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Over 20 years ago, the Wall fell, and very quickly, our world changed. It went from an armed camp in Europe where ethnic divisions were suppressed to one where those divisions rose to civil unrest and war.
How do you remember the Cold War? Many of our newest soldiers have no living memory of that time, yet many of our more senior members do. What are your stories?
Here's my first taste of the Cold War as I remember it. It was 1971, and I remember the year because I was in Kingergarten. I was living in Belleville, Ontario, and there was an air raid siren around the corner from our house. It malfunctioned quite often, in that it would sound for no reason. I had no clue what it really meant, but when it went off, and especially if we were playing guns, then we would often jump in the ditched to avoid getting strafed by the enemy fighters that we assumed were mere moments away from hitting us. I mean, they were coming after us individually, no? Anyway, years later, my mother would confide in me that every time that thing went off, her heart skipped a beat and she felt as though she were punched in the stomach.
Later, in 1982, I had just arrived in Seelbach, Germany, as a 15 year old exchange student. One lazy August afternoon, as I was listening to CFRN Lahr, the music stopped and there were announcements in English, French and Germany, announcing a "Snowball Alert". I didn't really know what it meant, but I did hear them recalling all CF members to duty. I shrugged my shoulders and went on reading. Minutes later, I heard the very distinct warbling of an Air Raid Siren. I think I felt that same nausea that my mother had once described to me. First, the local CF members were recalled, and now there was that sound. Combine this with the constant (and distinctive) whine of the CF 104s flying over head, well, I expected some Soviet Bombers to be heading our way. I went downstairs to the living area, and my host family was sitting there, calmly reading, doing dishes, etc. They asked me what the problem was, noting the fear in my face. "Oh, that's just the call for the volunteer fire brigade. When Herr Himmelsbach next door heads out, then you know it's not a drill, and he just left." I asked about the snowball alert, and they smiled and said that they happened quite often. Much relieved, I headed back to my room, confident that the Soviet Air Force had elected to remain within the confines of the Czechoslovakian Soviet Socialist Republic....for now.
How do you remember the Cold War? Many of our newest soldiers have no living memory of that time, yet many of our more senior members do. What are your stories?
Here's my first taste of the Cold War as I remember it. It was 1971, and I remember the year because I was in Kingergarten. I was living in Belleville, Ontario, and there was an air raid siren around the corner from our house. It malfunctioned quite often, in that it would sound for no reason. I had no clue what it really meant, but when it went off, and especially if we were playing guns, then we would often jump in the ditched to avoid getting strafed by the enemy fighters that we assumed were mere moments away from hitting us. I mean, they were coming after us individually, no? Anyway, years later, my mother would confide in me that every time that thing went off, her heart skipped a beat and she felt as though she were punched in the stomach.
Later, in 1982, I had just arrived in Seelbach, Germany, as a 15 year old exchange student. One lazy August afternoon, as I was listening to CFRN Lahr, the music stopped and there were announcements in English, French and Germany, announcing a "Snowball Alert". I didn't really know what it meant, but I did hear them recalling all CF members to duty. I shrugged my shoulders and went on reading. Minutes later, I heard the very distinct warbling of an Air Raid Siren. I think I felt that same nausea that my mother had once described to me. First, the local CF members were recalled, and now there was that sound. Combine this with the constant (and distinctive) whine of the CF 104s flying over head, well, I expected some Soviet Bombers to be heading our way. I went downstairs to the living area, and my host family was sitting there, calmly reading, doing dishes, etc. They asked me what the problem was, noting the fear in my face. "Oh, that's just the call for the volunteer fire brigade. When Herr Himmelsbach next door heads out, then you know it's not a drill, and he just left." I asked about the snowball alert, and they smiled and said that they happened quite often. Much relieved, I headed back to my room, confident that the Soviet Air Force had elected to remain within the confines of the Czechoslovakian Soviet Socialist Republic....for now.
