. Kerstin
would play with her dolls and I would be reading
my history book.
History told me that in 1935 Hitler was the
ruler of Germany. In 1943 Germany had attacks on
London, England and Dwight W. Eisenhower
placed armies in North Africa under his command
and Italy declared war on Germany and Japan. The
Allied forces were bombing Germany around the
clock. In 1944, the Russians captured 100,00
German soldiers and German officers made an
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attempt to assassinate Hitler. Field Marshall
Rommel committed suicide. It was reported on the
radio that Hitler committed suicide on April 30 th
and Germany surrenders to Russia and Vice
President Harry S. Truman came to Berlin. The
Allied Control Commissions divided Germany into
four sections and the power occupation of Berlin
went into effect.
Berlin Blockade —19
The Berlin Blockade was the beginning of
the Cold War. Basically, two powerful nations did
not agree on Germany's welfare. Russia, under
Stalin's rule wanted to completely destroy
Germany. The United States wanted to rebuild
Germany and give it a new life of its own.
The primary causes of the Cold War in 1945
were Stalin's attempts to conquer Eastern Europe
by means of its Salami Tactics by forcefully using its
power in taking over the political scene — slice by
slice. To counter the Russian's movement, the United
States adopted the Truman Doctrine that would
prevent Eastern Europe from falling into communist
hands.
It was obvious that there was very little love, if
any, between these two powerful nations. Harry S.
Truman, President of the United States did not like
Stalin. There was the fear that Russia would attempt
to attack the United States, and Russia feared the
United State's powerful atomic bomb
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especially seeing what it did to Japan in Hiroshima and
Nagasaki. The United States along with Great
Britain and France did not appreciate Russia's
actions against the German people trapped on the
eastern section of Berlin.
When World War 11 came to an end,
Germany was divided up among the four nations;
United States, Great Britain, France and Russia.
Unfortunately, Berlin, the capital of Germany was
located in the Russian territory. To counteract
against the Truman Doctrine, Russia cut off all
lifelines leading into Berlin. The Russians stopped
and searched all road and rail traffic coming into
Berlin. Refrigerated trucks loaded with fruits,
vegetables and meat were stopped and searched
detaining the first truck in line for up to four or
more hours causing the contents in all the trucks in
line to become rancid and spoiled cutting off the
much needed food supply for the West Berliners.
Th e r e h as b e en mu c h t a l k a bo ut t h e
holocaust and what Hitler did to the Jews and
others that he disliked. Russia was no different. In
addition to the stopping and searching of all road and
rail traffic they also stopped all water traffic. Cargo
ships carrying coal and fuel for the West Berliners
was halted creating hardships since coal and fuel
was their only source for heat in the winter
months and cooking with coal stoves. Many children
and older people died from starvation and freezing
temperatures. The Soviets also stopped the supply
of electric power to the western section.
21
The United States and Great Britain could
not stop what Russia was doing without the risk of
starting an open war. So they began an organized
air-lift to supply food and fuel for the German
people in the western section. One pilot became a
favorite among the adults and children. He would
make little parachutes and tied gum and chocolate
bars and drop them from his plane to the waiting
hands of the children. He became known as the
Berlin Candy Bomber.
The year 1944 was not a very nice year for
us. We spent most of our time in the basement
hiding from soldiers. We would hide behind the
coal wall with a gas mask over our shoulder and
blankets and food supplies for 24 hours and a
flashlight that was only to be used if it was a must to
find the bucket to go to the bathroom. The smell was
so bad sometimes that it made us want to vomit.
Mom changed her hair to all grey to look like a 50
year old woman. Doreen did the same thing I could
not believe my eyes and ears when I heard
footsteps in front of our coal wall. Soldiers were
walking back and forth. I think all of us at that
time stopped breathing. We put on the gas mask as
the air was almost gone when there were no more
footsteps. We hoped that the soldiers would leave
when we heard screaming, gunshots and women
crying. We decided to stay in the basement a little
longer.
22
It was almost morning when we made our
way out of the basement. My mother was first and
when she came back she said don't look too close
at what you are about to see. Now, there were
young boys shot on the stairways, women covered
with blood that were raped by the Russian soldiers.
There were clothing, beddings and furniture in the
walkways. It was bad, very bad, and tears were
running down our face.
When we got back to the apartment, it
looked like a tornado went throughout the
apartment house. We closed the door and
barricaded the door with chairs and David's box
spring and mattress. We did not roll the roulade
covers from the windows but a night light came
through for us to clean up. We had no gas, electric
and only the few coals that were left in the house.
We were trying to wash up when we found out that
there was no water either. We had to make do with
what was left in our home. We had not heard from
Dad and had no idea where he was. In the
following weeks, we found ourselves with many
different soldiers in the street and found out later
that they were from Russia, America, France and
Britain. We now had the Allied forces around the
clock.
For months we had no school, food gas or
coal and water was at a minimum. Berlin was only a
name. David started to steal so we could have
food. Doreen was kept in the house at all times and
Kirstin and I started stealing with the rest of the
23
kids. It was not till 1945, we had 3 All ied
Occupation and Russian soldiers moved on to the
East now we were known as West and East Berlin.
Schools started again and the black market
was in full swing. The Nuremberg Trials of Nazi
criminals began and the lights stayed on again and
black shades came off windows. In 1946 the
verdict of the Nuremberg Tribunal came down that
Goring, Rubentrop and 10 other Nazis were
sentenced to death. Hess and Funk got life
imprisonment. Schacht and Van Papen were
acquitted on the evening before the execution.
Goring committed suicide.
We went back to school but it was no fun. We
now had boys in our classes. There were no pencils
it was black slate and crayons again. Teachers
didn't care if you came to class or not We had no
books, they were all burnt. When Kerstin and I
would walk home from school we saw German girls
walking with American soldiers and older German
boys were not to be seen. When I got home there was
my Dad sitting in the kitchen without the dog. They
shot the dog when they captured my Dad and put
him in the American prison. He told us that his
music saved his life as he played the piano at the
American General's home which was a German
guest house. He did not look like the Dad I last
remembered.
I will never forget the year 1947, when my
brother David had to get my Dad a pack of
cigarettes from the black market. American
24
cigarettes were $1.50 a pack in American money.
The cost in German money was 6.00 German DM.
In order to get American money we had to go to
the bank to exchange money. Mom had just gone the
day before to the bank to exchange money. She
gave them 100.00 DM and got 25 American
dollars. The black market now was even worst
than before. The stores were empty and most of
them closed. The butcher had horse meat for sale but
with no dogs and cats around, as hungry as we were
Mom did not buy from the butcher. Berlin is 34,359
square miles and 3,305,000 starving people.
Many women became pregnant as the men started
to come home from the war and got released
from the Allied prisons.
The weather started to get colder and fall
was in the air. My mother knowing how to sew
used some blankets to make us a coat for the
winter. The first time I was wearing it my girl
friend said to me "where did you get that coat?" I said
proudly that my Mom sewed it for us. It was not
long when my mother was doing a lot of
sewing for other people. No money changed
hands, she was paid with food, coal, coffee and
cigarettes and sometimes she would get eggs and
bread.
One day when I was coming home from
school I past a very good looking lady on the
street. I was surprised to see that it was my mother.
She had her hair back to blond and was nicely
dressed. We had water again and electric for three
25
t i r n e s a d a y. R a d i o l A s t a r t e d b r o a d c a s t i n g
again and we had news and music. The news we
heard was bad. The circus where Aunt Laura and
Uncle Max were working had a fire in Hartford,
Connecticut, USA and 167 people were killed and
many injured. As proud and clean German people
are, we started to clean up first our home, the
streets and then the city.
People were beginning to greet each other as
they pass by in the street. Men would take their
index finger and flipping it to their hat. Girls my
age curtseyed and a lot of hand shaking was going on
as this is the German custom in greeting people. My
sister Doreen and her girl friend Gisela were always
on the go. Doreen was now working for her girl
friends family. They owned a store that sold dishes,
pots, pans, glasses and very fine crystal. My
brother David was working for a construction
company putting up scaffolds with nuts and bolts and
large wooden planks in between for them to walk on.
The scaffold would reach all the way up to the 5 th
floor of the building. He quit school at the age of
15.
My sister Doreen and Gisela was the best of
friends and did every thing together. They went
dancing and started meeting boys and one day
Doreen asked Mom if she could bring a man home on
Sunday for coffee and cake. Well, when Sunday time
came around 4 PM the doorbell rang and there
was my sister Doreen standing in front of my mother
with an American soldier. He looked about
26
18 years old. handed my mother a large brown
bag with coffee, chocolate, cigarettes and other
goodies. It was uncomfortable for us because we
did not speak the same language. Doreen knew
some English and after about 2 hours they left
together. As the weeks past, her boyfriend Bill
would visit our house a lot.
It was at that time my Dad came home from a
Russian prison. He was very ill and looked very
heart broken. Dad explained to us that Ralf from
the old address is a communist and a spy for the
Russian Army and turned Dad in for being a
German Secret Service Agent working under the
direction of Hitler. And once again his music
saved his life. He told us that if it would not have
been for the Russian General having a large party
and needed musicians he would not be home. The
General took a liking to my Dad and said if I leave
here from my post I will make sure that you have
the papers to go back to Berlin, Germany. It was
weeks that we did not see Doreen's boyfriend Bill
as Dad told my sister he would not have an
American soldier in my house. It was at that time
that Doreen moved out of the house.
Dad started working at the same place my
brother David was working. On weekends Dad
would also play at a night club. The people loved
his piano music. One night my Mom went to visit
where Dad was playing and she took us with her. It
was OK to go to bars and clubs as long as you
were with your parents. It was the best Saturday
27
night that ,','„irstiri and i had, we got to watch and
listen to my Dad play the piano and accordion.
During his break, he would come to the table and
sit with us. I will never forget that evening. I saw the
love and affection in their eyes again.
The month of November was almost to the
end. Mom went shopping for an Advent Reef. It
has 4 candles with a green and red ribbon tied
around it. And the following Sunday when we
would have our coffee and cake my Mom would light
one more candle. By the time the 4th candle was lit
we knew that it would be Christmas Eve. We were
looking forward to the next weeks to come as
we would go to the Town Christmas market. I
loved that time of the year. It was cold but you
never felt the cold. As we were getting closer we
would hang the long strings of Christmas lights.
There was the smell of sweetness in the air and
chestnuts roasting. We had hot chocolate and Mom
and Dad had Gluwine (hot red wine) with nutmeg
sprinkled on top.
