Running up against an end of closets and filing cabinets to clear out, I get a little sad at the thought of history that gets inevitably tossed, especially in the rush of something like a base closure.
I found editions spanning the years from 1984 to 1992 editions of old community morale support activity calendars, typed and mimeographed with hand drawn illustrations up until those last years—the 1990s with colour printing, finished type-setting and glossy paper (full of advertisements too) like a high school year book from that era have a very different character. I’ll hold on to these—maybe some future anthropologist will find the contents of cultural interest. Looking back, similar organized tours are still chartered for service members and their families stationed in Germany, though such offers are made less intensely it seems and though many of the destinations have not changed, some are no longer there altogether and not only American military installations. Since 1989, also when the publications got glitzy but maybe lost some their charms, there were no more of these Hof (DE) border tours: “See one of the most graphic reasons why you’re in Germany.
This is a stimulating and thought-provoking tour of the wall that divides the free world from the Communist world. Children over ten years of age are encouraged to accompany their parents on this tour, as the comprehension of the ‘wall’ in its harsh reality can further their understanding of just why their sponsor is here. There are opportunities along the wall as the tour makes numerous stops to get a close-up view and give you further explanations. Also included is a visit to the Hof border museum. Military personnel must be in uniform. Itinerary is subject to change.” With the anniversary of the reunification approaching, such time capsules take on more significance. The concert line-ups on offer, KISS, Chris DeBurgh, Iron Maiden, DIO and the Scorpions, was also pretty boss, though Wรผrzburg and Nรผrnberg are still stops on every European tour.
