I had an interesting encounter

[Desert Spyder]

with a gentleman at the gas station yesterday when I came home from a recon run up to Big Bear. He saw my bike and stated he had bought a blue RT 3 weeks ago. He lives in Scottsdale, AZ but he is connected with some language institute in Monterey. He left Berlin 58 years ago (I was only 1 years old) and when the Berlin wall came down he bought 3 sections, whole sections, and had them shipped to the US. They weigh about 3-1/2 T each. I asked what do you do with three 3-1/2T wall sections and he said he had them shipped to the institute so the younger generation would remember the cold war. I asked if he saved a brick for his yard and he said no. I told this story to a neighbor who also plans to buy a RT in the spring next year and he told me of some hotel in old town Las Vegas that has a section and put urinals on it so you can literally pizz on communism. Don't know if this is a whopper or not.

 

[NancysToy]

We are getting old enough that there are many younger adults who don't even remember the Berlin Wall or a divided Germany. When Ronald Reagan said "Mr. Krushchev, tear down that wall!" I never thought it would happen in a million years, much less my lifetime. One of the greatest events of all time, IMO.

 

[scudrunner]

I guess we are all getting older and starting to forget..... It was Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!'.
It was Khrushchev who banged his shoe on the table at the UN and said we will bury you. Ironically, we ended up burying them...... in capitalism!

 

[Jornie1]

Close Scotty...

Regan's quote was:
"Mr Gorbachev tear down this wall"

We are getting old enough that there are many younger adults who don't even remember the Berlin Wall or a divided Germany. When Ronald Reagan said "Mr. Krushchev, tear down that wall!" I never thought it would happen in a million years, much less my lifetime. One of the greatest events of all time, IMO.

 

[patdcop]

I have a shard of busted concrete from the Berlin Wall. Good friend was serving in Germany at the time and sent me a piece. When friends ask why I have piece of concrete on my mantle I tell them the story and they just look at like ----"right, sure it is".

 

[DynamoBT]

When I think as a kid that my father actually scoped out where we could build a bunker into a hill in our backyard in case of a nuclear attack. . .the world has come a long way! I agree that the tearing down of the Berlin Wall was one of the all time achievements of the century.

 

[NancysToy]

I guess we are all getting older and starting to forget..... It was Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!'.
It was Khrushchev who banged his shoe on the table at the UN and said we will bury you. Ironically, we ended up burying them...... in capitalism!

See, I'm older than I thought...LOL! :roflblack:

Regan's quote was:
"Mr Gorbachev tear down this wall"

I stand corrected, but it was Ronald Reagan. We're even, I guess.

 

[pitbull]

I guess we are all getting older and starting to forget..... It was Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!'.
It was Khrushchev who banged his shoe on the table at the UN and said we will bury you. Ironically, we ended up burying them...... in capitalism!

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

 

[Mo Lee]

Remember it well, spent over 10 years in Germany during the cold war. Managed to visit East Berlin around a year before the wall fell. It was an strange feeling to walk thru Checkpoint Charlie in uniform and a great feeling to be back on the west side.

 

[WackyDan]

I grew up next to Griffiss AFB in Rome NY. Had B52's launching all day carrying nukes out over the artic ice cap on constant patrol. We had F-106's that would scream out over the city and once high enough and far enough you'd hear them break the sound barrier as they scrambled to intercept Russian Bear bombers out over Long Island Sound and other waters.

I also remember the Nuclear war drills in elementary school where we would get under our desks or taken out in the halls and huddle against the walls.

These younger generations have no idea what it was like or can comprehend the state of affairs during the cold war. I'm glad that guy you met preserved a piece of that history.

 

[Sopher]

The wife, child and I went a "duck" tour (Amphibious vehicle) of Boston (We live just outside of Boston) so we decided to play tourist. Part way through the tour, the driver pointed out a section of the Berlin Wall on display i think over in Chelsea. Anyway, we were all suprised because no one ever knew it.

 

[pitbull]

Remember it well, spent over 10 years in Germany during the cold war. Managed to visit East Berlin around a year before the wall fell. It was an strange feeling to walk thru Checkpoint Charlie in uniform and a great feeling to be back on the west side.

That's awesome lee!!

 

[qasamm]

This summer I drove through an old checkpoint with a German coworker who is 20 years younger than me. I was surprised and shocked with his perspective- seeing the fall of the wall and unification as a burden on the west and wishing it never happened. Many of the other Germans I have spoken with share the same sentiment.

 

[MouthPiece]

Can you say "Conelrad"?

 

[mooneych]

This summer I drove through an old checkpoint with a German coworker who is 20 years younger than me. I was surprised and shocked with his perspective- seeing the fall of the wall and unification as a burden on the west and wishing it never happened. Many of the other Germans I have spoken with share the same sentiment.

Interestingly enough, I was stationed in Germany a couple of years after the wall came down and encountered the same sentiment. At first, I was shocked, then I began to understand. What do you do with an entire population that manufactures goods that nobody wants? What do you do with half a country that has a very poor infrastructure? Benefits that West Germans enjoyed evaporated overnight and taxes went through the roof; all to pay for the modernization of the former East Germany.

My neighbor came home one day from the dentist and complained about a 25DM co-pay and another 25DM for a prescription. That's ridiculous!!

"We should have kept the wall up" was the response when asked about the rising crime rate.

 

[Desert Spyder]

Interestingly enough, I was stationed in Germany a couple of years after the wall came down and encountered the same sentiment. At first, I was shocked, then I began to understand. What do you do with an entire population that manufactures goods that nobody wants? What do you do with half a country that has a very poor infrastructure? Benefits that West Germans enjoyed evaporated overnight and taxes went through the roof; all to pay for the modernization of the former East Germany.

My neighbor came home one day from the dentist and complained about a 25DM co-pay and another 25DM for a prescription. That's ridiculous!!

"We should have kept the wall up" was the response when asked about the rising crime rate.

Its the price of freedom. Small price compared to what some East Berliners paid trying to escape communism. Now neo-Nazism and the proliferation of Muslims in Europe are the new bullys.

 

[mooneych]

Interestingly enough, I was stationed in Germany a couple of years after the wall came down and encountered the same sentiment. At first, I was shocked, then I began to understand. What do you do with an entire population that manufactures goods that nobody wants? What do you do with half a country that has a very poor infrastructure? Benefits that West Germans enjoyed evaporated overnight and taxes went through the roof; all to pay for the modernization of the former East Germany.

My neighbor came home one day from the dentist and complained about a 25DM co-pay and another 25DM for a prescription. That's ridiculous!!

"We should have kept the wall up" was the response when asked about the rising crime rate.

Its the price of freedom. Small price compared to what some East Berliners paid trying to escape communism. Now neo-Nazism and the proliferation of Muslims in Europe are the new bullys.

I was not making a judgment , just illustrating the feelings of the time. Germans paid a steep (and worthwhile) price for re-unification. I don't think anyone regrets it today.