It started to snow and it looked like stars
coming down on us from heaven. We did the gift
shopping and started to walk back home. We had to
walk because we never owned a car. My brother and
Dad had bikes that would be kept in the
basement. But we did have good city
transportation with the Tram, The Autobus and the
underground tunnel (subway). On the evening of
December 6, we put our wish list in our shoes and
hoped that the next day Saint Nicolas would pick
up the list. We would always tend some lurid of
candy in it with a note saying you better be good
now. We had only one more week of school and we
started to decorate our classroom. These
decorations were not taken down till January 6,
when the 3 kings' men and 3 wise men left
Bethlehem. It was then that the holidays were over.
The tree and all the trimmings were put away for
the next year.
It is only two more days till Christmas and
Dad promised to get the tree before they were all
sold out. We don't get to see the Christmas tree till
Christmas Eve. On the 24th of December everyone
gets to go home by 12:00 noon. All the stores in
the city close at the same time. When I got home
Kirstin had already taken her bath and her hair in
curlers and Mom said that it was my turn. On
Christmas Eve, we had our dinner at 6 PM and the
smell coming from the kitchen indicated that the
goose was almost ready. The red cabbage and
mash potatoes were done and Mom was finishing
the gravy. By 6 PM everyone was ready and
dressed in our Sunday clothes.
My brother David, 6 feet tall was wearing
black slacks, a white shirt and tie and black shoes.
Kirstin and I wore a red velvet dress with a white
collar. Mom had a burgundy skirt and a white
blouse on. When we heard the music 0
Tannenbaum coming from the living room we
knew that Dad was playing the piano. Mom
opened the door and there was the Christmas tree
29
10 teci: tail with all the lights and decorations on it
and on the very top was the angel. Everyone got a
dish from the kitchen and we sat down at the table
when Dad came in with the large goose he. got
from the kitchen. It was the first Christmas that
Doreen was not present in the house. The radio
was playing all Christmas songs. When we heard
the bells ringing from the church, we finished our
dinner, got up from the table put on our coats and
went to church. We gave thanks to God for all we
had and most important that Dad was home again.
194N —13 years
The bells would ring for about an hour after
we left the church. When we got home to open the
presents, Mom asked us if we knew the meaning of
the colors on the tree. She said, copper, silver and
gold were presents from the Kings. Boxes with red
and green ribbons tied around them were presented
by the 3 wise men, and food and water by the
people that gathered around the baby Jesus. The
next day December 25, is traditionally devoted to
visiting friends and other family members. On the
26th, we would play with friends outside. On New
Year's Eve we would get dressed up and go to the
night club where Daddy was playing in the
orchestra. It was a big ballroom with balloons
hanging down from the ceiling. Garlands and
noisemakers were every where. At 5 minutes
before 12:00 midnight everyone would start their
30
noisemaker and at mid-night a trumpet player
stands on the balcony playing a song. Everyone
was hugging and kissing each other. Everyone
shouting HAPPY NEW YEAR and 1948 had
arrived.
Kirstin and I danced all night and we even
got Mom to dance. The waiters and waitresses
would come around and put large trays with donuts
on the table. It is the tradition to pick one donut.
They were all filled with different kinds of fillings.
The saying goes, when you get a donut with
mustard filling you will have a bad year. The ones
with strawberry or cherry filling is a sweet year.
Kirstin and I did not eat the donut as we did not
want to know what lies ahead for the New Year.
In the New Year when the shops would open up
again it was customary to bring a present to the
butcher, the baker and the grocer. Well you get the
idea. On January 7, it was time to go back to
school and time goes on. David came home from
work and told Mom and us which church Doreen is
getting married in and it was on the coming
Saturday at 2 PM. Mom did not go and Dad was
never told about it. David, Kirstin and I went to the
church to see my sister Doreen arrive in a black
carriage pulled by a large white horse and a man
dressed all in black with a black top hat on. Bill the
American soldier was in his uniform. He helped
Doreen out of the carriage and they walked into
the church. That was the last time we saw our
sister Doreen. We all had tears in our eyes as we
31
were•,,Talicirig hole. Tiller; we got riorile 110 WCFICi
was spoken about Doreen, but there was a write up
in the news paper saying daughter of Ulrich and
Brigitte Klemm and brother and sisters were not
present at the Lutheran Church. Weeks past and
life went on.
It was March and my birthday was coming up.
In class the teacher informed us that we are going
to the Botanical Garden this week to see all the new
plants and flowers. When I got home from the field
trip my Aunt Laura was sitting with Mom having
coffee in the kitchen and told us about the fire in the
circus tent and it killed Uncle Max. As she left I
walked with her out to the street and she said for me
to come by and see her sometime. It was Sunday
and Kirstin and I decided to go window
shopping at the Potsdamer Platz. When we
stopped in front of Gisela's store she was
coming out of the door. We greeted her and she
informed us that Doreen is now living in West
Virginia and has a baby girl. We went on our way.
We knew that the City of Berlin was divided up
among the four major powers, and it was agreed upon
that there would be equal access for road, rail and
shipping channels to West Berlin. However, Russia
surreptitiously cut off all traffic to West Berlin.
At that time, U.S. Congress passed the
Marshall Plan for 17 billion dollars in aid for
Europe. Russia stopped all roads and rail traffic
between Berlin and the West and the U.S. air-lift
32
began. .6F--flin had only one
a l t h at : n i s i. I t
was known as Berlin Tempelhof. U.S. Air Force
planes would land and take off every minute of the
24 hours. The sky was once again filled with airplanes but we knew it was food and fuel for
Berliner's not to starve or freeze to death again.
Berlin got a Mayor again. His name was Ernst
Reuter and Harry S. Truman was elect President of
the United States.
Berlin-1949— 14 years old
The months were passing and the stores
started to fill the shelves. The year 1949 after one
year of food supplies by the air-lift the Berlin
blockade was lifted and planes started to fly
normal again. 18 wheeler trucks were driving once
again on the Autobahn. I was now going for an on
the job training as a cashier in a grocery store. To my
disappointment it was far from being a cashier. I had
to sweep the sidewalk, wash the windows, stock the
shelves and I did that for 3 months. The day came
when I was watching the routine of the cashier, it was
boring but I past my test papers knowing the prices
and counting out the change to the customers.
Greeting them with please and thank you was a
must. The first 3 hours felt like 24 hours to me.
Fortunately, I got most of my rest in the mornings at
school. When I got my first pay check I was rich. I
got all of 20 dollars for two weeks work. When I
got home I showed my Mom
33
the money and Dad jps i
sinto the kitchen. did
not have the money in my hand too long. I got 2
dollars and Dad said, don't spend it all in one
place girl. But I knew it all along as I watched my
brother hand over his check every week to Dad.
We read in the newspaper where delays at
the che ck po int s com ing in to B e rli n we re
sometimes up to 8 hours and by the time the truck
drivers got to Berlin everything was spoiled.
Russia knew that they had the power over West
Berlin. By the end of 1949 the Berlin Air-lift
stopped after 277,264 flights. Berlin was back to
normal. Konrad Adenauer was elected Chancellor to
West Germany and became a full participant under
the Marshall Plan in Berlin.
We did not have a bad winter this year and
when I got home I told my mother that the
chimney sweeper would be here today. Living on
the first floor had its advantages and
disadvantages. The advantage was no 50 steps to
climb to get to your apartment. The disadvantage
was when it is time for the chimney sweep we get
all the dust in our apartment if we didn't put wet
towels around the duck pipe. You have to picture
the sweeper 5 stories up on the roof top dropping a
large heavy ball with a brush attached to a rope
coming down all the way to the basement and then
he slowly pulls everything back to the top 2 or 3
times. We could always hear and see when he got to
our apartment. It was a mess. That is the only
34
way the large chinmey could be cleaneL, io_ a 5
story building.
Today is Sunday and David decided to take
Kirstin and me to the woods known as Lake
Gunewald. It is a large lake where in the winter the
lake would freeze and we could go ice skating. We
put our money together and went on our way by
Auto bus. It was a 20 minute ride. We spent most
of the day out on the lake which still had ice on it.
We saw ducks and large wild swans. David told us
that Doreen had a baby girl and her name is
Margaret. He also said that Doreen's girlfriend
Gisela lives in Ohio which is across the bridge
from West Virginia. He told us not to say anything
at home.
As we were walking through the woods, we
came to a restaurant and we went inside not only to
warm up but we were hungry too. With our wiener
and potato salad Kirstin and I had hot tea and
David had a pilsner beer. As we were about to
leave David stopped at a table. It was his boss
from work with his daughter. Her name was
Ursula. When we were outside he said that's the
girl I'm going to marry. It was two weeks later
when Ursula and her family came for coffee and
cake. Dad knew Klaus from work, he was his boss
also. We were all seated in the dining room and
rule number 1 is, when grown ups are talking we
are not to be heard. It was then decided with both
parents that the wedding would be in the summer
by the Justice of Peace and no church wedding as
35
midier had
E
1
1C;
money :bi it. We w(L;re happy
for
David, he was in love and also happy to get out of
the house. Kirstin and I got closer now then we
ever were before and made a pact that we would
always be together.
On weekends we would go dancing together
and always made sure that the boys we meet would
never know where we live. It was getting close to
July and David rented a hall for the wedding. It
was close to the apartment. The Justice of Peace
performed the services on Friday at 12 noon and
the reception was at 3 PM. David wore his black
suit and Ursula had a soft pink suit with yellow
roses in her hand. Her Dad, Mr. Klaus Mueller
drove them to the restaurant where we were all
waiting for the bride and groom. My Dad had
some of his friends from the band to play the
music. It was a very nice wedding.
When they got back from their two day
honeymoon they moved into a one bedroom
apartment. But it was not close to us. I read in the
Sunday paper that they renamed one of the longest
streets to Clay Alley and that President Harry S.
Truman is coming to visit Berlin. It was at that
time that a representative from the Union Hall for
musicians came to our house and gave Dad the
news that he is to play in the orchestra and play a
solo on the piano and he is to pick up the sheet
music they requested. He had a week to practice.
For one week I heard the Rhapsody in Blue by
George Gershwin and also many more American
36
songs. Dac had to give up his ay job as it kept
him very busy. Music was the job he loved most.
Mom took in ironing shirts and even uniforms and I
had besides my job help out with the ironing. The
day was here when President Truman arrived and all
the stores were closed as they wanted all
Berliners to greet him.
There was an Honor Guard marching in
front of the jeep with the American flag flying
from each side of the jeep and a motorcycle officer in
back of the jeep. It was quite a show. It was a day
of celebration for all. There were American soldiers
on trucks throwing candy bars, gum and c ration
cookies everywhere, and on the corners were
Coco Cola and orange juice given to us. When
we got home we had food for a week. At the
Tempelhof Airport that night was a big dance and
Mom let us go as she knew we liked to dance, It
ended at 10 PM with fireworks. Dad told us that they
liked the band so much that they got a job at the
Officer's Club playing 6 nights a week. The bus
would stop running at 12 midnight and Dad had to
ride his bicycle back and forth to work.
