Bitburg German Military Cemetery

[Edelweisse]

Hi Folks:

This weekend...I visited the German military cemetery at Bitburg, Germany. This is the same cemetery that President Reagan visited on 5 May 1985....which many people were against. At the time, I was also there on the road to the cemetery and watched as President Reagan's motorcade drove by.

While there this weekend, I took some pictured of the grave markers

[Edelweisse]

Many soldiers and many of them "UNKNOWN"...my pictures are limited....a paratrooper and some SS

[phild]

They actually were not against Bitburg as they were too stupid to understand any of that and did not want to try. They were against what Reagan stood for so this was just the lever of the month. Nothing changes.

[Edelweisse]

I agree....they weren't against Bitburg…..they were against President Reagan's policies...which eventually freed Eastern Europe and broke the USSR. In addition, many Jewish leaders were against his visit.

[chrischa]

Just a shame nineteen year old boys seem to be the brunt of these things.

[münster]

I was there when Reagan visited, my Father was USAF and I got to go backstage with the AF personel and the secret service in preperation for the visit. This was a favor asked from Kohl after the visit was ill advised. In my own personal opinion it upset relations of the base which was very harmonious for decades, politicians have no relations to common people. When I lived in Germany I have visitfed several times in the recent past.

[münster]

They actually were not against Bitburg as they were too stupid to understand any of that and did not want to try. They were against what Reagan stood for so this was just the lever of the month. Nothing changes.

Bitburg was declared a dead city after a Christmas bombing late war, this visit reopened old wounds and strained relations for the benefit of some politicians. View it your way, but its much more complex , especially from my viewpoint.

[Edelweisse]

I didn’t post this for political discussion. I just wanted the share pictures

[münster]

I didn’t post this for political discussion. I just wanted the share pictures

I missed the part where you wrote you were there when the motorcade went by, were you stationed there or a local? The town has changed SO much since the base is gone now. Iam sure you know of Irrel and the bunker there?

[Edelweisse]

I was stationed there in the 36th Combat Supprt Group from Feb 1974-Feb 76 & got out but returned in 1980-90 working DOD Civil Service at various US Army installations/kasernes. I “was” married to a local so I do know Bitburg and the area.

As far as the Irrel bunker....I went “exploring” that bunker with a group of USAF friends with flashlights....multi-floor bunker in 1975 before it opened (1979). On the bottom floor ....the floor was covered with approximately 6” of gunpowder and the entrance was blown shut. We got in there thru a hole someone dug. Really cool...but we found many bunkers along the German-Luxembourg border when I was stationed there. I love Luxembourg....nice people and a lot of military history.

I just noticed that they opened the Irrel bunker up as a museum...which I’d like to go back and see. Thanks for asking.

I drove over to Bitburg AB and my barracks bldg is still there across from the NCO club. You are right....a lot has changed.

[münster]

I was stationed there in the 36th Combat Supprt Group from Feb 1974-Feb 76 & got out but returned in 1980-90 working DOD Civil Service at various US Army installations/kasernes. I “was” married to a local so I do know Bitburg and the area.

As far as the Irrel bunker....I went “exploring” that bunker with a group of USAF friends with flashlights....multi-floor bunker in 1975 before it opened (1979). On the bottom floor ....the floor was covered with approximately 6” of gunpowder and the entrance was blown shut. We got in there thru a hole someone dug. Really cool...but we found many bunkers along the German-Luxembourg border when I was stationed there. I love Luxembourg....nice people and a lot of military history.

I just noticed that they opened the Irrel bunker up as a museum...which I’d like to go back and see. Thanks for asking.

I drove over to Bitburg AB and my barracks bldg is still there across from the NCO club. You are right....a lot has changed.

Heh! You were there when I lived there with The 36 TFW. My Dad was Hospital. I went to the middle school and into BHS.

I do not know if you remember but there was an underground bunker we knew as kids that was sealed shut, some kids from the base got into it and got lost in it and died.

Iam sure you remember Cafe Royale, Rosies Garage, Castells lol. All the usual suspects GI bars.

When I used to visit from Koeln a couple years ago I would always cross into Lux for cheaper ciggs and gas, always that cool flea market that would happen on the border there also, I forget the village name.

Do you still have your biersteins from the reagan visit?

[Edelweisse]

I know the local bars ...Lamp Light & Castella ...I haven’t heard about the bunker where the kids got lost and died. I wish I was collecting back then...but I was young. I started collecting in 1984 when my wife bought me a 1914 WWI EKII

Your Dad worked in the hospital....I know where that was. I tried to stay away from there.

I was working for the US Army at Kruezberg Kaserne in Zweibruecken..in 1985. I have a few beer mugs from the Bitburg AB NCO club 1974 & 1975 and Bitburger Pils glasses.

[münster]

I know the local bars ...Lamp Light & Castella ...I haven’t heard about the bunker where the kids got lost and died. I wish I was collecting back then...but I was young. I started collecting in 1984 when my wife bought me a 1914 WWI EKII

Your Dad worked in the hospital....I know where that was. I tried to stay away from there.

Hosp was across from BHS and I think there was a small barracks for Hosp . Airmen across the street.

I remember Lamplight lol.

I started collecting there as a kid, there was a restaurant at the beginning of the bedaplatz, you probably know it. The owners were friends with my parents and gave me an SA tunic knowing I was interested .

There was a flea market outside of town a couple miles, they did at one point have helmets at like 20 DM (1982) . But most of it was fakes they were shucking on the GIs. If you do remember the base would have a bazaar in one of the hangers and one guy would always be selling WW2 stuff, I think mostly fake.

Theres a couple videos on youtube about metal detecting around the base, it was I think a Panzer base in WW2 , I would think though on the French Kaserne side because those buildings looked like standard Wehrmacht buildings. I used to mess around in those when The French left.

[Edelweisse]

Small world.....I recall the Bitburg HS across from the hospital. I recall the bar by the base that you talk about...and AAFES gas station.

I recall Hearing the Germans building the autobahns...and finding all kinds of military items.

Well... I’m back working in Frankfurt...and I wish the flea markets and shows would open but COVID-19 halted all that.

I wish I was collecting back then in 1974 but oh well

[VtwinVince]

I think the Russians were quite capable of cooking their own goose, had little to do with Reagan's policies. You remember Chernobyl, don't you?