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Honor Page - 9 Guest Authors Excellent history stories from proud veterans |
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With the 2nd Battle Group in Berlin
written by
SGT Marion Francis (Buddy) Green
U.S. Army, 2nd Battle Group,
6th Infantry, C-Company, 1959-1961
Hello, Reinhard. Here's a story of my experiences as a US Soldier in Berlin for your website's Honor Pages. I'm Marion Francis Green, my nickname is "Buddy" .
Much of that time was spent on guard duty at McNair motor pool, ammunition dumps, stockade, etc. Also, I performed duty at Spandau Prison guarding Nazi war criminals Rudolf Hess, Baldur von Schirach, and Albert Speer from World War II. I recall Soviet troops carried their famous drum-fed submachine guns. We were armed with M1 Garand .30 caliber rifles.
Some times we trained in the Grunewald (Green wood), a forest area like an huge public park about three miles away from McNair Barracks. The Grunewald was the main recreation area for the West-Berliners. Many of them joined the forest by walking, bicycles or horses. My unit conducted maneuver training there using blank small arms ammunition. Often we went out by our 3/4 ton Dodge trucks. In Winter time a freezing adventure.
Occasionally, we had alerts during which our unit convoyed, escorted by West Berlin POLIZEI, to Tempelhof Air Base to set up a defense perimeter.
Also, I participated in athletics, including baseball and football where I broke a shoulder. I recuperated at 279th US Army Hospital.
Before I went to Berlin I didn't know any Germans. The first time I saw a German was in 1945. I was 7 years old and German POWs were stacking peanuts for my father in Irwin Georgia. In high school I studied about World War II, about the Iron Curtain and Germany. I never dreamed I'd one day live in that country.
At age 20, I was drafted into the US Army. Following Basic Combat Training at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina I transferred to Ft. Hood, Texas and then to Ft. Hampton, New York from where I shipped to Germany. I arrived in Berlin August 1, 1959, as a PFC.
My MOS was 112 (Heavy Weapons Infantryman) and I was assigned to an 81 mm mortar squad of Weapons Platoon, C Company, 2nd Battle Group, 6th Infantry. McNair Barracks in Lichterfelde became my home for the next two years.
Live fire training was at Keerans or Rose Ranges, we fired for accuracy and qualification. Keerans Range located near the Autobahn to West Germany and Rose Range was behind Checkpoint Bravo, near the communist East German border. Once each year, we traveled to West Germany where we could fire our mortars and other crew served weapons at Grafenwoehr, Hohenfels, or Wildflecken.
Between McNair Barracks and a local cemetery was a wide paved street called "4-Ring".
On that street we paraded, had inspections, displays, and conducted riot control training. Huge M48 battle tanks from 40th Armor, APC and helicopters supported us. I still have the smell of tear gas and smoke grenades my memory. The demonstrators were "played" by GI's. Sometimes it looked like an action movie show.
At Christmas time, my unit hosted parties for Berliner children. They were guests at McNair Barracks where we provided goodies and small gifts. It was good to be part of the Berlin Community and see the kids' smiling faces.
Mid-January 1961, I left Berlin and returned to the USA by ship. I'd hoped to get my discharge but because of the Berlin Crisis was assigned to a reserve unit 20 miles from my home town for four years (two active; two inactive). Finally, in January 1965 I was promoted to Sergeant and presented my Honorable Discharge from the US Army.
American Legion Post 100
written by
SGT Marion Francis (Buddy) Green
U.S. Army, 2nd Battle Group,
6th Infantry, C-Company, 1959-1961
In 1997 I joined the American Legion, becoming the 23rd member of Post 100 in my home town of Ocilla (Irwin County), Georgia. The other members were World war II Veterans and made me Post Recruiter and Junior Vice Commander. Within three years our membership increased to 74, 42 of whom I had recruited.
Our address is:
In 2000 we decided to build a Veterans' memorial on the court house grounds. In order to raise funds, we sponsored fish fries and sold memorial bricks honoring Veterans by name. Each brick is engraved "In Honor of..." or "In Memory of ..." Each brick was inspected and approved by the American Legion.
I am extremely proud of my daughter who served her Country 4 years in the US Navy. She is now the only woman member of American Legion Post I00.
Also, I take pride in our memorial because it honors all US Veterans -- not just those killed or from Irwin County. To me the most important ones are those who served in Berlin!
Ocilla/Irwin County Veterans Memorial Fund
American Legion Post 100
PO BOX 315
Ocilla, GA 31774
I'm glad to be part of the service that helped and guarded West Berlin.
Thank you, Reinhard, and thanks to my wife Sylvia for helping with this story.