Now it was Kirstin's time to work a half day
and she decided to be a sales girl in a dairy store. Her
boss lady's name was Lena Schultz. She had four
stores and was the district manager. Lena and Mom
was friends. They were the same age and both of
them had pretty blond hair. Lena bad a son whose
name was Rene. He was four years younger than
Kirstin. In the following weeks Kirstin got to
37
uSee r.,ene more and. more, and at night wnen sne
wouid tail( about her job an i heard was Rene. The
radio was on at all times on the N.B.C. Station and
more American music was in the house again.
Slowly things went back to normal and 60 percent of
the people were working again. It was not the best
job to have, that of cleaning the mortar from the
bricks from the bombed out houses.
Berliners are hard working people and proud of
their city. During the month of August in 1952
16,000 people escaped from East Berlin to West
Berlin and once again the jobs and food was hard
to come by. It was at that time that Germany
became a member of the World Bank and money was
exchanged again. New money was printed and again
only 100 dollars was allowed to be changed per
person. Some people lost a lot of money and this
was now the 3 rd time. Now that Dad had a better
job and Mom got a new job in Tempelhof Airport,
she managed to get me a job there also. I started
working cleaning tables in the cafeteria and got paid
35 cents an hour American money. I got paid every
two weeks and decided to go that weekend to
the USO dance. They were in need of girls to dance
with the soldiers and dancing is what I do best. The
months were going by fast and it seems that we
soon forgot about the past
We accepted the soldier's way of life for the
present. It was at the dance that I met a man who
spoke very good German and asked if I would like to
go out to dinner with him. I said yes but I have
38
to be home by midnight. That Saturday I told
Kirstin that I was going out but I didn't tell her
where I was going. I met him where I worked and
he called a taxi and told the driver to Ressey Bar.
When I heard bar I got scared but decided to see
what his intentions are, When we got there to
Kurfurstendamm it was a large night club called
BOY. It was cool, it had tables and club chairs and
every table had a phone on it. We never had a
phone in our home, but there were phones on every
table. The reason was, if a guy wanted to dance
with a certain girl he would call that table as each
table had a number on it. The Ressey Bar had
dancing water on the stage with music. I loved
watching the water show as the walls displayed
lights behind the water. I had a coca cola to drink
and when I went into the ladies room I heard the
women talking. I knew from their conversation
they were hookers. When I got back to the table,
John had paid the bill and we left the bar. As we
got into the taxi and drove off we saw the police
and a large black van parking in front of the bar
and leading ladies out for prostitution. When I got
home John kissed me good night. That was the
first time I was kissed by a soldier. It was no
different than the German boy. I never saw John
again.
39
Berlin — 1953 —18 years old
It was a day I will never forget. My Mom
and Dad were sitting in the kitchen waiting for me.
Dad looked at me and handed me a letter from the
United States. He said, your sister Doreen would
like you to come to the United States and live with
her. How do you feel about that? I was in shock.
Dad continued, you' are over 18 years old and it is
your decision to make, but once you leave this
house there is no coming back you will be
completely on your own. My Mom started crying
and Kirstin said, what about me, we were never to
leave one another. A few days later I decided to go
to America. My Mom told me that there were a lot
of girls coming back from America with two or
three kids and without their husbands and no
financial help. Some girls even married black men
and had children and now these kids have to go to
our German school. But my mind was made up to
go.
The next day I took the bus to Clay Alley
where the American-German Councilor was
located. It felt like I spent all day going from one
room to the other. I had to go back in two weeks
for my 21 shots (OUCH). On Sunday I decided to
go and visit my brother David and his family. He
had three boys. They were happy to see me and we
talked for hours. He told me that he was in touch
with Doreen and she told me that her husband had
died and she has two girls and needs help. Lisa is 4
40
years old and Karin is 2 years old. She had another
girl that died at birth and now she can't go to work. I
said to David, Do you think I'm doing the right
thing? He looked at me and said I should do what I
think is best for me. Ursula was more helpful, she
said, Kristin, if it doesn't work out you can always
come back to us. She knew my Dad, when you
leave his home you don't come back you are on
your own. He spent more time with David but not
with his grand children. His theory was that the
sooner the children leave his home the sooner he
and Mom could live a life of their own without the
children around.
Berlin — 1954 —19 years old
It was September, 1954 when the papers
came in the mail and there was my ticket for the
train to Bremerhaven and from there I go on the
ship M.S Berlin to America. The train ride to
Bremerhaven would be 6 hours and the ship to
America would be 12 days. As I am reading all
this information I began to realize how far
America must be. Kirstin has been going out
steady with Rene and I hardly got to see much of
her. She was spending more time at his mother's
house. When I did get to speak to her she was cold
and indifferent to me. She said, I guess the pact
that we made about always being together meant
nothing to me. Her last words were I hate you. In
one respect Kirstin and my parents made it easy
41
for me to leave. Kirstin saying she hates me and
my parents anxious to see me leave,
The next day I went to the bank to close out
my savings account then I went to the police and
gave them my German passport. It is the law in
Germany, when you leave the city to report your
new address so they can keep track of where you
moved to. If you should ever want to find someone
all you need to do is go to the police department
and they could tell you where that person lived and
where they moved to. When I got everything in
order I started to pack. Big deal, all I had was one
dress, a skirt, a blouse and under garments, shoes,
socks and some pictures. I didn't own a watch or a
ring. I only had a locket that David gave me one
Christmas with a picture of his family. I wore it
under my sweater and I had long pants on and -a
heavy wool coat and heavy socks in my boots as
the weather was getting cold the day I left.
My Mom kissed me goodbye and told me to
send a post card and this was the first time I saw
tears in my Dad's eyes. We hugged and Kirstin said
to me that she will always love me and hope that I
would love her also. I was glad when I got to the bus
station that was to take me to the train station and
then to Bremerhaven where the ship was docked to
take me to America. I couldn't believe my eyes to
see how big that ship was. I had checked in with my
papers through customs and was then directed to
go aboard where the Steward told me that my cabin
is 4 flights below. When I
42
got to my cabin I had a roommate a lady from New
York. She was going back home after visiting her
husband in Germany. She didn't speak German
and I didn't speak English.
Her name was Irma and she was a very
pretty lady. I was tired and flopped down on the
bed and took a nap. There was a loud shrill from a
whistle coming through the cabin speaker
announcing that dinner is now being served. Irma
knew her way around the ship so I just tagged
along with her. When we got to the middle deck
there was a large room set up with a small buffet
and some beverages, it was to tie us over till the
formal dinner that evening. Every one of the crew
members spoke German which was a big help to
me. When we got back to our cabin there was a
folder on each bed. It was the dress rules for
dinner, the time dinner would be served and
instructions on how to put on the bright orange life
jacket. We were to wear the plastic string around
our neck at all times that had our name printed on it.
It felt like a field trip accept this time it was on a
ship.
I had no fancy dress clothes and Irma was
kind enough to let me have one of her long brown
skirts and my white sweater that I must say looked
good on me. We walked to the ballroom which
was set up in round tables for 10 people. The
waiters and waitresses served our 6 course meal.
After dessert, the Captain gave a speech and
informed us that the trip to America will be 12
43
days. The first stop would be in Finland, Norway
and then on to Scandinavia, Denmark and then to
Greenland. After we leave Greenland we will be
on water for 5 days without any land in sight. We
had a drill for life boats. Everyone got a number
and a place where we were to stand in case of an
emergency. With 950 passengers on board it was
necessary to have very strict rules. The next
morning I went on deck. The air was clear and I
could feel the taste of salt on my lips. All around
the ship were the usual lounges, bars, coffee room,
theater, library and a room full of all sorts of
games.
I decided to sit in one of the lounge chairs
and watched the white caps in the water. One of
the crew men came by and told me not to look at
the water too long as it could get you seasick. On
our third day out there was the image of land in the
distance and as long as you could see land your
stomach was in good shape. The water was blue
green and very clear. Along the side of the ship you
could see large fishes swimming by. When the crew
members were not on duty they were allowed to
mingle with the passengers. I asked one of them
what duty did he have. He was happy to announce
that he was the entertainment director.
When the ship docked in Scandinavia it was to
take on fuel, food and water. Greenland Harbor was
located between the Artie NS Atlantic Oceans. The
stop in Greenland was to pick up mail and
postcards. We were told that Greenland was about
44
one quarter the size of the United States. We were
allowed to go off the ship and walk around on
land. At the harbor was a sign saying that the
Thule Air Base in Greenland was home to the
American soldiers during World War 11. There
was snow on the mountain and we could see
falcons and white tailed eagles. Birds wadding in
and out of the water were catching king and cod
fish. The ship blew the whistle and it was time to
go back on board. Irma and I changed into our
dress clothes for dinner. In the evening we
watched a show that the crew members put
together and it was funny. It mimicked how people
act on board the ship and they were right.
After the show we retired into our cabin and
went to sleep. You could hear people walking in
the hallway and the sound of water splashing
against the side of the ship. I prayed to God to
keep me safe. On the third day out at sea there
were black clouds in the sky and strong winds was
blowing. The waves were hitting the side of the
ship as high as half way up to the ship's main
deck. The Captain announced through the loud
speakers that everyone go to their cabin and put on
the life jackets and go up to the ballroom. When
we got to the ballroom there was a lot of talking
and children crying. We were told that we are
about to go through a hurricane and the weather
for the next 24 hours is not looking good. We were to
stay in our cabin and sandwiches and beverages
45
will be sent to us. I could feel the ship swaying
from side to side and I was about to get sick.
I must have stayed in the bathroom for
almost an hour and when I came out I was pale
looking and Irma called for the medic. He gave me
some pills to take. For the rest of the trip I was in
bed. While in bed I heard someone say that the
waves were 40 to 50 feet over the ship. That didn't
make me feel any better. Finally, the Captain
announced that land was in sight. I got up took a
shower and Irma and I went up to the deck to see
the land. In the distance she pointed out to me was
the Statue of Liberty. As we approached the
Hoboken Shipyard, 4 tugboats one in front, one in
back and one on each side were guiding the ship
into the harbor. Then Irma pointing her finger said
Kristin there's New York City and that tall
building is the Empire State Building.
It took the tugboats 2 hours to bring the ship
into the harbor and for us to get off the ship. On
shore people were talking but I didn't understand a
word they were saying. Now I realized how the deaf
people must feel. I was fascinated with all the tall
buildings in New York. People were waving
American flags and yelling hello and I was looking
for my sister Doreen. When I made my way down
to the pier I was told to go to the Big L and they
will check my papers and after that I was on my
own in a strange country.
46
United States --1954 —19 years old
Welcome to the United States of America.
