Glimpses Into the Past Addendum

Glimpses into the Past Addendum

Our Very Dearest Friend Valery,

Here comes the addendum, we were motivated to add on being urged to do so by some of our friends and acquaintances. Thanks for your patience and gracious understanding.

Notes to you, good friend, will be in black print;

Texts to be added will be in blue print.

Here we go:

Following the text under Pict. 6 a, which concludes with the two words “Hubert Lange,” please add the picture of my dear departed mother, in the new picture series No. 1.

Here is her picture-preceding text pertaining to her:

My over everything beloved mother had dedicated herself to only one mission in life and that was to love and adore all those who were most dear to her heart. Her love and devotion to this small group of people knew no beginning and no end. Being by stature a petite lady with physically delicate features, she, nevertheless, mastered immense strength to assure the survival of her children during the Second World War. Immense sacrifices and over the years prolonged malnutrition eventually led to her much too premature death. Not a day passes by where she is not most sorrowly missed.

(Picture No. 1, My Mother Katharina Gulgowski-Doliwa (Nee v. Look)

(DEAREST FRIEND, PLEASE ACCORD MY LATE MOTHER THE HIGHEST NOBILITY RANK SHE IS, IN YOUR MIND, KNOWING MY COMPLETE BACKGROUND, ENTITLED TO. IN MY OWN MIND SHE SHOULD AT LEAST BE A PRINCESS. IN THE GERMAN SYSTEM, THE DAUGHTER OF A MARGRAVE IS CONSIDERED A PRINCESS; SO, WHY SHOULD THIS RULE NOT APPLY TO MOTHERS?)

The following is the caption that should go below the picture with her and me as a little boy.

This photograph was taken by a neighbor in 1942. Mother looks drawn and exhausted as a result of prolonged aerial bombardments. Still, she managed to get me dressed in a new sailors outfit, unbeknown to her at that time she projected my future a long way off. Mothers have a way of knowing, don’t they?

After my mother’s much too early departure from this earth, aunt Johanna, affectionately called “Tante Hanni” took it upon herself to look after me with care and gentle persuasion, continuing where my mother had left off. Having had the benefit of an admiring and generously providing husband, she lived to the rightful age of 83. Considering what she went through during World War II and the post war era, her longevity borders on a miracle.

(Picture No. 2, My Favorite Aunt Johanna v. Look as a Young Lady)

And last but not least in this part of our documentation, I should like to introduce to our esteemed readership my brother and friend, Senior Government Counselor Bernd Hartmut Gulgowski-Doliwa, M.A.

(Picture No. 2a, Bernd and Paul on their favorite river walk alongside the Rhine near Bonn, Germany)

Right below Pict. 7, Seal U.S. Army, without any comment, please place the newspaper article listed as

(Picture No. 3, Distinguished Military Student Paul)

After Pict. 9, Watch Rhine, please insert the following paragraph:

Being stationed in Southwestern Germany was not always a Class A uniform affair, with fun and games. Months were spent on patrols and maneuvers, in our case, on West Germany’s border to then Czechoslovakia. These activities normally took place after harvest time during the late fall and early winter weeks when the weather is particularly wet, cold and damp with icy winds making life miserable.

(Picture No. 4, Paul checks on a German reconnaissance patrol.)

(Picture No. 5, Paul, in turn, is being inspected by his superior, showing to the colonel

on the map his location on the ground.)

After Pict. 12, Soviet Monument in East Berlin, please insert the following paragraph:

The Iron Curtain, through and around West Berlin, projected an ugly appearance, making one shiver when one saw it for the first time.

(Picture No. 6, Border-Warning Sign)

The border-warning sign planted by the federal German border guards, “Halt! Here Border” was both superfluous as well as an understatement. First of all, when one arrived at the inner German border, there was no doubt in one’s mind that one absolutely could not go any further and it was no border in a normal sense, but a merciless death strip.

