Remembering...Germany in Dawukou

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Ladies and Gentlemen:

It's been 10 weeks since I've been in China! It still feels like I arrived yesterday and will be going back to the states in a few days. Time is going by quickly. This week's newsletter is a little different than previous ones. I entered into an essay contest and so you will be reading what the judges will be reading. I hope that you enjoy it!
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Reflections
R. Draeger Jr.
28 Oct 2006

In the spring of 2002 I had the opportunity t take International Relations at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha. This was one of the many courses I had to take in order to obtain my undergraduate degree in International Studies. On one of the days the professor asked this question: Do any of you remember the fall of the Berlin Wall or the Reunification of Germany? Did I remember these events? I can emphatically say, “Yes!” The opportunity to be living in what was West Germany 1987 until 1991 was given to me. I was living in the small town of Zweibrucken, in the state of Rhineland-Palatine, when the Berlin Wall was opened and Germany was reunified; those events have had an impact on my life to this day. .

In 1987 I was told that my family was moving to the small city of Zweibrucken. This was because my father worked for the United States Air Force and was assigned to work at Zweibrucken Air Force Base. This was not the first time I was in West Germany. The first time happened on the 10th of January 1979 when I was born in Bitburg, which is north of Trier. All I knew in 1987 was that I had been born in Germany and it was divided. In November of 1989 I was a ten year old child and unaware of what was happening to the country of my birth. Politicians and diplomats in the United States, Soviet Union and the two Germanys were in involved in the world of international relations and their influence resulted in the opening of the wall. I, however, was an elementary student at Zweibrucken Elementary School in Miss Hardy’s 4th grade class.

When I was a child I reasoned like a child and acted as a child. When I became an adult I put those ways behind me. In 2004 I was a junior at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater nearing the completion of my undergraduate career. In 2004 the opportunity to take International Law, an elective, was presented to me. In this course each of the students were required to write a paper based on international law. I chose the topic of the “Legality of German Reunification”. Nearly 13 years later I had the opportunity to learn about what the politicians and diplomats had done to my homeland.

In August of 2004 the chance to study at Phillips University in Marburg, Germany was presented to me. I was thrilled to be back in my homeland and to see what had changed in it since the end of the Cold War. During this time I took a weekend trip Zweibrucken where I had lived thirteen years earlier. The train ride and bus trip into Zweibrucken were very exciting.

While riding the bus into Zweibrucken the main thought I was pondering was: How had this city changed since the events of November 11th of the year 1989? I noticed a second McDonalds was built and Globus, a retail store, had grown in size. Eventually the bus stopped at the small train station. Now was my time to explore the city I called home for four years and to reflect on the events of 1989.

The first stop I made was to where I lived in Zweibrucken. Both my neighborhood and apartment, from the outside, had changed. In 2004 the balcony of my old home was smaller and the building was painted a different color. Even the school, which was on the other side of the street, had changed.

In 1989 the balcony was larger and the school across the street had a black top area for us children to play on. My day began at 6:30 in the morning. On this day I was unaware, at least in the morning, of what was happening in Berlin. When I came home in the afternoon the Armed Forces Network, or AFN, and the Stars and Stripes, the newspaper, were talking about this event. At ten years old a child knows nothing of politics or international relations, even a child who was growing up in the United States Air Force.

While this was good news for the powers that had been, I did not fully understand the gravity of the situation or the implications it would have on the future. I was curious, however, and filled with a sense of wonder. This is the same sense of wonder a child feels at Christmas time. I had no idea how this one event, the opening of the Berlin Wall, would affect Germany, Zweibrucken and me.

My next destination in 2004 was to the place I spent the day of 11th November 1989. While walking through this town I had expected some things to change. However, the things I though would stay the same had been changed, like my old home and the school across the street. Zweibrucken Elementary School in 2004 had changed little. These changes in areas such as the playground of the second grade had been radically changed- the jungle gym was gone. Also a gate had been built to separate the two playgrounds of the school.

In 1989 the jungle gym, a structure which could be climbed on and explored, was standing in all its glory. Being in the Fourth grade, however, meant that I played on the playground with no jungle gym. On that eventful day the majority of my time was spent here in Miss Hardy’s class where we learned about science, math and many other subjects.

On this day, at least in this place, I did not know that people in Berlin were celebrating the opening up of the wall. There were no images of people climbing up on the Berlin Wall or going to the other side were not seen at Zweibrucken Elementary. In those there were no computers, let alone the internet, in the elementary schools. There were no televisions or even a school assembly to commemorate this event. However in 2004 surfing the internet and seeing those images still fill me with a sense of wonder and joy about the events of that day in 1989.

In 2004, however, my day trip was not done. At the age of 25 and pursuing my degree gave me the understanding of how the art of diplomacy impacted Germany, Zweibrucken and me. As I left my old school which had been locked up, because it was Saturday, I made my way to the first McDonalds built in Zweibrucken. I was a little sad that the jungle gym was gone, but glad that this little city was still thriving after the events of the 11th of November 1989.