There I stood for hours waiting for Doreen. It was
getting dark and it started to rain. One of the
custom agents came over by me and spoke in
German, Are you lost? I am waiting for my sister
to pick me up I told him I hope she gets here soon
as this gate will be closing at 6 PM now I was
really scared. What will I do if she doesn't get here
in time? Where will I go? I heard the gates starting
to close and I was getting panicky when all of a
sudden I heard my name being called Kristin,
Kristin I'm here. My heart was about to jump out
of my skin. When I saw her she looked like an old
farm woman just coming out of the field. But I was
still glad to see her. We hugged and she said let's
get something to eat and go to the hotel room. It
was the best night's sleep I had in 4 days. The next
morning we checked out of the hotel and stopped
at McDonald's for breakfast. I was hungry and
food was able to stay in my stomach.
Doreen ordered a lot of food to go. I was
wondering why so much food to go. When we left,
we walked about 30 minutes and then I saw a large
bus with a long dog on its side. She told me that it
was a greyhound bus and it will take us to
Parkersburg, West Virginia. That information was
all Greek to me. The bus was loading and we
found a window seat. As I look around I noticed
that people here dress different than how German
47
people dress when they go on a trip. As we drove
out of the station there were many tall buildings
and I guess I fell asleep. The next thing I
remembered, we were on a two lane road. Farm
land was every where and every so often I would
see a house and then a horse and a buckeye. I
asked Doreen how much longer till we get to her
house. She said only another 5 hours. It seemed to
me that I would never get there and I was getting
tired of traveling. The bus stopped and she said we
are here in Parkersburg, West Virginia, and
disappointedly I said is this where you live?
It was dark and cold when we got off the
bus. The driver handed me my suitcase. We had
stopped in front of the general store. When Doreen
opened the door the old lady said hello Doreen this
must be your sister Kristin from Germany. Every
time Doreen spoke English she repeated it in
German to me. Well, not all the time. Lights came
through the window someone was just driving up to
pump gas for his car and when he finished he gave
us a ride to Doreen's house. We stopped in front of
a two story brick house, she thanked the man and
he drove off. Doreen opened the door and two girls
were calling out Mommy, Mommy you home.
There was an elderly lady knitting in a chair.
Doreen said hello mutchen, and that word I
understood, it means Mom. She called her two
daughters and said come and meet your Aunt
Kristin. I am Lisa and she held up 4 fingers to
48
indicate that she was 4 years old and Karin held up 3
fingers.
It was late and Doreen took me to the
basement where there was a couch made into a
bed. There was a bucket in the corner for me to use
for the night and on the table was a big bowl and a
pitcher with water to wash up. Good night Kristin
she said and I said good night to her. I slept with
my clothes on because it was cold and I cried most of
the night. The next thing I heard was footsteps
running back and forth from the living room I got
up washed my face with cold water it woke me up
fast. I changed my clothes and went up the steps to
the living room. Mutchen and Doreen were fixing
breakfast. There was a round table with a man
sitting reading the papers. We all spoke German in
the house and I learn that the man was Mutchen's
husband and they were going back to Germany
after being with Doreen for 4 years. As I found out
more about the way Doreen and the family was
living I was surprised that the couple stayed that
long.
It was bad during the war where I grew up
but this was hell. The toilet was behind the house
(outhouse). The water in the house was cold and
had to be heated on the kitchen stove. She did have
central heat but was low at all times. She gave me
some of her winter clothes and rubber boots where
the snow was waiting for me to go across the yard
to the toilet. The next day was Sunday. We all
dressed up and walked to church where I met her
49
sister-m-iaw Wanda and Jack Dreamer. All the
people in church came to greet me and all I could
say was hello and smile. It was then that I found
out that the church took up a collection for my trip.
Bill, Doreen's husband helped some of the
ranchers get their cattle back to the ranch. There
was a blizzard that night and snow was deep on the
ground. The farmers went out by horse and got
separated and Bill's horse broke a leg in a deep
hole and the rifle went off and shot him dead. They
found the horse 3 days later frozen.
I did not like my new life in America and
especially not being a house keeper and baby sitter
and there was no place to go accept the grounds
around the house. Doreen let me write home once a
month but only on a post card so she could read
what I was writing. I often wondered if she sent my
post cards to Germany. I had gotten no mail from
any one in a month. In Parkersburg, West Virginia,
most of the people were coal miners or ranchers
and there were no factories. Doreen worked in a
grocery store and a part time teacher in school
teaching German. It was Sunday and a sunny day.
Summer was here and every thing was green and
the trees had fruit on them. A large white car drove
up in front of the house. It was Gisela from Ohio.
She had married a soldier at the same time Doreen
did. Her husband was a wealthy man. He was the
inventor of the Shakespeare Rod and Reel Fishing
Pole. He died of a heart attack a year ago.
50
We talked a long time as she looked at me and
said Kristin you look unhappy. I just said Gisela
you lived and grew up in Berlin, just look around.
Then she said I am here to change all that. Doreen
got back from the kitchen and gave us both a look as
if to say you're talking behind my back again. Gisela
said, Doreen I have a friend in New Jersey that will
help you get a job in the factory. I'll buy you a
small house and life will get better for all of you.
You helped me when my husband died and now
it's my turn to help you, after all isn't that what
friends are for? We moved to Harrison, New
Jersey. It was a big city and it had three bedrooms
and had everything a house should have.
Nevi Jersey --1957 — 22 years old
Doreen worked in Western Electric and I got a
job at R.C.A. making television tubes working from
midnight to 7 AM 5 nights a week. I had to give
Doreen half of my money each week besides taking
care of the children while she was working. I was
happy we left West Virginia. I started to speak
some English now. Captain Kangaroo and Mr.
Green Jean were my best teachers. Lisa and Karin
were talking to me in English. I made friends
with some of the girls at work and they were
going to a dance that Saturday night. I told Doreen
that I am 22 years old and I am going out. You
should have seen the look in her eyes If looks
51
could kill 1 would be dead. She didn't believe in
dancing, drinking and having fun. But when she
got a letter from Gisela letting her know that when
her vacation is coming up they are going on a
cruise ship for 10 days and they did.
When she got back that was all she talked
about for a week. Gisela found a new man in her
life and so did Doreen. His name was Joe Porno
and the children loved him. After a couple of
months they started to call him daddy Joe around
the house. When I told Doreen the time has come
for me to move on she had a fit telling me that she
could have me deported back to Germany.
However, I knew better. I learned a lot. I was not
the dummy she thought I was. I learned what I
could and could not do as an immigrant. I found a
room in Harrison with a widow lady that loved
baseball especially Mickey Mantle of the New
York Yankees. I felt at home since I had the run of
the house. She loved me as if I would have been
the daughter she never had. I got laid off from
work and had to move on. It was the end of 1958
when my girl friend and I moved to Wrightstown,
New Jersey located between Fort Dix and
McGuire Air Base.
Wrightstown, New Jersey — 1953 — 23 years old
Linda had a Studebaker car and we had only
our clothes and a few boxes. I closed out my
savings account from the bank. When I got home
52
that night I had mail from Doreen telling me that
she is coming to see me and that she and Joe are
married. I called her on the phone and said don't
bother I am moving on with my life and before she
could say anything I hung up. When Linda and I
got to Wrightstown we rented a two bedroom
house. It was outside Wrightstown and almost in
the woods. We were glad to see it was furnished
with a washer and dryer. After a few days we went
to find a job. Linda went to the military base and I
walked up and down the streets looking for any
help wanted signs in the windows. I came to a
restaurant with a sign saying waitress help wanted, I
went inside applied for the job and was hired.
The owners were very nice to me. From my
speaking with them they knew that I was not an
American. I told them that I was born and raised-in
Berlin, Germany. After 2 hours they knew the
story of my life. They liked me and made me feel
like I was one of their family members. As the
year was coming to an end I had notified
Washington, D.C, as to my new address and where I
was working. This was a requirement that I had to
do every year till I make my Naturalization
(Citizen Papers) of the United States.
Being a waitress didn't make me rich but it
paid the bills and every week I got a letter from
Kirstin. She would tell me about the news from
home and how she misses dancing with me. After
working in the diner for about 5 months I was
offered a job across the street in a bar and grill and
53
I told my boss and his wife about the new job offer
and they were happy for me and told me to keep in
touch with them. Every day after I would finish
working I would go to the diner and talk with them
for a while as they were like family to me and
helped me when I needed a job and a friend.
When I got home from work, I had two
letters waiting for me. I turned on the radio and
they were playing "You're nothing but a Hound
Dog". I opened the first letter from Doreen and she
said that she was having a baby and they were
moving back to West Virginia where Joe is
working full time teaching masonry and she will
be teaching German. It is close to a park where
they bought their 3 bedroom red brick house and at
the end of the letter she had written that by the
time you get this letter so did the Immigration
Office in Washington, D.C. saying I am no longer
your sponsor. They will probably send you back
where you belong. I started to cry again. She just
can't see me happy. Then I opened Kirstin's letter
and as always she was full of news. My brother
David now has 5 boys and I girl. The oldest boy is 5
years old. She is now the manager of the store
where she was working and is moving out of the
house and that Mom and Dad are moving to a one
bedroom apartment on the third floor where they
have an elevator and the apartment is facing the
street. I wish you would come back home to visit.
I'll make sure you have a place to sleep.
54
Linda called me on me phone saying sne
would pick me up in one hour we are going to the
club for dinner. When she picked me up I saw a
man in the driver's side. This is Andy, my friend
he is taking us to the club. We stopped at the gate
and he signed us in a book. When we got to the
N.C.O. Club there were a lot of soldiers and we
got seated by a hostess. I was watching her routine. I
liked what she was doing and asked how you go
about getting a job on the base. Linda was a big
help to me in filling out the papers.
When I got back to my job at the bar and
grill I showed Doreen' s letter to Nicole my boss lady
and she told me not to worry she would speak to her
husband about sponsoring me. Within a week the
papers were on the way to Washington, D.C., their
lawyer handled everything. Weeks gone into months
and I noticed a soldier in his Air-Force uniform
hanging around the bar more often. Nicole winked
at me to come to the back when she pointed out
the guy at the bar. His name is William he has asked
a lot of questions about you. Go over and talk to him.
I was wiping the bar with a towel and slowly moving
closer in his direction. When I stopped in front of
him I lost my heart to that black curly hair and those
blue eyes. I was in love. He said hello Schatzi
(sweetheart in German) I melted like snow in the
sunshine. After a while he talked me into meeting
him that evening It was time for me to get off
from work and I knew he was waiting outside.
Wrong. I waited for 10 minutes
55
and went home. There to my surprise was William
waiting for me in a black 4 door Buick. We went to
a drive-in movie and that is all I write about for that
night.
One day Linda told me that she was moving
out. She is getting married before moving to New
Mexico with her husband. Again I cried. It seems
that every time some thing good is happening to
me some thing bad comes along. I was dancing
with my dish towel to the music in the kitchen
when William was watching me from the window.
