It's a Festivus Miracle that you didn't cause some international incident in the DDR. Did you have your DOD dependent ID on you? That might've helped you getting from West Germany to Berlin, but anywhere else might have hurt your corn hole. Mind you, my one experience in East Germany was just before the Wall came down when my aunt (then a Major in the US Army) hauled us to Berlin and back through the DDR. Got to go through Checkpoint Charlie and check out East Berlin just before the Iron Curtain fell. With my worldly experience of "America, Fuck Yeah!", the Commies seemed pretty scary, but West Berlin seemed Hella Sweet.

I do remember the DDR coins feeling worthless in my hand...funny thing is, US coins are getting that same aluminum feel to them now...hmmmm.

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Andrew Steere
Lyndeborough, NH
KB1PJY

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fiasco
It's a Festivus Miracle that you didn't cause some international incident in the DDR. Did you have your DOD dependent ID on you? That might've helped you getting from West Germany to Berlin, but anywhere else might have hurt your corn hole. Mind you, my one experience in East Germany was just before the Wall came down when my aunt (then a Major in the US Army) hauled us to Berlin and back through the DDR. Got to go through Checkpoint Charlie and check out East Berlin just before the Iron Curtain fell. With my worldly experience of "America, Fuck Yeah!", the Commies seemed pretty scary, but West Berlin seemed Hella Sweet.

I do remember the DDR coins feeling worthless in my hand...funny thing is, US coins are getting that same aluminum feel to them now...hmmmm.

Yeah, of course I had my ID in my wallet and when I pulled it out to pull out the driver's licence in a flash the Seargant sitting there with his little equivalent of an Uzi noticed it and said "So, you are military, Hmmmmmm?" (didn't help I was wearing a surplus US Army winter coat and a hat like this,

but with the bill turned up which looked remarkably like this:


And green cordorory pants---and hiking type boots...
Guy looks at the ID card for maybe 1 second, says "So, your father is a Captain in the Navy, hmmmmmMMM?
Chrikee, 1 second..
Well now it makes sense:

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Pass and Control Units

For most visitors to East Berlin and the GDR, including persons who utilized the land transit routes (road and rail) between West Germany and West Berlin, their exposure to the Grenztruppen der DDR consisted of dealing with the members of the "Pass and Control Units" (Paß- und Kontrolleinheiten - PKE) who processed travellers passing through the GDR's Grenzübergangsstellen (border crossing points). Although they wore Grenztruppen uniforms, the members of the PKE were in fact members of the 6th Main Department (Hauptabteilung VI) of the GDR Ministry of State Security (Ministerium für Staatssicherheit der DDR - "Stasi").

This guy and the guys that inspected---very thoroughly and pleasantly---my car weren't some conscript layabouts....They were young and they were cold and laughed when i made motions to "maybe swap hats"..."Brrrrrrrrrrrr---(they pointed) besser!" Damn right, I seriously had icicles hanging off the dash--useless English heaters.

17.....alone in der DDR....

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John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

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john vanlandingham

<snip>

useless English heaters.

English heaters are not useless! The function just enough to maintain a constant fogged up effect on the inside of the windscreen.

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Simon Wright
Owner/Driver USUK Racing - Home of the USUK Racing LED Light Bars!

North America Rally Map

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simoniac

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john vanlandingham

<snip>

useless English heaters.

English heaters are not useless! The function just enough to maintain a constant fogged up effect on the inside of the windscreen.

This car had had a radio in the dash that was gone and that's where the scary icicles were forming.. I crammed half a newspaper in and that stopped the direct breeze but still had ice forming...the worst thing was the wipers were vacuum powered, so on cruise they worked but if i pulled out to pass yet another semi-rig and booted the gas, full throttle= no vacuum, and the wipers would stop till I would back off...But the road spray would freeze as soon as the wipers stopped...
Salty ice, night, fatigue (driving non-stop from Oostende to Berlin) having left Ipswich around 4pm....no money for a hostel....December was cold and damp....better when i got to Sweden cause it was just cold but not wet.

Big adventures for a 17 year old....all for the passion to race moto-cross where there was real competition.

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.