Timothy Eugene Pace with family during his time in Bad Kreuznach: "Germany has made a pedestrian out of me"
Photo: Timothy Eugene PaceUS President Donald Trump wants to withdraw around a third of the 35,000 US soldiers currently stationed in Germany as quickly as possible. For the US President, the decision is, as he made clear again on Wednesday, a political signal to the German government. He wants to punish them for what he sees as insufficient defense spending.
But the trigger also hits the US soldiers. The relationships between the NATO partners are also shaped by the close exchange. For decades, postings to Germany have been part of many military careers in the USA, at times up to 250,000 US soldiers lived in Germany.
Here four women and men remember their years in Berlin, Garmisch-Partenkirchen or Mannheim - and report how the experience shapes them to this day.
Ebylee Davis, 77, from 1980 to 1995 stationed in West Berlin and Potsdam
I never wanted to go to Germany. I lived in New York in the late 1970s and I played in clubs with my band, we sang the blues. But then came the disco boom - suddenly a DJ was enough for the clubs, they no longer had to pay a band. I didn't get any more jobs, so I went to the army. There I was told they would send me to Germany - I didn't want that, but it was the order. So I flew. I arrived in Frankfurt am Main at night. There I learned that I should be part of the so-called military liaison mission - we should promote exchanges with the Soviet Union. Half of me lived in West Berlin, the other half in Potsdam, which was part of the GDR at the time.
Mirror Plus
Good reading. Understand more.
Special reports, analyzes and background information on topics that affect our society - from reporters from all over the world.
Your advantages with SPIEGEL +:
- Icon: Check
Unrestricted access
to all content on all your devices
Exclusive content
from the weekly magazine
- Icon: Check
Including digital edition
of the weekly magazine
Flexible term
can be canceled at any time
- Icon: Check
Flexible term
Cancel anytime online
A price
only € 19.99 per month
Start Free Month Buy Now Right Arrow Sign Up Now Right Arrow
Restore iTunes subscription
SPIEGEL + is processed via your iTunes account and paid for with a purchase confirmation. 24 hours before it expires, the subscription is automatically renewed by one month at the current price of € 19.99. You can cancel the subscription at any time in the settings of your iTunes account. In order to use SPIEGEL + outside of this app, you must link the subscription to a SPIEGEL ID account immediately after purchase. With the purchase you accept our general terms and conditions and privacy policy.