There is never a dull moment here

May 25, 1954

Well, here it is 0730, and I have been up since 0500.  They came banging on the door because we had to turn in all of our script.  They are changing it.  The same thing happened yesterday morning at 0630 because Willie decided that I should get up and eat breakfast!!!

We had some excitement Sunday morning.  One of the colored boys [I hate when she does this] came through the gate about 0400 and they took up his pass.  Well he knew he had had it because he was court martialed last week, so he went gunning for the members of the court and the gate guard.  He went down to Service Company with a sparrow in one hand and a knife in the other. [A sparrow??  A bird?? Or is that Army code for something else?] He woke up the boy on duty and told him that the door to the supply room was open.  While the boy went to close it, the colored boy took the keys to the arms room and got a carbine.  When the other boy came back there was the sparrow with his head cut off. [So turns out it was a bird.  I wonder what the significance was?  Sounds very Mafia-like.] The colored boy went down to the ammo dump, tied up the guard there with the telephone wire, took an ammo truck loaded with 90 mm shells, and drove through the gate on the wrong side.  When the guard came out (the wrong one too), he shot him.  Then he started chasing the CG.  The guard was moaning, so he just pumped a round in him from head to foot.  Then he started toward the guard house.  Don Goellner was OD.  He climbed out a back window and went around through the gate and started firing just as the colored boy was firing through the door of the guard house.  Don and the colored boy fought up and down the street, past the chapel, and toward battalion headquarters.  Don finally got him.  They also got one EES truck too.  It’s a wonder someone didn’t hit the ammo truck.  If they had, we would really have made the headlines.  This started about 0630.  Just a little while later and people would have been coming in for early mass.  It was tragic, but it could have been even worse.  [Pretty crazy doings for little old Straubing!]

Last week Willie and I went to town several times.  Also went to 2 baseball games this weekend.  Otherwise there was nothing special going on.

Straubing Baseball Game

May 27, 1954

Last Tuesday about 9:30 one of the Kraut engineers hanged himself in the coal yard which is next door to my room at school. [Good grief!  If Mocha and Granddaddy had known all of this stuff was going on, I bet they would have told her she needed to come on home.  LOL] More things go on around here.  The whole regiment moved out that day for a 3 day FPX.  This time they have played in their own backyard.  The Kaserne is the objective.  We went through town last night and there was all of tank company with all of the men in their field clothes.  We even saw Willie riding through.  It gives you kind of a funny feeling when you think that that is sort of what things must look like during a war.  But it’s kind of exciting too.

War Games

Willie in his jeep

Then we almost got run off the road by a bunch of captured tanks coming back to the Kaserne.

I spent last night and the night before with Pat Allen.

The troops will be coming in sometime tomorrow morning.  Sho’ will be good to really see them again.  [i.e., sho' will be good to see Willie again. *wink*]

May 30, 1954

Friday night Jim Bray and I went downtown for some ice cream and coffee.

Last night there was a Regimental party – command performance.  I went with Willie – cocktails, buffet, and dance.  We had a grand time.

Today I spent the day with Rita and Bernie Huntley.  We rode up to Bogen – it is beautiful.

Because of what happened last week, Corps has decided that the security here isn’t what it should be. [You think?] Now they are putting on a whole company on guard each night.  They are also sending out officers to other battalions to check the guard.  Several people are being court martialed, etc.  There is never a dull moment here.  This place really looks like they are expecting something – everyone walking around with guns, etc., the gates down.  There was only one guard on the ammo dump last weekend and he was tied up.  Also a general walked in the motor pool one morning and drove off with a jeep, etc. [Oh, wow.  It's like a comedy movie at the base!] I guess they figure we are too close to the border to be lax.  Maybe things will change – we get a new Regimental Commander Tuesday.

June 2, 1954

All anyone can talk about here is this guard business.  I don’t see how they have anyone left to do anything else!  Someone said the other day that they heard two snails tried to get in under the fence but didn’t make it.  They also say a rabbit ran himself to death trying to get out of the ammo dump – there are 10 guards there!!

Monday afternoon a whole gang of us went to Plattling to a gasthaus and drank wine.

Last night Willie and I went to Mariandal!! [This makes me laugh, but then it makes me think how excited my roommate and I would get to go to Studebaker's on Friday night!]

Today I had to go to Munich to get my visa extended.  I have never walked as much in my life!  Spent the afternoon and my money in the PX.  I ran into a girl there from W.C.  She is from Smithfield and is a Special Service Girl in Landshut – Ann Grier.  We had a nice long chat.

Bombed out buildings in Munich

Munich near consulate

Also a boy just came in from Chapel Hill – Neil Creighton.  He knows Jake and Ham!!