(Picture No. 7, An Insurmountable Obstacle

The first obstacle one encountered was a barbed wire electricity-loaded fence. This was followed by a narrow mined strip and an eight-meter tall cement wall. On the other side of this ugly looking wall was another, but much wider, mine field. Then came a foot-patrol path that was patrolled by a loyal, green-uniformed border guard with a snap-happy German Shepherd. This death strip was illuminated during the hours of darkness and in its totality, from the Baltic to Austria, consumed as much electricity as huge metropolitan areas such as the city of Hamburg.

(Picture No. 8, Death Strip with Tank Obstacles)

Some place under this eye-sore exclusion zone, to put it mildly, underneath the surface, was Adolf Hitler’s last hideout headquarters.

(Picture No. 9, The Corridor)

This corridor led from Checkpoint Charlie in West Berlin into East Berlin and was primarily used by the four allied powers when they visited one another, which, over time, happened only very rarely. Liaison work between the “Big Four” had as much as ceased entirely. However, uniformed officers from both sides occasionally visited each others’ sectors for sightseeing and possibly also other purposes. Everyone always smiled for the East German border guards’ long-lens cameras when passing through this time tunnel, which was monitored by guards stationed in the tall tower seen on this photograph.

(Picture No. 10, Administration)

A company commander is responsible for his personnel, their security, training, education, operations, logistical support as well as the planning and administration that go along with these tasks. Only God can remember what precisely it was what I was working on when this photograph was taken, but it was certainly a lot. While in garrison, an officer normally never got out of his office prior to 1900 hours and sometimes even later.

(Picture 10a, One element of my company enjoys a roadside break while en route to a maneuver area.)

(Picture 10b, Although the coffee might be reviving and hot and the donut wholesome and sweet; still, for a military leader, it is lonesome on top, as this picture clearly suggests.)

(Picture 10c, Paul is being introduced by his brigade commander to the soon to be installed commander-in-chief of our European Army forces during an officers’ club function.)

(Picture No. 11, French Foreign Legionnaires)

Western Europe is very compact. Only a few hours drive, and one is in another foreign country. Having always had a fascination with the French Foreign Legion, I made sure to observe them on parade in Paris. Guess what, they, too, did not like to be photographed.

However, as the above picture demonstrates, I got close enough to sneak a shot of them. There is no doubt in my military mind that these men are indeed the best light-infantry men in the world.

After the paragraph dealing with my transfer from the United States Army in Europe to the United States Army Southern Command and prior to picture No. 13, Change of Command, please insert the following photographs:

(Picture 12, Headquarters U.S. Army South)

(Picture 13, Ft. Clayton, at that time, my home away from home.)

(Picture 14, Many of these typical enlisted troop housing units were located in the former U.S. Panama Canal Zone.)

The Panama Canal, built by an American Engineer Colonel of German descent, can rightfully be considered as one of the engineering wonders of the world. Colonel Goethals succeeded where Mr. de Lesseps, the builder of the Suez Canal, had failed. The canal is 80 km long and accords over 14,000 ships a year passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic and vice versa. As of this writing, the Panama Canal is being enlarged with European money to accommodate bigger-size ships. Like it or not, when the widened locks and canals are opened to newer and larger ships, they will just have become obsolete again. Things are in the habit of getting larger all the time.

(Picture No. 15, The Miraflores Lock System shows all of its engineering glory.)

Next to duty on Hawaii, duty in the Panama Canal Zone was considered serving one’s nation in a tropical paradise. Soldiers of all ranks were eager to reenlist for their own duty positions as depicted below.

(Picture No. 16, A Specialist reenlists for Canal Zone duty.)

(Picture 16a, Paul as a guest of popular German President Walter Scheel at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in the Republic of Costa Rica, a small peace-loving nation northwest of Panama. Attendance of such functions was always a pleasure and certainly most enlightening.

After Pict. 14, Taking Command in Northern Germany, and the caption in blue that ends with “no equal in the civilian world,” please insert Picture 17.