So you like to dance. Yes, I love to dance. Well then
we'll go to the club tonight they have a very good
band playing. We danced all night and then I found
out that he was a Club Steward in charge of the bar,
the dining room and booking the entertainment. I
was cooking more and more at home for William
and he liked the home life we kept together. Then
one evening he asked me if I would marry him. The
dreamer that I was I was in shock. It was so cold,
no ring, no flowers it was too fast for me. Ask me in
a month or two I said. I can't I'm leaving for
England in 3 weeks. It was not a very good night for
me so I told him to leave.
Wrightstown, NJ. — 19611— 25 years old
It was New Year's Eve and I went to the NCO
Club party, hoping that the year 1960 that I will be
with William again. I don't know what made me
think of Aunt Laura. When she read my
56
palm at one of my visits-to her house she told me
never to tell anyone what she is about to tell me.
As she was reading my palms she started to cry.
Kristin I see a lot of water and I see a lot of
hardship for you and also a lot of tears. More than
most people have in their lifetime. I see 2 or 3
children in your life and a long and lonely life but it
comes with a lot of money more than you can
ever spend. I was looking up to the stars and said
to myself I have a lot waiting for me. On my
birthday in. March everyone at the bar was singing
to me and the kitchen door opened up and out
came a big cake with 25 candles on it and the best
birthday present of all was when William came
walking up to me and said happy birthday
sweetheart. He was on a 6 day leave from England. It
was the best birthday I can remember. .
Nicole and her husband handed me a large
brown envelop with the papers for my citizenship. I
was to report to the courthouse in Trenton, New
Jersey at 10 AM in two weeks. I was so happy I
started to cry. The champagne was going to my
head and I got sick. When I woke up the next
morning there was a ring on my left finger and
William was in the kitchen cooking breakfast. The
day came for William to fly back to England and
he promised to send for me. I was offered a job at
the club but declined the offer and stayed at the bar
and grill, they were my family and I made a lot of
friends working there.
57
It was the big day tor me. We drove to
Trenton and as we got close to the courthouse I
started to get butterflies in my stomach. In the
court room there were a lot of people and we were
seated on a bench facing the judge. When the
judge called to his desk he said, Miss Kristin
Klemm can you read? I said yes. He handed me a
comic strip from the paper it was Peanuts as I was
reading about a sentence or two he said that's fine
can you write? Again I said yes. He handed me a
pen and said write your full name on this line
where my picture was on the Naturalization Paper.
He stamped it and gave me a copy with an
American flag. We all stood up and with our right
hand held up high we said the pledge allegiance to
the American flag. I was now a proud American
and all without the help of my sister Doreen.
William has been in England about 3
months now. I would get mail from him every
week but no menti on of me coming over to
England. I was getting restless and asked for a two
week vacation. I booked my flight with Lufthansa
Airline from Trenton to New York then to
Dusseldorf and to Berlin Tempelhof Airport. I
called Kirstin and gave her the time and date of my
arrival. I also told William how long I was going to
stay in Berlin and I could stop over in London if he
wanted to meet me. I went shopping for gifts to bring
with me and I started packing my luggage. Harold
and Nicole took me to the airport and wished
me a good trip. Nicole pinned a small
American nag on my Jacket and said hurry back
home we miss you. I started to cry again. I hey
were the best people and friend I ever met. I
learned that good people are hard to come by. As I
was sitting in my seat on the airplane flying over
the Atlantic Ocean I thought to myself at least it
won't take me 12 days to get there.
Berlin — 1960 — 25 years old
When I arrived at the Berlin Templehof
Airport it was almost 6 PM. I got my luggage and
saw Kirstin standing there with flowers in her
hand. It was quite a homecoming for me. As we
went out to the parking lot there was my brother
David sitting in a Volkswagen bus waiting on us.
Standing next to him I felt short since he is 6 feet
tall. As we drove along the streets I felt lost and he
kept saying do you know where you're at? Some of
it I remembered but others were still bombed out.
As we stopped in front of the large apartment house
I almost forgot what they looked liked.
We went to Kirstin apartment on the second
floor. She opened the door and showed me to the
bedroom and I put my luggage to the side. In the
living room she had the coffee table set and we had
sandwiches and hot tea. She then showed me
around and a smile came upon my face. Kirstin
asked what is so funny and I said indoor plumbing
and we both could not stop laughing. I told her
59
about the - West Virginia toilet. We then went to
bed and it didn't take me long to fall asleep.
It was Sunday morning and the sun was
shining through the window. I telephoned my
parents and my mother answered the phone. Hello
Mom, this is Kristin and I could tell by the sound of
her voice that I must have awakened her out of bed,
Call back later she said and hung up. I came all this
way to hear that but I wasn't going to let that spoil
my visit. About 12 noon Kirstin and I bought
flowers to bring to Ursula, and a box of chocolates
for the children. When we got to my brother's
apartment Kirstin started to laugh I asked what was
so funny and she said here we go again 50 steps to
the fifth floor. Well at least it keeps you young and
your heart pumping. When we got to the top floor
Ursula opened the door and all her children
gathered around her. It looked like a kindergarten.
David came to the door and all he said was
kids in your room and in no time the hallway was
cleared of kids. We hugged and were glad to see
each other again. Dinner was served in the dining
room and all the 6 kids ate in the kitchen. After
dinner David called the kids into the room. This is
Aunt Kristin from America. They were lined up
with the oldest boy 9 years old right down to the
last boy 5 years old and the 4 year old girl was
sitting on Ursula's lap. I gave them their present
from America and they went into their room.
Ursula made coffee that I gave her and David put
6U
the bottle of brandy and beer on the table and put
on some (imam records. It was a nice afternoon.
When we were ready to leave he asked if we
were going to see Mom and Dad. I looked at
Kirstin and she said I'll drop you off but I really don't
want to go and see them right now. I got the
message. No, I said call them from Kirstin's
apartment. Aufwiederschen (Bye). That evening I
telephoned my parents and there was no answer. The
next day Kirstin and I went down town
shopping. Most of the stotres were rebuilt and the
Kurfuratendamm looked like 5th Avenue in New
York City. We took the double Decker bus to the
Adenauerplatz and just started walking and
window shopping. Everything was more European
b ut n ot l ik e I r e me mb e r e d i t . Th e r e we r e
department stores and the big Ka De We was the
oldest mall. It had 5 floors and each floor had a
different department. I always liked the 2'1 floor with
the porcelain and colored glassware and the tall
vases and the jewelry from the roaring 20's and
30's which was the fashion of the 60's.
As we got to Kurfurstendamm, Kirstin
pointed out to me that on this long main street
there are about a dozen malls now. If we were to
walk it one way it would take about 2 hours. I saw
the big Kaffee (coffee) House with the big
umbrella chairs it was a nice day and we sat down
and had coffee and cheesecake outside and I
watched the people going by. I was home and not
as a tourist. Most of the waiters spoke English.
61
Later we took the bus to the Brandenberg Gate
where I remember the Russians stole the triumphal
Chariot pulled by four horses. When we got there,
there were many tourists and I over heard some of
them speaking English. It is Berlin's famous
landmark. It is standing right now divided by the
wall of East Berlin and check point Charley in
West Berlin.
Brandenberg Gate
The Brandenberg Gate is the most
impressive landmark and It is the symbol o f
Berlin. On top of the gate which is the entrance to
Berlin is a four horse chariot and when Russia
invaded Berlin the very first thing they did was to
dismantle the chariot because it was made of solid
gold. The gate has six supporting columns
forming five entrances from major roadways and
pedestrian traffic leading into Berlin. The gate was a
sign of peace and it was one of the few structures to
survive in the Pariser Platz Ruins in. 1945. In
1963, United States President John F. Kennedy made
his first visit to the Brandenberg Gate. In 1987,
U.S. President Ronald Reagan delivered a speech to
the West Berliners at the gate to tear down the
Berlin Wall.
62
mriin Watii
It was a quiet sunny Sunday morning,
August 13, 1961. The noise of heavy construction
machinery woke the people in Berlin from their
sleep. As they got up to inspect the source of the
noise they had seen some thing that was about to
change their life style. The Russians were
installing a barbed wire fence to prevent the
Berliners living in the east side of Berlin that was
under the control of the Russian government
known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR) to
escape to the west side that was under the jurisdiction
of the United States, Great Britain and France that
had united together to create a Democratic
Germany, more commonly referred to as the Federal
Republic of Germany (FRG).
The barbed wire fence that separated Berlin
was 96 miles long. The East Berliners were
disappointed with the Russian communist ways
and were escaping through the barbed wire
openings. It was estimated that approximately
1500 East Berliners were fleeing to the west side.
The Russians quickly put a stop to this mass
exodus and in 24 hours they put up concrete
barriers parallel to the barb wire fence but up a 100
yards further in. The area between the two fences
was known as the death zone. Spot lights were lit
all night long and patrolled by Russian soldiers.
Anyone entering this area would be shot on the
spot. The concrete bather wall completely shut off
63
the west side trom the east side disrupting
subways, railways and telephone services.
The Berlin Wall created hardships for
Berliners from both sides. When West Berliners
were visiting family members or friends in the East
Berlin section during the weekend when the wall
was completed were not permitted to return to their
homes on the west side. Likewise, East Berliners
who worked in the west side were discharged from
their jobs. However, after the wall was completed
certain sections were opened to allow tourists from
other countries, political diplomats and military
personnel to enter East Berlin. The main crossing
point at Berlin Friedrichstrasse wes named check
point Charlie. There was a Russian soldier
marching in front of the monument for the dead
Unknown Soldier. In 1989 the Berlin Wall that
was located west of the Brandenberg Gate was
completely demolished.
When we got home Kirstin called Rene and
made a time for the next day for me to meet his
mother. That evening I called my Mom and asked
when it is best for me to come by to see her and
she said that Wednesday about 4 PM would be fine
a n d e ac h d a y wa s l ik e t h e d a y b e f o r e ti ll
Wednesday came. I had butterflies in my stomach
when I stood in front of the apaitinent. I rang the bell
and a voice said hello. Mom it is me Kristin and
she pushed the buzzer to open the front door. I
hugged my Mom and Dad but it wasn't the same
64
as I remembered it as a child. I gave my Dad
cigarettes and Mom the coffee. She said that she
couldn't drink that coffee because it was too strong
for her and that I should give it to Lena. I was hurt. I
saw a large picture of Doreen and her two girls on
the wall but nothing from David's family or
Kirstin or myself. We had small talk and the two
hours that I was there was boring. They had no
interest in what I had to say. I left the apartment
and took a long walk looking around my old
school and where we used to live. I stopped at the
baker where I grew up and said hello and then I
went to the places I used to hang out at like the
park and the movie house.