In the year 1990 two events which began to open my childish eyes to what was happening in Germany, even though I did not understand them. The first event happened at the McDonalds I was walking to. In 1990 Germany had won the World Cup and the people were celebrating all over Zweibrucken. To this date I have been cheering for Germany when it comes to football. Even as a kid I understood that the celebrating was a good thing when it came to the World Cup.

The second event happened on the 4th of July weekend. My grandparents, who were young adults in the aftermath of World War II and the beginnings of the Cold War, came to Germany. On this weekend we drove to the city of West Berlin. While it might have been easier to buy a piece in Zweibrucken, it was definitely more thrilling to go and get our own. After arriving in the city of West Berlin we parked our vehicle and took a bus trip around the western half of this great city. I also remember taking the subway to the wall, where my father rented a hammer and chisel for the price of a good German beer. My father and grandfather were bigger and stronger than I at the time, but it was still great to see them help take the wall down. The greatest thrill, even though I did not fully understand it, was when I attempted to chiseled a portion of the wall myself. Going to West Berlin and seeing the dismantling of the wall was great. In 1990 I would be able to tell my classmates about this trip. Some day I will go back and see how Berlin has changed.

In 2004 I strolled to the city hall of Zweibrucken. As I reflected about my past experiences in this city, especially in light of the events of November the 11th, I was grateful to have been in the city at that time. Events such as the opening of the Berlin Wall have filled me with a curiosity of my homeland had the desire to learn about it academically. Once I had arrived to city hall I realized that it had changed. Trees lined the courtyard in the front of this place. I also noticed the advertisements of Bitburger Pils. I was pleased that my ‘hometown’ had made a positive impact on the city where I lived.

While the events of 11 November 1989 caught me by surprise the event of the 3rd of October 1990 left me with more wonder. Unless individuals actively pursue the chance to alter history they rarely realize that it is happening. An eleven year old child is hardly in a position to change history, and so I was not fully aware of what was happening.

On the evening of 2nd October my father took me, my mother and sister, to city hall. I did not know why he was doing this especially on a school night. Just because I was another year older did not mean that I fully grasped the event which would happen at midnight. Nor did I think of the impact of that the events of the 11th November had on this night. All that I knew was that I was in downtown Zweibrucken and I was not alone. This area was full of Americans and Germans and I had no clue what they were talking about. When the clock struck midnight fireworks exploded and the people were celebrating; like they had done when Germany won the World Cup.

At the age of 11 I did not know of either the political or legal which would cause the reunification of Germany. Yet I was filled with a feeling of joy as the people celebrated. On the 4th of October 1990, when I was fully rested, I looked at the Stars and Stripes and the main headline was “Germany Reunited”. This was the same paper I looked at on the day when the Berlin Wall was opened.

In 2004 I reflected on the events that happened many years ago. Before I stopped walking, though, I had one more stop which was the old Air Force Base on top of the hill. At the age of 25 I had the hindsight to reflect on those events from both a personal and academic point-of-view. These events were my motivation to pursue my undergraduate degree of International Studies.

In 1991, however, the events of 11th November 1989 had a huge influence on the Air Base where my father had worked. I was 12 years old when my time was finished in reunited Germany. Zweibrucken Air Force Base would be one of the many United States Military Installations to be deactivated because of Germany’s reunification. I remember well the ceremony which would officially deactivate this place. Dressed in their blue uniforms, my father and the rest of the Military Personnel marched down the main street of Zweibrucken Air Force Base to a hanger. In this place, both German Officials and Air Force Personnel gave speeches. In 1991 all of the buildings were still standing at Zweibrucken Air Force Base.

In 2004 such was not the case. Nearly all of the buildings had been demolished and green grass was in abundance. A few of the hangers were still in use because a portion of the old base was converted into a civilian airport. While I was sad to see most of the buildings gone, I was happy to see Germany free from the restraints of the Cold War.

The land, however, was not left totally unused. A shopping mall had been constructed on the outer territory of the old base. This mall represents, I think, the opportunities given to Zweibrucken which has had to survive the closure of this installation. I am not surprised that Zweibrucken has not only survived, but thrived in the years since the events of 11 November 1989. Germany, as a nation, can be a positive example of how diplomacy can bring about positive change. Zweibrucken can let go of its past and focus on its future.

In 1987 all I knew was that Germany was the country of my birth and that it was divided. In four short years I did not expect the Berlin Wall to fall or Germany to reunite. When I was there to witness with my own eyes I was a mere child filled with a sense of wonder and curiosity. In the years since then I have strived to learn as much as I can about those events. This is why I earned my undergraduate degree in International Studies. Further impacts on my life, by the events of 11 November 1989 are the desire to pursue graduate studies in Germany.

I suppose that the task of keeping Germany safe and working towards the goal of reunification, done by my father and his generation, have been successful. That is why the buildings are gone and the jungle gym dismantled. The mall, I suppose, represents the future. It is now my generation’s turn to work towards enabling Germany to be all that it can be, through diplomacy. This is how the events of 11 November have impacted my life.

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Photos

Lived here from 87-91
Trying to win a contest