God Bless you & your family.
Your friend from Georgia,
Buddy
VETERANS' DAY 2006
Ocilla, Irwin County, Georgia
by Buddy Green
Finance Officer, American Legion Post 100
© berlin-brigade.de
This report is to notify readers and guests of this memory website about volunteer work done by my
comrades and members of American Legion Post 100. Led by our Commander Bob Anderson, their hard work
demonstrates American values and "heart" keeping alive the memory of American Veterans, military units,
and other enduring persons.
I like to give my deepest appreciation to all members of Post 100 and to Mrs. Diane Pless,
the Editor & General Manager of "The Ocilla Star", our news paper.
She always has given our Post 100 an outstanding support in helping in write up about Veterans Day
and the Memorial.
Norman L. Brantley, 61, of the Pinettta Community, Ocilla, Georgia; passed away June 2. Norman
was a US Army captain and helicopter pilot serving in Vietnam where he was awarded the Purple Heart.
As Post 100 Commander, he was instrumental in erecting the Ocilla-Irwin County Veterans' Memorial.
I would like you to share with our comrades of post 100 and if possible, the citizens of Ocilla,
this letter.
THANK YOU !
In 2003 Post 100 erected a memorial to US Veterans in Ocilla, Georgia. It included five Memorial
Bricks in recognition of Berlin Brigade, BUSMVA (Berlin US Military Veterans' Association), FSB,
In Honor of Berlin Veterans, Buddy Green.
This year, three more Bricks, honoring Berlin Veterans, are dedicated at our Memorial.
These Bricks honor & memorialize you,
Reinhard von Bronewski, (Retired West Berlin Police Officer & Member of Berlin's Combined
Police Station / PMO / 287th MP Co.),
Lloyd E. Keller, (1st Battle Group, 26th Infantry "Blue Spaders" Berlin 1962)
John Parmenter, (1st Battle Group, 28th Infantry "Black Lions" Berlin 1963).
We wish each of you all the best in the future; especially good health!
It's my sad duty to report that during the past year, American
Legion Post 100, lost four of our brothers and comrades:
Rev. Bobby Stone, 73, of Ocilla, Georgia passed away August 1.
Bobby was a Soldier for the Lord, serving in the US Army during the Korean War.
As a Post 100 Member, he served as Chaplain.
Murphey Rogers, 83, of Ocilla, Georgia, already passed away June 29, 2005.
During World War II, Murphey served in the US Coast Guard. As a Member of American Legion Jeff Davis
Post 100, he served as Chairman of the War Memorial Committee and Keynote Speaker at the 2003 Irwin
County Veterans' Memorial dedication.
J. W. Hudson, 86, of Ocilla died Wednesday, October 18 at Tift Regional Medical Center in Tifton.
Serving four years in the U S Army from 1941-1945, he was a member of the 782nd Tank Battalion in WWII.
He fought in the European Theater landing at Normandy Beach on D+3. He fought through France, Belgium,
Czechoslovakia, and Germany, including the Battle of the Bulge. Mr. Hudson was a Staff Sergeant in
charge of 5 tanks and 25 soldiers.
GOD BLESS THEM !
GOD BLESS AMERICA !
GOD BLESS OUR VETERANS !
Remark
Thank you, Buddy, thank you, Bob Anderson, commander of American Legion Post 100 and thank you to all
his Legionnaires for that great honor given to us!
Keep up your outstanding memory service!
Reinhard
_________________________________________
Hi Buddy,
I would like to thank all of the members of our American Legion Post 100, and especially Buddy Green,
for making it possible to have an Honor brick with my name inscribed placed at the monument that
honors your fallen Heros. To have this brick along with John Parmenter's and Reinhard von Bronewski's
placed at the site of the monument honoring your servicemen who have lost their lives, while
defending freedoms cause, is the greatest honor that has been ever bestowed upon me. For this I
thank you. I thank also the people of Ocilla and the surrounding area for whatever part you had
in making this memorial possible. It is a fitting tribute to the brave souls who perished so that
we could be free.
On Veterans Day, as always, I am soberly reminded of the many many thousands of brave men and women
who have given their lives, so unselfishly, so that we and also other people in this world could
remain free. In my heart is a special prayer for them.
I reflect upon those who have been wounded in our conflicts, some of whom will carry the scars
of war the rest of their lives. Their devotion to duty has helped to preserve freedom worldwide.
I thank each one of them. A special prayer is also in my heart for them.
I am forever grateful to all who have served our great country, whether it be in wartime or in
peacetime to insure that our freedom remains. Thank you for your service.