It was not the same any more. I was glad to
see the stores having food again and the streets
were clean I was hoping to run into some of my old
friends from school but found out that most of them
moved away. When I got back Kirstin said well,
did you have a nice visit? Now you know why I
didn't want to go with you. They make you feel
unwelcome arid they wonder why no one comes to
visit them. The next day I got to meet Lena, Rene's
mother a widow but I found out later that she was
divorced. Her husband was a drunk. Rene was
working for a company that makes washing
machines, dryers, vacuum cleaners, electronics
etc.
She is a very elegant lady and is proud of her
son. But I also got the feeling that he is a big
momma's boy. Her apartment was elegantly
65
designed with nothing but the best furniture ana
the upholstery damask like cotton. She was
wearing an elegant black and white dress. Her
blond hair was neatly made up. She served dinner on
dishes with white and gold around the edges and
the silverware was gold also. I gave Kirstin a nod
with my foot under the table and she gave me a
look indicating that Lena was putting on the Ritz.
Before we sat down Lena said to her son go wash
your hands and show Kristin my bathroom and
Kirstin and I will use the other bathroom and share
the same towel.
I was glad when it was time to leave. Rene
drove us home in his black BMW. That evening
asked Kirstin are you really going to marry Rene?
Yes. Then what are you waiting for? It's his
mother, she doesn't like me. What about Rene
does he love you? Yes and I think it will be soon.
You know Kristin I'm the only single one in the
family. Yes, I know and if you keep on waiting
you'll be too old to have children.
Kirstin took Saturday off because I was
flying out on Sunday and it would be our last time
together. We drove to Peacock Island from there
we took the train to Grunewald Lake and then the
ferry across the lake. Peacock Island is one of
Berlin's most enchanting unspoiled places where you
can find roses of all kinds and peacocks wandering
around the grounds. After two hours of walking we
stopped for lunch. I had a long wiener (hot dog),
potato salad and a kindle beer that is
66
made right here in Berlin. When we got home had
mail from William informing me that he will be
w ai tin g fo r me at the a ir po rt bagg ag e
department and he has good news to tell me. Berlin
was not home for me any more and I couldn't wait to
be with William. David left a note at Kirstin's house
saying that we were to go to the corner beer garden
on Sunday noon and everyone including Mom and
Dad will be there to say goodbye to Kristin. Sunday
was a warm sunny day and the beer garden had a
nice set up for us with a large round table with
white table cloth and chairs around the table.
There were cheese, lunch meat, nuts, fruits and
other goodies. The women had wine to drink and
the men had their beer. Children had soda and
lemonade. For some reason my father kept yelling
at David's children and I could see by the
expression on David's face that he didn't like
that. After two hours I got up and thanked
everyone for coming and went back to Kirstin's
apartment to pack. David and I hugged for a long
time and I had the feeling that I would never see
him again.
Trenton, N.J. ---1960 — 25 years old
When I stepped off the plane in Trenton,
New Jersey I knew that this was my home from
now on. William was waiting for me and we
hugged for a long time as lovers normally do. The
next day we got the marriage license and in three
67
days we were married by the Justice of Peace in
Trenton. We had invited about 30 friends. There
was a buffet set up by the cooks at the N.C.O. Club
with cold beer and an open self service bar. The
party lasted till midnight. The next day was
Sunday and the guys all sat around the club
watching football and the women were parading
around in white t shirts and shorts.
Altus Air-Force Base - Aitus, Oklahoma - 19U;
The following week William and I were
busy packing and we loaded the rented U-Haul to
drive to William's new assignment, the Air-Force
Base in Ultus, Oklahoma. Ultus is located in the
southwest side of Oklahoma. As we were driving
towards the base all we could see were cotton and
wheat fields. At the base was a big sign, welcome to
SAC know as Strategic Air Command, home of the
B47/KC97 Squadron and an air refueling
squadron. It was 35 miles to the nearest town and
there were no homes near the base. Nothing but
fields and wide open spaces. At the gate William
was told to park the truck and open the door so the
MP could inspect what we were bringing in. We
were told to lock the truck and a van will come by to
take us to a room where we will stay over night. The
next morning we were taken to the base, finger
printed, had our pictures taken and went to an
orientation class for two hours.
Altus Air-Force Base was a missile base and
there were missiles scattered all over within a 40
mile radius of the base. Atter our clearance we
were told to pick up our Base Housing Papers and
the key for the home we will be living in. The Staff
Sgt. handed everything to William and said
welcome to Altus Air Base, Staff Sgt William
Monahan. As we drove to the house we past a lot of
houses with children playing outside. The car
radio was playing Lets do the Twist. William
backed the U-Haul in the driveway and he said to
me well my love this is home for the next three
years. I was glad to hear that as I was getting tired of
moving around. One of the neighbors came over to
welcome us to the neighborhood and asked if we
needed any help.
We accepted his offer. His name was Fred
and he got on the phone and before we knew it
there were 5 of them and the U Haul was emptied in
no time. Fred said to William if you're not working
tomorrow I'll go with you to take the truck back
and we were no longer strangers. Fred said you're
going to find out that we are one big happy family
on this base. William had three days to get settled
and he took advantage of it. When he went to work I
was busy unpacking and making friends with the
people on our block. Getting around the base
without a car was no problem, every 30 minutes a
van would take you to any place on the base. I went
grocery shopping and as usual I always buy more
than I should. I had 5
69
bags of groceries the driver asked if I needed help
bringing the bags in, I said yes thank you.
The month went by fast and I hardly got to see
William. He would go to work at 9 AM and don't
get home until after 10 PM and on his day off he
would play golf with the guys. The ladies invited me
to the club and play bingo and card games but
that was not for me. That evening when William
came home for dinner I saw a car in. the driveway.
Look what I bought us, a Studebaker. The guy was
being shipped out and had to sell it fast I got it real
cheap. It was good to have the car now William
could come home more often even if it's only for 30
minutes. It was getting close to the New Year and
that New Year's Eve I went to the club to the party.
When I got to the NCO Club I saw William outside
having a cigarette. I went outside to join him he
looked so sharp with his black pants, white dinner
jacket and black bow tie. He took my arm and we
went inside the club to join the party. I met a lot of
husbands and wives. Some of the women talked
about why their husbands couldn't be here
tonight. They had to guard the silos where the
chemicals were for the missiles. And the missiles had
to be prepared to launch at any time. I got a job at
the NCO Club as a waitress in the dining room and
William was working in the Officer's Club.
Husbands and wives were not permitted to
work in the same place at the same time. I liked my
job. I met a lot
70
of nice people and made good tips t was happy and I
was busy.
uttus Air-r oree base — 196z — 21 years ova
It was November when I round out that I was
three months pregnant. When William came home
that evening he had flowers and a big smile on his
face. Dr. Applebee told William that he was going to
be a father. William called his parents and gave them
the news. As we got closer to the end of the year I
was working part time. I was getting big and gained
a lot of weight I did however, go to the New Year's
Eve party and at midnight William kissed me and
took me home. For my birthday in March the girls
gave me a baby shower in one of their homes and I
was crying again. I was also scared because this
was my first delivery. In May, 1962 I was in the
hospital and on the 10th it was Mother's Day and I
had a son 9 lbs. 8 oz. and 21 inches long. When I
woke up after the spinal tap I saw red roses by my
bed and William's parents had arrived. They
were a big help to me. His mother took care
of the baby while I was recovering after having
29 stitches because the baby was so big. They
bought a bed for the baby, his mother would feed
the baby change his diapers and dress him and when
the baby cried at night she would get up and rock
him to sleep again. I don't know how I would have
managed without them here. We named the baby
Donald.
71
When I was able to get up out of bed we had
lengthy conversations. I got to know all about
them and they knew my background. I learned that
Rose and John Monahan were actually pioneers.
They were members of a bucket brigade. They
would spend many nights sleeping under the stars
and cooking over an open fire and they made sure
that they had plenty of water when they crossed
the desert. The water was kept in a leather buffalo
skin pouch. On cold nights they said, you would
see a lot of mountain goats, bobcats and antlers. I
could picture in my mind what they were saying
from watching a lot of cowboys and Indian
pictures on television. After being with us for a
couple of months it was time for them to move on.
They left us their Ford station wagon. They were
going back home on the greyhound bus. They
wanted to see some of the country going back.
William was back at the NCO Club, and I
was to go to the Officer's Club. The base had a free
nursery and I was able to go back to work. William
made it a point not to spend long hours at the club
so we could spend more time together and with the
baby. He was a good father but he didn't know how
to change the diapers. Donald was now 7 months
old and it was his first Christmas. We were both
very busy with the holidays working. William came
home one evening with the station wagon full of
boxes and a red fire wagon for the baby. When he
pulled up in the driveway he honked the horn and
the baby was about to run out
72
to greet his tather but 1 stopped him because I
didn't want the baby to get in the habit of running
out of the house on his own. Even though he was
only 7 months old he was walking. That Christmas
he got a lot of toys. We both had to work for New
Year's Eve and we had a woman come him for a
couple of days to take care of the baby
It was in June, 1963, I was cooking in the
kitchen when the news on television was showing
President John F. Kennedy on the Berlin steps in
front of the Brandenberg Gate giving a speech Ich
bin ein Berliner. I almost burnt the chicken
watching the television. When William came home
for lunch he said did you see your hometown on
television? At that time little Donald came running
out of his room saying Daddy, Daddy, we both
looked at each other. His first word was Daddy and
not Mommy. We talked about getting our vacation
together and drive down to Grove, Oklahoma. It
would be about a 10 hour drive. The baby would
have his toys to play with and for most of the trip
he would sleep on a blanket in the back of the
station wagon.
The first stop we made was in Lauton,
Oklahoma then on to highway 44 to Oklahoma
City and then to Tulsa on to the Roger turnpike
and then to Grove about 60 more miles. As we
crossed a large bridge William said that this is the
Grand Lake of the Cherokee Indians. Oklahoma
has many Indian tribes. One of them is Nowater,
where I was born. I don't know if my brother Jud
73
is going to make the trip this year he lives m
Wichita, Kansas. He works for the Bell South
Phone Company selling ads for the yellow pages.
We're here he said as we stopped in front of a
large house with green grass all around. Mom and
Dad Monahan were waiting for us on the front
porch. We emptied the station wagon and went
into the kitchen and had sandwiches and coffee
and beer. Donald went out to the closed in sun
porch to play and then he fell asleep. The trip took
us 12 hours.
The next day I woke up from the smell of
coffee and it was very quiet in the house. Where is
everyone? I asked. Dad and William are out
fishing and Patty from next door is out side
pushing Donald in his red fire wagon. Bessie, Rose
said, this is Kristin. I hugged her and said I heard a
lot about you from your nephew William. Yes, like
what? That you lived in Eldorado, Kansas for 20
years and that you had a motel with many rooms
and you were there during the gold rush and the
laying of the gas pipe line. You know more about
me than I know about you. Just then Patty came in
with little Donald. We heard the car door closing
and Dad and William came in with a lot of fish they
caught. Rose said if you want them for dinner
tonight we better sit down and clean them up.
We had catfish, fried potatoes, corn on the
cob and corn bread. I asked Mom Monahan if she
like fishing. She said I'd rather fish than eat them.
Will you teach me how to fish? I asked. Maybe
74
Saturday well nave Patty take care of the baby and
the four of us can go out fishing. Just then the
phone rang and it was Jud saying that he couldn't
get off from work and we could stop by to see him
on our way back to the base. While we were doing
the dishes John and William were watching
television and the rest of the evening we sat on the
sun porch. That night in bed. I said to William that
he has a very nice family. They are so warm and
make you feel welcomed in their home
The next morning William and T and Donald
went for a walk. When we got to the corner
William said that this is Grove's busy section.
There was a fishing supply store, a post office, a
hospital, a school, a couple of churches, a grocery
store, a gas station and a restaurant called home
cooking. William said if you want to know
anything about any body this is the place to go. As
we were walking back to the house one of
William's fishing buddies from his school days
stopped to say hello. At the house Rose was
preparing another dinner for tonight.
On Saturday they took me fishing with
them. They put the worm as bait on the line for
me. .I cast the line in the water and I caught my
first fish. Dad Monahan said that I had to take the
fish off the line myself. He showed me how and at
the end of the day I caught more fish than they did.
While we were driving home I asked if we were
going fishing again and no one answered. It was
time to pack our station wagon and head for home
75
at the base. Wnen we arrived there was a letter tor
me from Kristin telling me that she and Rene are
getting married in July, 1964. I was back at work
one day when I fainted and the next thing I
remembered was waking up in the emergency
ward and Dr. Applebee standing there. We have to
take some test to see what happened. As he was
talking I fell asleep. I heard him say, Kristin wake
up this is not a hotel. Congratulation, you are three
months pregnant. I looked at him and said here we
go again. But please this time let me be the one to
tell William the news. When I got home William
was sitting reading the newspaper.
Is there any thing important in the news? I
asked. Yes. They finally came to their senses. Who
and how? I asked. The U.S.S.R, Great Britain, and
the United States banned the nuclear testing. Well
then now it's my turn to give you some more good
news. And what might that be? He asked. You are
going to be another daddy. When? Oh! Around
February and as for perfect timing the music on the
radio was playing "Love Makes the World go
Round". William got up from his chair and kissed
me and said that it was the best birthday present I
could ask for. He would be 33 years old on August
25th. We went to see the movie Judgment at
Nuremberg. I didn't like the movie because it
brought back too many unpleasant memories. That
time of the war I want to forget.
On November 22, 1963, the air base was put
on red alert when the news came over the radio
76
and television that President John F. Kennedy was
assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas,
Texas. All flags were at half mast and all holiday
parties were cancelled. I was scared and I cried.
William called me and told me to stay in the house
and lock the doors and windows, after four hours
the red alert was over. That year Christmas was
very quiet. There were no parties even in the
homes and we watched the funeral on television. I
don't think I will ever forget that little boy
standing there watching his daddy being put to
rest.
Altus Air Force Base — 19O4 — 29 years old
The year 1964 was rapidly approaching and I
had 3 more weeks to work till the baby comes into
the world. I am hoping for a girl. William is
watching golf where Arnold Palmer wins his 4th
Master Tournament since 1958 and I said to him I
guess I will always be second to your golf or
fishing. That night I had sharp pains in my back
and I went into the kitchen to get a glass of milk
when I felt water running down my legs. My water
just broke and it was time for the hospital. William
called the baby sitter and he drove me to the
hospital. He didn't stay. The nurse made me feel
comfortable and after assimilation she called the
doctor. When Dr. Applebee read my chart he said
that they are going to take some blood and run
some tests.
77
Atter the tests I had an ultra sound and I saw
the baby's head and feet. The next morning when I
woke up William was at my bed side. I knew I
didn't have the baby yet because I was still big.
You don't look happy I said to William. What is
wrong? Nothing, I was just hoping that it was over. I
was in labor for the next 24 hours and in pain.
The girls told me that I was scared. I was given a
spinal shot and it put me to sleep. When I woke up
the nurse gave me the baby and said that it was a
boy. I said to William well it looks like you are
going to have another fishing and golf pallier. I
didn't get to hold him long the nurse took the baby
and I was given a needle and I fell asleep. When I
woke up William was standing by my bed crying
and I knew that something was wrong.
Dr. Applebee came into the room and held my
hand and said I'm sorry Kristin, we did all we could
but after 3 hours the baby died. At first I couldn't
believe my ears. This can't be happening to me and
then he said the heart was on the wrong side and had
no room to beat I was given another needle and was
doped up for the next three days. Wh e n I wa s
t a k en ho me I wa s in a d al e I remember Mom
Monahan and little Donald were glad to see me but I
was in no mood to see or talk to anyone. They
didn't tell me till three months later that the baby
was cremated. I went back to work and found no
peace for a long time. Thank God that William was
very patient with me and I
78
told him no more children. I was =aid it would
happen again.
I got a letter from Kirstin telling me that the
wedding day is getting closer and they decide to
get married at the Justice of Peace by a judge. It
will be at the building where John F. Kennedy
gave his speech in Rathouse, Schonberg. She is
four years older than Rene which I wasn't aware
of. In the spring time all we see are cotton and corn
fields all around. It took two years to fill all the
missile holes with concrete. They were no longer
being used. It made living there a little more
relaxing.
When I got to the Officer's Club meeting we
were informed that we are going to have a big
promotion party in two weeks. Brigadier General
Kiser is getting his first Silver Star and about 500
officers and wives and many dignitaries will be
here that day for the formal dinner party. It would
be a five course meal ending with brandy and
cigars. We had rehearsal in two days and were told
that it could run into two hours. That day every
thing was chaotic. They brought in a professional
to show us how to set up the table that had four
glasses to start with and the silver ware and the
dishes. We learned to serve on the right side and
pick up on the left side. We had a cook from the
base to bring the water, wine and food to us. The
table was round and had 12 people on it. The head
table was long and seated 12 dignitaries, and the
General and his wife. He had his own staff people
79
to serve his table. I was- assigned three round
tables. My server brought me my first 12 cups of
asparagus soup. By the time I finished the first 12
there was the next tray there etc. It was a busy
night with serving and picking up the dishes.
The menu was soup, roast duck
bananaforster, coffee, brandy, and cigars. We wore a
white blouse and black skirt and vest with a bow tie.
The men wore their dress blues and white
gloves. The waitresses were only to serve. They
told us that it would be about one hour but by the
time we finished it was more like three hours.
Fortunately everything went off without a
problem. After the General got the Silver Star on
his collar he opened the party to drinking and
dancing. William was a bartender and the Air
Force Band was in full swing. I went home after
five hours and William came home later in the
morning around 7 AM.
I was sitting in the kitchen reading the
papers when William came in. Well, how did it
go? I asked him. They sure can drink. I said I felt
like I was in a president's inauguration he just
smiled and went to bed. I was glad I had the next
two days off. When I got back to work I had to see
Captain Ross in charge of the dining room and bar.
He told me that I was getting a promotion and was
going back to the NCO Club to teach the waiters
and waitresses how to set up a table and how to
serve and pick up. I know you can do that Kristin. I
watched you and you have that natural gift and
80
charm and we probably will increase the business
at the club. What about my husband William? I
asked. He will be going back to the Officer's Club. Is
there anything else you want to know? Yes, who will
be my boss? You are looking at him. Is there
anything else? Yes, what about money? I was
getting $1.25 an hour plus tips. Don't worry about
money I'll see to it that you get a good raise. Come
on let's go to the club and have a meeting with our
staff. Captain Ross conducted the meeting and told
them that I was in charge when he is not present if
anyone is not happy with that arrangement you can
leave now. Then he said now Kristin will speak to
you. He caught me off guard I wasn't expecting to
say anything. But I was on the spot and gave it my
best shot. All I have to say is that I'm honored to
have such a good crew like we have and I will do
my best to make everything easy for all of us I will
be working right along with you. And one last
statement is when and if you should leave here to
work somewhere else you will have the ability to
work in the best restaurant in town. Our first big
party is on June 1'. That night I was so tired that I
forgot to take my birth control pill.
The next morning at breakfast William
asked me, well am I going back to the Officer's
Club again? Yes, you are. I feel like a yoyo every
time I get one club out of the red I get transferred to
the other club. However, I can't complain, Staff
Sgt's pay is not bad. I told him that I am now
getting $6.50 an hour plus overtime. Forget about
81
the overtime we still have a son to take care of.
With his late hours at the club he hardly gets to see
either of us. Please don't start that now, he said. I
never complain when you come home in the early
morning hours. You seem to forget Kristin that I
am in the Air Force and you are my wife. That was
the first time since we were married we had harsh
words. About a week later we made up and he took
me to a night club in Lauton. It was about 30 miles
from the base. We had a good time. I had more to
drink than I should have because I don't remember
coming home
The schooling went well and I got together
with the chef and planned a menu for the month
with special surprises. For the guests we put
numbers under the plate and gave out free dessert or
a glass of wine and for the kids we had toys or free
tickets for the movies when we call out their
number every hour on the hour. It was a hit. Word
got around fast and now we had to take
reservations for dinner. We planned fish, lobster
and shrimp for Friday and Saturday was steak and
prime rib. Wednesday was spaghetti night, all you
could eat and again it was a big hit. The next two
months we changed to different types of food like,
Chinese, German and French. We put the menu in
the Stars and Stripes newspaper for the coming
month and the reservations were coming in. weeks in
advance. It is now August and I gave William a
surprise party for his birthday. One of his friends
told him that there was a fire at the club and we
82
needed all the help we could find. When he got
there he was in shock. e was surprised. where is
my gift from you Kristin? He asked. William you
are going to have to wait until next February when
you become a father again. That is the best news
and present you can give me honey. Thank you for
everything you have done.
Weeks went by when a 35 year old woman
knocked at my door. Staff Sgt. Monahan sent me. I
am your new house keeper. He wants me to work
out the time that is best to take care of the boy and
the house for you. We did arrange a good working
schedule. It made everything so much easier for
me being pregnant and working. New Year's Eve
was coming up and I had a lot to do at the club. I
was in charge of the decorations, reservations,
dinner menu and breakfast buffet. Tom Hartson,
the chef was a big help to me. We worked well
together. His only problem was that he seldom was
sober. He was better to work with when he had a
few drinks.
