Army leaves Bad Kreuznach
with a half-century of history
By Kevin Dougherty,
Stars and Stripes
Kevin Dougherty / Stars and Stripes
Army Col. Dean Vakas, the 1st Armored Division's support commander, holds his salute
Friday while the American flag is lowered for the final time in Bad Kreuznach. |
BAD KREUZNACH, Germany — This Memorial Day weekend promises to be a memorable one
for the people of Bad Kreuznach.
Nearly a half-century after Gen. George Patton’s troops captured this city on the
Nahe River in western Germany, the Americans are packing up and heading over the rise. For
those residents who came to know the military well, the horizon will never be the same.
"The Americans came as victors," Bad Kreuznach Lord Mayor Rolf Ebbeke said at
a farewell ceremony Friday. "They leave as friends and partners."
Hosted by the 1st Armored Division, the one-hour ceremony featured a military parade,
speeches and an artillery salute.
German leaders were to get their chance to say goodbye at a formal dinner Saturday
night.
"I had many friends in the Army," Rudi Busch, 65, said in German as waves of
U.S. soldiers walked into the city stadium at the end of a symbolic march through town.
"I am sorry to see them go."
The 1st Armored Division, which has called Bad Kreuznach home since 1992, is relocating
its headquarters to Wiesbaden. The move affects about 1,500 soldiers, 1,800 family
members, 450 U.S. civilian employees and 350 local workers. Many of the Americans are
scheduled to leave in June, with the balance departing later in the summer.
Officials say the move is designed to improve quality of life, command and control, and
to save money. U.S. Army Europe estimated last year the relocation would save between $11
million and $15 million after three years.
When "Old Ironsides" — the 1st AD — replaced the 8th Infantry
Division nearly a decade ago, the U.S. military was in the early stages of a massive
drawdown of forces in Europe. Though Bad Kreuznach was spared, its future remained cloudy
for much of the decade.
The Army’s decision to pull out of Bad Kreuznach should not be viewed as anything
other than a restructuring of forces, Maj. Gen. George W. Casey Jr. said before
Friday’s ceremony. The closure does not signify a new round of theater base closures.
"This is not a precursor of anything," Casey said of the decision to leave
Bad Kreuznach, which has been a permanent home to U.S. troops since the 2nd Armored
Division arrived in 1951. "This has been on the books a long time."
Several hundred local residents attended Friday’s ceremony, many opting to watch
from a grassy slope just beyond the field. One of them was 27-year-old Stefan Müller, a
local bank clerk.
Over the last decade, Müller has noticed fewer soldiers mingling around town, perhaps
for security purposes. The bond between the U.S. military and young Germans, he said,
isn’t as strong as it is for the elders in town. "You don’t see them
running around so much anymore," Müller said.
Some soldiers acknowledged as much in conversations during and after the ceremony.
Nonetheless, the soldiers said they will miss the people and the places more and more as
time goes on.
"Patton brought the Army here," Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Stanfield said.
"It’s the end of an era."
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