Even today we have troops who are in harms way on foreign soil. I wish them a safe and speedy
return home. I thank each and every one of you.
As Kate Smith once sung "God Bless America." and may God bless us all.
an old 26th Infantry Blue Spader
L.E."Gene" Keller
_________________________________________
VETERANS' DAY 2006 in the newspapers
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| "Vergesst die Amerikaner nicht" Zehlendorfer hat eine Internetseite über die US-Alliierten erstellt. Dafür wurde er jetzt in den USA geehrt Von Dieter Weirauch |
"Don't forget the Americans" Zehlendorfer citizen has created an internet website. Therefore he became honored in the USA. (Translated by Detlev "Denny" L. Werk, Blue Spader, 1961-63) |
Zehlendorf In Ocilla, einer Kleinstadt im US-Bundesstaat Georgia, ist gestern ein
Zehlendorfer geehrt worden, der sich um die Bewahrung des Andenkens an die Berlin Brigade der
US-Alliierten verdient gemacht hat. Foto: Michael Herrmann Damit bedanken sich die Amerikaner vor allem für die Reinhard von Bronewski (59) in mühevoller Kleinarbeit erarbeitete Homepage "Berlin-Brigade-Memories". Diese gehört zu den am meisten angeklickten Seiten im Internet, wenn es um die US-Armee in Berlin von 1945 bis 1994 geht. Gestern nun (in den USA war Veteranentag) wurde vor dem Rathaus in Ocilla ein sogenannter Honor brick (ein Gedenkstein) mit Reinhard von Bronewskis Namen in das Veteranendenkmal eingelassen. "Für mich als Berliner eine besondere Ehre", sagt der pensionierte Polizeibeamte, der krankheitsbedingt nicht nach Amerika fliegen konnte. Per E-Mail hatte er vorab ein Foto on seinem Ehrenstein erhalten. Viele Details über das Soldatenleben Die Homepage fungiert mittlerweile als Bindeglied zwischen den Amerikanern, die in Berlin Dienst taten, und den damaligen deutschen Zivilangestellten. Im Gästebuch finden sich rührende Eintragungen, viele sind schon über 70 Jahre alt und glücklich, auf diese Weise in Kontakt zu bleiben. "Manche haben sich dort nach 45 Jahren erstmals wieder gefunden." Die Homepage bietet aber auch viele Informationen über amerikanische Spuren in Berlin. Sie nennt Fakten und erzählt Geschichten, illustriert von vielen Fotos sowie Videos. Detailliert wird darüber informiert, wo die Soldaten und deren Familien lebten und einkauften, welche Aufgaben sie hatten, Einrichtungen, Paradezeiten, Manöveralltag, Ausrüstung, Bewaffnung, Fahrzeuge und Verpflegung. Was man auch über die militärische Struktur der Amerikaner in Berlin wissen will, hier wird man fündig. Helmut Trotnow, Chef des Alliiertenmuseum an der Clayallee, lobt die akribische Arbeit des Hobbyhistorikers. "Wenn die Amerikaner ihn jetzt dafür auszeichnen, dann ist es stellvertretend auch für alle Berliner eine große Ehre." Reinhard von Bronewski versteht die Aufregung um die Ehrung nicht. Bescheiden sagt er: "Mir geht es darum, dass die Amerikaner nicht vergessen werden. Berlin war dank der Hilfe der Alliierten in der Zeit des Kalten Krieges eine Insel der Hoffnung." Als Dolmetscher arbeitete er elf Jahre für die US-Militärpolizei. Seinen ersten Kontakt hatte er mit den amerikanischen Soldaten, die bis heute sein Leben bestimmen, schon als Siebenjähriger. Bei Spaziergängen mit seinem Großvater durch den Grunewald beobachtete er US-Truppen bei ihren Manövern. "Nach ersten zögerlichen Kontakten fühlte ich mich bald immer öfter zu ihnen hingezogen", berichtet er. Seine Erinnerungen an Kindheit und Jugendjahre in Berlin schrieb er in dem Buch "Aufgewachsen mit amerikanischen Soldaten" nieder, das im Jahr 2000 erschienen ist. Nun sucht er einen neuen Verlag, der sein Werk "Die Grenzstreife - mit dem US-Jeep an der Berliner Mauer" herausbringt. Informationen im Internet: www.berlin-brigade.de www.alliiertenmuseum.de © Berliner Morgenpost vom 12. November 2006 © Die Welt vom 13. November 2006 |
Zehlendorf In Ocilla, a small town in the State of Georgia, a Zehlendorfer man
was honored yesterday, one who is instrumental in keeping the memories of former Berlin