(Picture 17, Project Partnership with Allies was the name of the game in Northern Germany.)

(Picture 18, Captain Paul never grew tired to educate his soldiers about the sacrifices of the Russian Army during World War II, making sure they understood that without their tremendous bloodshed and suffering (nearly 40 million perished), World War II could quiet likely have taken another turn.

(Picture 19, Captain Paul explains the operation of a recovery tank to VIP guests.)

After Pict. 15, Stadt Hagen, and the caption pertaining thereto, please insert

(Picture 20, The commanding general had an open ear for everyone, including for this kindergarten teacher, who voiced some complaints to him that Captain Paul translated. Obviously the little girls and boys, also shown in this photograph, focused on other interests.)

(Picture 21, Major Paul translates for Four-Star General Kroesen and Lord Mayor Knuth, who, next to other responsibilities, also held the position of President of the German Mayors’ Conference. Performing such duties is like having your thumb on the pulse of vital issues that concern important people.)

However, not everything was Champaign and caviar in Northern Germany. The demonstrators shown on the following picture did not want us at the doorsteps of their homes, which is quite understandable. Nevertheless, it took German civilian police and American military police to persuade them to go home. Eventually they complied and departed the area peacefully.

(Picture 22, The demonstration was not as bad as it seemed.)

Following the demonstration picture, please insert the following paragraph:

As Deputy Chief of Staff for Civil Military Corporation, I was responsible for integrating my division into the infrastructural fold of the Federal German state of Lower Saxony,

the Free and Hanseatic City of Bremen, the county of Olsterholz-Scharmbeck and various other smaller cities and villages. I was told that the civil military relations and the harmony between our soldiers and our civilian hosts in my area of responsibility were the very best in Central Europe.

(Picture 22a, The Minister President of Lower Saxony congratulates me on my achievement.)

(Picture 22 b, After having been decorated with the American Meritorious Service Medal by my commanding general, I (this time without moustache) also received a plaque of gratitude from a civilian dignitary.)

Next, right on top of the paragraph that starts with the words “Officers with outstanding records…..” please place Picture 23 (this will be in Word document format).

(Picture 23, West Point Cadets on Parade)

Second, we need to split the West Point introduction paragraph in half as indicated below.

Officers with outstanding records of troop command and staff leadership, who have excelled in tactics and strategy are on very rare occasion assigned to the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. My assignment at that venerable institution of higher military learning was that as professor of German, history and tactics.

(Picture 24, My first inspection of my future classroom that obviously required a major facelift.)

Third, we need to insert the second half of the West Point introduction paragraph as indicated below.

Although the above stated portfolio of responsibility was most satisfying, I particularly enjoyed escorting cadets to Europe where they were accorded the opportunity to make acquaintances with junior allied officers. Frequently, these meetings also resulted in lifelong friendships and even marriages.

The above paragraph is then followed by the old Pict. 16.

Following the statement below old Pict. 19, that ends with ….. Mark, a retired engineer colonel, please insert new Picture No. 25

(Picture 25, Audrey as Mark’s fiancée; her intellect, looks, charm and poise easily exceeded that of many classical beauties and movie stars.)

After new Picture 25, we continue with new pictures 25 a, 25 b, 25 c and 25 d. Before we start placing Picture 25 a (actually a newspaper article), please, insert the following statement:

Just prior to my departure from West Point and reassignment to the United States Army Europe, the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Professor Karl Carstens, bestowed upon me the Cross of Merit First Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for advancing the high societal, cultural, social and military interests of the Transatlantic Community and the NATO Alliance.

(Picture 25 a, Consul General Hartmut Schulze-Boysen presents the German Federal Order of Merit to West Point Professor Dr. Major Paul W. Gulgowski, Ph.D. The insignia of the German Order of Merit can be viewed on Paul’s coat-of-arms.)

Below the above picture caption, please continue with the following paragraph: