Berlin Wall Memories

BERLIN -- I remember the radio voice at 8PM on 9 November 1989, announcing the unconditional delivery of visas to those wishing to cross the East German border. The news spread fast and the crowds became a crush within a few hours. By midnight, the checkpoints were wide open. By dawn, the chisels and hammers were out and people were cutting up the wall. I visited the city on Thanksgiving Day 1989, boldly driving straight down the Autobahn to the city limits. By the end of September 1990, the wall was completely gone. On 20 June 1991, Germany was reunified. Living in Germany during the entire process provided a memory that enhances the value of freedom and liberty. Walking the streets that used to lie east of the Berlin Wall brings back a lot of feelings related to War Plans I reviewed that we never used and bits of family heritage tied to the Prussian great-great-grandfather who emigrated to the States 120 years before the Wall fell.

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