U.S. Army to Vacate 13 Bases in Germany

AP via Yahoo News! ^ | July 29, 2005

[rattrap]

China isn't going to pour thousands of tanks through the Fulda Gap, I imagine they'll be reloacating to more tropical climes eventually.

[LimitedPowers]

The 11 bases in and around the Bavarian city of Wuerzburg will be handed over to the German government by September 2007....

Can't we sell them instead? The real estate is probably worth a lot.

[ncountylee]

The only American soldiers welcome in France are there now - in the cemeteries.

[KarlInOhio]

I wouldn´t understand if the Air Force left my country, but that isn´t going to be the case after all.

Other than Italy's problem with a new government every year, I think it would be the ideal location for the USAF's major bases in Europe. Primarily because it is on the Mediterranean which leads directly to the Middle East. Having bases in Germany requires us to ask for too many nations' overflight permission to get to the Middle East.

[Tailback]

Ah, well. At least I still have my Green Goose card.

LOL! I think I still might have one floating around in my scrapbook somewhere also. Actually, pulling out of Germany is way past due. I can see maybe keeping Landstuhl, Bad Tolz, and the pre-positioning place in (Bremen?). Other than that there's no reason for the US Military to be there.

[Michael81Dus]

Some airbases and such are needed in Germany and other places.

...and will be kept there and on other places. The Army leaves Germany. Ca. 30,000 soldiers will stay there.

[Kaslin]

Here is the list of the bases that are being closed

Harvey Barracks, Kitzingen, Germany
· Kitzingen Family Housing, Kitzingen, Germany
· Kitzingen Training Area, Kitzingen, Germany
· Larson Barracks, Kitzingen, Germany
· Schwanberg DCS Site, Kitzingen, Germany
· Faulenberg Kaserne, Wuerzburg, Germany
· Wuerzburg Training Areas, Wuerzburg, Germany
· Giebelstadt Army Airfield, Giebelstadt, Germany
· Giebelstadt DYA Camp, Giebelstadt, Germany
· Giebelstadt Tactical Defense Facility, Giebelstadt, Germany
· Breitsol Communications Station, Wuerzburg, Germany

[Michael81Dus]

Actually, it´s only the Austrian or Swiss overflight rights in question. Then there´s NATO airspace. Both countries haven´t refused overflight rights to the US. And look on the map: Germany is the central state in Europe. And because I agree that Italy is also a very important location, there are major bases.

[Michael81Dus]

My guess is that the land is property of the German government.

[Stonewall Jackson]

1st Armored Division is heading to El Paso and Fort Bliss. The 1st Infantry Division headquarters and three brigades will be stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas and the division's fourth brigade will be based at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

[Capt_Hank]

Hey Mike.... I was stationed in Goeppingen,(Cooke Barracks) 144th Signal Battalion, 1966-67. Spent some nice weekends in Stuttgart.

[MikefromOhio]

yeah.

Dad always told me that Stuttgart was a nice place to be. I haven't had teh chance to see it yet.

I was born in the 5th Army Hospital in Bad Canstatt...

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Thanks for straightening me out.

[Busywhiskers]

This is really going to cut into beer sales in Germany.

[hosepipe]

[ U.S. Army to Vacate 13 Bases in Germany ]

About friggen time..

[ut1992]

Genau, Michael.

Having spent many years (many tours) in Germany (late 60's - early 80's) as a dependent of a US Army officer, I fully agree with you. Over the years our family spent in Germany we had the opportunity to have considerable interaction with members of the German Luftwaffe and Bundeswehr (and their dependents), and I can tell you that they were fully committed to the strategic defense alliance with the US against the forces of the USSR.

These same folks always told us to ignore the comments of "Yankee Go Home" from the "Ami-hasser" (American haters) we sometimes encountered in the cities. I can't remember us ever encountering negative attitudes from the civilian population living, or doing business, around the US installations; especially in Bayern, or installations in Hessen/Rheinland-Pflaz.

Heck, my nephew who will be heading off to the Air Force next month has requested being stationed in Germany after boot-camp; specifically Rhein-Main AFB. His recruiter told him that he has a very good chance of fulfilling his dream as he speaks fluent German, along with his 3.8 HS GPA and 4 years of JROTC. It appears that all of the stories his uncles (and Grandpa) told him about the great times we had living in Germany took hold with this kid.

In December 2001, my brothers and I took him on a nostalgic 12-day trip back to Garmisch to go skiing where we had skied when we were stationed in Germany as kids. Our hotel was in Oberamergau, and he got to experience the magic of a German Christmas in the Bavarian Alps. That was not his first trip to Germany, or Europe, but one that made the biggest impact; he took up German in school the very next semester and graduated with honors in German.

I guess what I'm saying is, not every German is an American hater, because doing so would the same as saying every person in a blue state is bad; i.e. there are many "red" folks like myself in Chicago. We have some very good friends in Germany.

[Joe Boucher]

We have been there for three reasons. 1st to keep the rest of europe and asia from killing all germans after the trouble they caused after the two world wars. 2nd to keep russia and socialism at bay. 3rd to keep germans from raising up to cause trouble even again.
What with declining birth rates and low output dueto socialism doesn't look like ther wil be any 4th reich any time soon.
See ya, have imortant things doing. Time to go say to Iran or Syria and leave the reichmen to themselves. And one more thing, those that it will hurt maybe should have done anything to keep the troops by supporting the U.S. instead of crapping on it.

[Oorang]

I believe a lot of those bases are old, originally built by the Germans for WWII.

[americanbychoice2]

Michael, when I read the headline, I knew you would be here. :-)
Isn't it a shame that Schroeder, through mindless and silly talk, (and lust for power) has led to a situation where distrust and loathing has surfaced? He can't be called a good diplomat.
I sure hope and pray with you for victory in September. Any other outcome would be disastrous, in my opinion.

[ChuckHam]

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but he won't be going to Rhein-Main AB. We negotiated the return of that property to Germany years ago. All US forces should be out of there by the end of this year. The gateway to Europe goes thru Ramstein AB when Rhein-Main closes. Overflow airlift will go thru Spangdahlem AB. I worked the communications portion of the program for Spangdahlem AB from 1999 to 2002 while I was stationed there. Unless timelines have moved this is the last year for Rhein-Main.