Brigade members(BBDE) and US-Allies alive. With that honor the Americans are thanking Reinhard von Bronewski (59), who has painstakingly maintained his homepage www.berlin-brigade.de in memory of his American friends. His webpage is one of the most active sites, relating to US Army in Berlin 1945-94. Day before yesterday, 11 November 2006, Veterans Day in USA, an honor brick was placed into the grounds at the Veteran's Monument, American Legion Post 100, in front of Ocilla city hall. It read "In honor of R. von Bronewski, GP PMO Berlin". Marion "Buddy" Green with A.L.Post 100, a former GI stationed in Berlin 1959-61, had suggested to honor Reinhard von Bronewski in this way. (Two other former Berlin-supporters received honor bricks at this time, Mr. John Parmenter, 28th Inf-"Black Lions"(1963) and Mr. Lloyd 'Gene' Keller, 26th Inf-"Blue Spaders" / 1962). "For me as a Berliner this is a special honor", said the retired police officer v. Bronewski, who, due to illness couldn't be present at the dedications. Via e-mail-photo he was informed of the honor brick and the impending occasion. Reinhard's homepage functions as go-between to former US soldiers and German civilians who did their work in Berlin during that period. It's guest book is filled with touching entries of visitors, "many of whom are already in their seventies, happy to maintain contact in this fashion, and many have again found each other after 45 years of searching". His homepage also offers much detail and many facts about Berlin's present scene, where and how then US GIs lived and worked, where their families shopped and what their days were like as a GI stationed in beleaguered Berlin city. On your visit to his site you'll become aware of all aspects of the then American's Military life style. Dr. Helmut Trotnow, director of the Allied Museum on 'Clayallee' in Berlin praises Reinhard's meticulous work of that hobby-historian. "As the Americans honor him now, it also represents the same honor for all Berliners". Reinhard von Bronewski doesn't understand all this excitement, he's rather shy and modest, and he proclaims "its purpose is not to forget the Americans. During the cold war and crisis years, because of the American's and Allied's help, Berlin was an island of hope". Reinhard worked over 11 years for the US-Military Police as an interpreter. His first contact with American soldiers came early in his life, as a seven-year old youngster. It has cemented his affinity for their life style. Years ago, on walks through the Grunewald with his grandfather he closely observed US troops during their maneuvers. "After those hesitant first contacts I soon felt as part of them", he indicates. That hasn't changed. His memories of childhood and youth years he documented in his book: "Aufgewachsen mit amerikanischen Soldaten" (Engl. Edition: "Growing up with American GI's"), which was published in year 2000. Now he is looking for another publisher to advance his new book: "Die Grenzstreife -- mit dem US jeep an der Berliner Mauer" (Engl. Edition: "The BorderPatrol" - (With the US-MP Jeep along the Berlin Wall). Reference in Internet: www.berlin-brigade.de www.alliiertenmuseum.de © Berliner Morgenpost 2006 © Die Welt 2006 |
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| "Große Ehre für Zehlendorfer" Zehlendorf Die Verbindung zur ehemaligen Schutzmacht Amerika liegt Reinhard von Bronewski am Herzen. Deshalb hat der Zehlendorfer auch die Internetseite "Berlin-Brigade Memories" erstellt, auf der die Geschichte der US-Soldaten in Berlin lebendig wird. Für diese Seite ist von Bronewski jetzt in den USA geehrt worden. Am Veterantag, dem 11. November 2006 hat man einen Gedenkstein mit seinem Namen vor einem Mahnmal im Bundesstaat Georgia eingelassen. "Mich hat es total überrascht, als Deutscher, Berliner und Zehlendorfer so eine besondere Ehre zu erfahren" freute sich von Bronewski. Weitere Informationen gibt es auf www.berlin-brigade.de |
An excerpt from the "BERLINER WOCHE",
a local newspaper for Zehlendorf and Berlin other districts. (Translated by Detlev "Denny" L. Werk, Blue Spader, 1961-63) "HUGE HONOR FOR A ZEHLENDORFER" Zehlendorf The connection to the former Defence Forces-USA lies our local resident Reinhard von Bronewski especially dear to the heart. That's why the Zehlendorfer has developed and issued his interesting Internet homepage "BERLIN-BRIGADE-MEMORIES", on which the stories of the US-GIs in Berlin come alive. Bronewski was recently honored for this homepage in the USA. On Veteran's Day, November 11, 2006, an 'HONOR BRICK' inscribed with his name, was inserted onto the memorial grounds of Georgia, USA. "It completely surprised me, as a German, a Berliner and a Zehlendorfer, to experience such an honor", a very pleased Bronewski suggests. More information is available on - www.berlin-brigade.de - |
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