Kempten - For sixty years, Kempten was the home of the Bundeswehr medical service.
Specially trained soldiers shaped the image of the city from 1956 to 2016.
The mountain medical regiment 42 "Allgäu" drew thousands to the Iller and released them back to their hometowns with many memories.
Lord Mayor Thomas Kiechle was also one of these Bundeswehr members for 15 months: "For me, the Bundeswehr was simply part of Kempten, I miss it," he admitted when he was presented with a freshly written comprehensive documentation covering these sixty years.
It complements the holdings of the city archive.
Dieter Tielmann himself was a captain in the Kempten Bundeswehr medic.
In painstaking detail, he researched a lot of data and details about the mountain paramedics in Kempten, found anecdotes and lots of photos.
On 420 pages it tells the story of a very special garrison that is unparalleled in Germany in terms of military history.
For 200 years, Kempten was the location of soldiers, in the last 60 years of medical units who set standards with their suitability for mountain technology (skiing and mountaineering).
Kiechle regrets that it was closed for political reasons in 2016: "The Bundeswehr was an important part of our city."
Helmut Hitscherich, former commander in the artillery barracks and chairman of the traditional association “Former and Friends of the Kempten Location”, therefore suggested that the role and contribution of the Bundeswehr paramedics for Kempten should be given due recognition: “Maybe we can work with the city on the three earlier ones Bundeswehr properties with steles are a reminder of that time! ”The Lord Mayor immediately took up the suggestion and promised to work on it in the responsible committees as soon as possible.
The documentary "60 Years of Medical Service of the Bundeswehr in Kempten" by Dieter Tielmann costs around 22 euros and is available from the traditional club for those interested (orders by email to dieter-tielmann@t-online.de).
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