It was the week for the holidays to start and
William and I decided to give Sara the house
keeper time off to be with her family for the
holidays. On New Year's Eve I went into work a
little later than usual. I was big and all I did was
watch and see that every thing went off smoothly. At
midnight every body was hugging and kissing.
William and I did our hugging and kissing the next
day at home.
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19oo — 31 years oAQ.
It was January 15' when I took a leave of
absence to have the baby. The women from the
NCO Club gave me a big baby shower and a few
women from the Officer's Club came over also. It
was like Christmas all over again. On February 31-d,
1966 I had a healthy 91b. 21 inch baby boy. Kirstin
called me from Germany and said that she also had a
boy on New Year's Eve. She named her son Michael
and we named our boy John. Now we had two boys,
Donald Ulrich after my Dad and John after
William's Dad. We decided that was all the children
we were going to have.
Brussels, Belgium — 1966 — 31 years old
In June, 1966 Anheiser Busch Beer sent out
invitations to all military bases for the Club
Stewart and their wives to go to Brussels. We flew
from Oklahoma to New York and then to Brussels.
When we got there we had a room over looking the
small streets. A program folder was on the bed for
the wives. While the men were in a meeting most of
the day the wives was kept busy sight seeing. I
learned that Brussels had a diamond mine Their
linens, lace and glassware were rich looking. We
got to watch diamonds being cut and glass blown
into a vase. The evening dinner and floor shows
were tops. When we were back at Altus Air Base,
William called me at work telling me that we are
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leaving for Athens, Greece. It is known as a big
tourist attraction. I had to get a passport with the
children and 22 shots.
Athens, Greece — 1966 — 31 years old
We flew American Airlines to New York
and then boarded Pan American Airlines to
England and from there to Greece. The whole trip
took two days. From the airport it was another 20
minute drive to the hotel. Driving along the shore
lines I watch the white caps in the ocean. I noticed
large umbrellas over the tables everywhere. We had
two large rooms with cooking facilities and a large
patio over looking the ocean. After a four week stay
in the hotel we were glad to move into a 3 bedroom
apartment that we rented from a Greek family. We
were on the second floor and the owners were
on the first floor. They had a little 5 year old girl. It
was very hot and it seems during the hours from 1
PM till 5 PM the shutters on the house were to be
kept closed as there was no air condition. The
floors were made of marble in all the rooms.
We had to buy transformers to use our
American made electrical items. The children got
along great together. Every night coming home
from the base William's station wagon would be
filled with groceries. He had to learn how to drive
on the left side of the road and that didn't make
him happy after a long day at work. Food in
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Greece was horrible to eat. They had lamb, goat,
fish, goat milk, cheese, butter and the bread when
you buy it in the morning it would be crumbs by 5
PM. We got along well with the land-lord. She
spoke a little English that she learned from the
families that she rented to before. Whenever she
cooked the house smelt like garlic and even our
clothes began to smell of garlic.
Tha t ye ar t he ki ds n eve r k new t hat
Christmas went by. On New Year's Eve I went to
the club to be with William to bring in the year
1967. I got to see Debbie Reynolds at the club. The
next day the land-lord gave us a big salmon fish
for good luck and we gave them a bottle of red
wine that we had from America. William went
back to the base to watch football on television and
the boys and I spent the day at the beach making
sand castles.
With the 100 plus degree heat we slept in the
afternoons and learned to have dinner around 7 PM.
We would sit out on the patio and eat and enjoy
the cool breeze coming in from the ocean. The
women's club had a trip planned to go and see the
Temple Ruins. I sat on the steps of the large
Olympic Stadium. There were columns made of
pen telic marble the size of 315 feet by 130 feet.
There were colossal statues from Roman times
standing that was made of gold and ivory. The city is
very modern and was an attraction for the tourists.
A month later I got to see how the Greek people
really lived. The base rented a ship for the
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day and it took us to five islands. One of the
islands was Rodes. It was there where they made
the film Zorba the Greek and Fiddler on the Roof.
On the hillside were many goats and sheep with
their shepherds and the fishermen at the docks with
their boats.
When we got off the ship we stopped at an
Italian restaurant called Portofino to have pizza
and beer as no one liked the Greek food. They also
had excellent German and French dishes, Greek
waiters were dressed in the native blue and white
clothes with sox up to their knees and traditional
tassels hanging from their hats. They are known
for their corner stands that sell gyro meat or
chalices very spicy food and fig leaves and olives.
They love their flea markets. We watched Easter
the biggest holiday in Greece. A large lamb being
turned as we went to a Greek church. I have never
seen so much gold and stained colored windows in
one place. Most of the streets are going up hills
and are very narrow. We went to a wedding that
went on from 12 noon till the sun came up the next
day. I loved the 18 months we spent there but as
always I knew it was too good to last and William
got orders to move out and the next place was to
be England.
It was fine with me as I knew that at least the
people spoke English. The land-lord gave us a going
away party and they had roasted a pig in the back
yard. They had egg-plant, baked potatoes that they
threw in the fire, corn on the cob and lots of
Greek Ritsina to drink, it taste like sambucca and
smelled like peppermint. There was a pastry called
baklava, it was made out of thin layers of paper,
fine dough and layers of cinnamon, honey, orange
and nuts, it was sweet and rich. The movers came
and we had to stay in a hotel for two days before
we flew to London by British Airway.
When William received his orders, the
Quartermaster arranged to have our household
goods shipped to his new location. Taking into
consideration that the distance from Athens to
London is about 1486 miles he would probably
hire a professional transport company to do the
packing and shipping. It was my responsibility to see
that the house would be clean. That includes the
bathroom, closets, windows, floors, woodwork and
no food left in the refrigerator.
London, England —196 — 33 years old
When we arrived in London we were driven to
the new station so William could report in. After the
usual paper work was done we were invited to the
dining room for dinner and given a place to stay
until our furniture arrives. We made friends quickly
and everyone welcomed us and made us feel at
home. William was given a three day pass before
returning to active duty. We both wanted to see
Piccadilly Square and much to our surprise it was
similar to the Times Square section in New York
City. We learned quickly that women can not
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drink at the bar they have a ladies lounge for that
p utpo se .
William reported for duty and was assigned to
train new enlisted men on rules and procedures. He
liked what he was doing and I especially liked it
because he would come home every night at the
same time and we would have dinner together.
Some nights we would stay home and watch
television or put on a VCR and watch a movie.
Then some nights we would go to the NCO Club
and socialize with the people. There was always
something to do. I couldn't ask for any thing better
than to have my adorable husband with me. We
both had so much in common. We liked music
sports, entertainment and the joy of watching our
two young boys grow up.
On one bright sunny day in June I was in the
front yard playing ball with my two sons. Donald
was 6 years old now and John was two. An Air
Force Official car pulls up in front of my house
and two officers came out and said, Mrs.
Monahan, would you please come with us? I got
panicky and couldn't figure out what they wanted
with me. Where are you taking me? I asked. Staff
Sgt. William Monahan was taken to the hospital
and asked for you, one of the officers said. Let me go
to my next door neighbor and ask her to keep an
eye out for the two boys. On the way to the base
hospital they filled me in on the details leading up to
William going to the hospital. in the middle of his
class lesson he got dizzy and was about to fall
to the floor. Two young men got up trom their
chair and grabbed him and sat him down on a
chair. A third young man ran to the office to report
the incident. From the office they called the
hospital for an ambulance.
At the hospital I was directed to the doctor
in charge of William's condition. What's wrong
with my husband? I asked. We're not sure yet, we
need to do several tests to find out what brought on
this sudden attack? Can I go in to see him? Only
for a minute while the nurses prepare him for the
tests. When I walked into the room William started
to cry. I hugged him and I began to cry. The nurse
came by and asked me to leave so they could get
William ready for the tests. Out in the corridor the
doctor suggested that I go back home and the
hospital will call you as soon as we finish with the
tests.
When I got home there was Betty sitting on
the grass playing ball with the boys. As soon as
she saw me she knew that I was crying. Come on
in the house, I'll make a pot of coffee and you can
tell me what's going on. At the kitchen table Betty
and I are having coffee and she gave the boys a
glass of milk and some cookies. I told her
everything I knew up to this point now I have to
wait for the results of the tests. Kristin, she said
you do what you have to do. Don't worry about the
boys. If you need to stay at the hospital I'll have
the boys stay with me in my spare room. After we
had the coffee I thanked her and took the boys to
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our house and wait for the phone call. At 7 PM that
night the phone rang. It was from the hospital. I
picked up the receiver and said, Hello, Is this Mrs.
Monahan? Yes it is. We are sending the car out to
pick you up and bring you here. The results of the
test are completed and the doctor would like to
discuss them with you. Thank you, I'll be ready
when the car arrives. I then called Betty and asked if
I could bring the boys over. Kristin, she said stay
there I'll come over and get them. You get yourself
ready for the hospital and I suggest you take a
small bag with you in case you want to stay with
William over night.
At the hospital I was immediately brought
into the doctor's office. Please sit down, Mrs.
Monahan while I go over the results of the tests.
Your husband had a massive heart attack and-he
can't be moved till he is stable to make the flight
back to the United States. He will be going to the
Tulsa, Oklahoma Heart special clinic. They have
two of the best heart surgeons there and they have
more advanced equipments. It is there where they
will determine the future of your husband. He is so
close to retirement from the Air Force. It is my
guess that he is going to get a medical retirement
with a 100 percent disability and still draw his
pension for the 25 years of service. Family
services will help to get you and the boys ready to
get back to the home state of your choice which
was grove, Oklahoma, 60 miles from Tulsa,
Oklahoma.
9!
The Air Force finally gave William his
medical retirement but he was a very sick man.
They wanted him to go to an Army hospital for
retired soldiers but I decided to have William
home with us and the Air Force paid me for the
nursing as William needed constant attention. His
condition was rapidly going down hill.
It was the year 1970, and again in 1977 that
they had to do a triple by-pass on William and
after his recovery, about 3 months later he got a
massive stroke which left him without speech
memory and movement on his right arm and leg.
William lived the last 7 years in his own world. And
all I could do for him was to be by his side to bath
feed and comfort him.
In 1980, Donald was 18 years old and he
joined the Army. In 1983, John joined the marines,
he was 17 years old. It was in August, 1986 when
William went to sleep and never woke up.
Here it is 2008, 22 years since William's
death. I can only say that he was a fighter and so
was I. To be a good Air Force wife you must be
flexible and versatile. In the Air Force as an Air
Force wife I moved from Altus, Oklahoma to
Brussels, Belgium to Athens, Greece to London,
England and back to Oklahoma. When you stop to
think about it, as an Air Force wife I had a large
part in William's life. I am proud to say I was one
wife that stood by her man at all times no matter
what. He is at peace and will always be in our
hearts. Sleep well my love.
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