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I went through basic German there in 1988. Loved it! I wonder what they'll do with all the instructors. They're not going to want to leave Monterey and go to Huachucha.

My best DLI memory was a day in class where the previous night's assignment kicked everyone's butts. We all failed the next day's quiz, including the Lt. Colonel and a Major that were in the class with us. The instructors got mad at us and we gave them some attitude, so they sent the department head to come in and yell at us. One of the guys tried jokingly to say something stupid in German and the department head yells at him in English, "You must learn to conjugate your WERBS!" The whole class fell in the floor laughing and she stomed out of the room.

I also went there for a Russian course. One of the instructors had been a strong-man in a Siberian circus. I think he was the single most offensive person I ever encountered in my life. He could swear profusely in several languages and was incredibly abusive. If you said something incorrectly, he'd yell at you: "How can you be so incredibly STUPID! Shut up! Just shut up!"

One night, there was a fire drill scheduled and one of the student training advisors tipped us off in the NCO dorms. When the alarm went off around 10 pm, we all went outside with lawn chairs, coolers, and wearing togas. It was a lot of fun.

I loved the Portofino Cafe down in Pacific Grove and Nepenthe out in Big Sur. Good memories!