June 5, 1954

We left Straubing yesterday afternoon for Paris.  Two boys from there are on the tour too, and they seem real nice – Jim and Bo.  We had to go to Nuremberg for the tour.  From there we got on a bus.  It took us all night to get to Paris.  We got in about 9:30 AM.  The weather has been beautiful today.

I met Gui Dardel this morning. ["Gui Dardel"?  I'm sure I've transcribed that wrong, but her handwriting wasn't always the best.  I'm assuming she was doing it after knocking back a few.] We walked around some and chatted.

This afternoon we went on a sightseeing tour and saw:

The Louvre – that is a tremendous palace.  From the square there you look through the small and large Arch de Triumph to the Place de la Concorde.  The Louvre is on the right bank of the Seine.  Then we crossed the Seine to Cité Island where we saw the Palace of Justice.  This is the place where Marie Antoinette was held prisoner.

         Then we went to Notre Dame.  This was built between 1163 and 1284.  Inside we saw the stain glass windows – Rose of the North and Rose of the South.

Notre Dame

Rose of North

Rose of South

Then we crossed over to the Left Bank into the Latin Quarter where we saw the Sorbonne.

We also saw the Pantheon and the Luxembourg Gardens.  Then we went to the Dome of the Invalids – 1764.  The dome has pure gold on it.  Inside is Napoleon’s tomb and other military leaders.  There is an altar that is a copy of the one at St. Peter’s.

         From there we went to the Eiffel Tower.  It was built in 1889 for the International Fair here and is 900 ft. high.  It is amazing.

Eiffel Tower (taken from a lying down position, I believe)

Next we saw the Arc de Triomphe – 1836 – started by Napoleon.  The French unknown soldier is buried here and there is a centennial flame.  Then we rode down the Champs-Elysees to the Place de la Concorde.  This is the largest square in Europe.  One of the obelisks from Luxor is here.

Arc de Triomphe

Champs Elysees

Afterwards we had tea and pastry at a sidewalk café.

We are going to the Follies tonight.

June 6, 1954

Last night we went to the Follies Bergere.  It was very good.  The costumes were beautiful.  We had a typical Paris taxi ride home – they had to get out and argue in the middle of the street.

This morning Hilde and I and two of the boys – Jack and George – went to the Louvre where we saw the Mona Lisa and the Venus.  Then we wandered down the Champs-Elysees and had lunch at a sidewalk café.

Sidewalk cafe Champs-Elysees

This afternoon we went to Versailles.  It is tremendous.  We saw the Hall of Mirrors and the table where the treaty was signed.  The gardens there are beautiful. [Debbie and I visited Versailles when we went to Paris in the mid 80's.  We decided that Nancy Reagan probably wanted to live in Versailles instead of the White House.  This was around the time she created such a stir about the White House china and everyone thought she wanted to be Queen.] On the way back we stopped at Sacre-Coeur, which is the highest point in Paris.  There is absolute silence in the church because the holy sacrament is always exposed.  Afterwards I went with Jack and George down to Notre Dame.  We got caught in the rain coming home so we ran between sidewalk cafes and wine.

Versailles

Hall of Mirrors at Versailles

Sacre Coeur

Tonight we are going to Moulin Rouge.

Versailles has a population of 70,000.  The palace was built by Louis VIV in 1699.  Marie Antoinette was married in the chapel there.

Chapel at Versailles

Went to Moulin Rouge tonight with Jack Bennett.  It was grand.  Had champagne, and the floor shows were wonderful.  There was even an act from the Follies.  Larry Adler played the harmonica.  We tried dancing. [WHAT???  Mother danced at the Moulin Rouge???  Oh my.] I have never seen as many people packed into such a small space before.

Then we wandered around Pig Alley.  Finally we ended up at a hot dog stand eating a ham and cheese sandwich and drinking Cokes.

Tomorrow we leave.  It has certainly been grand.

June 14, 1954  (note:  for several days, Mother dated her entries as July instead of June – what in the WORLD was she drinking??  LOL)

We left Paris last Monday.  It took all day and all night to get back.  We finally got in at 06:45.  We stopped for lunch in Nancy.

Lunch in Nancy France

Square in Nancy France

French German border - home again, home again, jiggety jig

One night last week Willie and I went downtown to dinner.  Thursday we went to Bernie’s, Saturday we went to the Tutt’s, and yesterday we went to the Ireland’s.  There was a promotion party Friday night.

School was out Friday and I cleared today.

School children - I think it was mean that she made them face the sun!

Tomorrow Willie and I leave on the first lap of our trip – Amsterdam. [Ok, now we get to the good stuff!]