FROM COMBAT BOOTS TO GERMAN CASTLES: My Journey as a Black American Woman and U.S. Veteran in Germany

I joined the U.S. Army in 1977 to escape an abusive marriage and create a better future for my two daughters. Serving 22 years in Germany during the Cold War, I retired as a Permanently Disabled vet and write about my traveling adventures across Europe.

MY TUBE SOCKS
Revising the 1980s

I OPENED PANDORA'S BOX BY MISTAKE, Part 1
She wouldn't shut up!

TWO YOUNG POLISH HITCHHIKERS NEEDED MY HELP
They were someone's sons.

MY GIFT FROM MY ANCESTORS
Works every time!

DOGS MAKE SENSE! CATS MAKE DEMANDS!
I am a permanent dog person. It's not a phase. It's a lifestyle choice.

TRAINING CATS (Or is it the other way around?)
Or is it the other way around?

CAT DRAMA IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
The cats wouldn't help me.

WHY I WILL NEVER OWN A CAT!
They don't listen!

THIS IS WHY WE HAD RULES AT WORK!
Spring Fever Turned My Office Into an ER Visit

THIS MONSTER HAS LIVED RENT-FREE IN MY HEAD SINCE CHILDHOOD!
Even Military School Didn’t Fix This Childhood Trauma

A RUNAWAY SHOPPING CART, TWO GERMANS, and MY PUBLIC SHAME
A Shifty Shopping Cart and the Very Patient Germans

AN ACT OF KINDNESS FROM 'SANTA' ON A SNOWY NIGHT IN GERMANY
An unexpected sleigh ride

THE NEIGHBORHOOD BULLY WHO CRIED
A Childhood Lesson I Didn’t Expect**************************************************************************************** ...

MY LATE SISTER, ROSE, LEFT ME ONE RED BEAN
She is still watching over me.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD CURMUDGEON WE WERE AFRAID OF
Unforgettable Mr. Osa Lee...What We Thought We Knew About Him

KINDNESS DESPITE A LANGUAGE BARRIER-The Key Fob
Help from an unexpected source

ON MY OWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
That night, independence looked different.

EVERYTHING WENT WRONG AFTER THE PLANE LANDED
Home was still too far away.

WORDS FROM A CHILD KEPT ME TOGETHER IN HEIDELBERG
"It's gonna be ok."

HELP FROM A STRANGER ON A SNOWY ROAD IN OBERAMMERGAU
I never learned his name.

WORDS OF KINDNESS TO A CHILD IN AISLE 3
When peace returned to my shopping trip

TUTORING A CHILD WITH ADHD, Part 1
After serving 22 years in the U.S. Army, I needed something to do.

TUTORING A CHILD WITH ADHD, Part 2
Daniel's curiosity about my haircut sparked a lighthearted exchange between us.

WHEN TRUST DEFIED EXPECTATIONS IN RAMSTEN
 A vendor's faith in me.

HANNELORE IN MOURNING: Finding her strength during Fasching season
A few years ago, during the lively festivities of the Fasching season, Hannelore, a cherished friend and coworker, suffered a pr ...

A MOMENT IN MAINZ THAT NEEDED NO TRANSLATION
Words were not necessary...

COMING FACE TO FACE WITH A SYMBOL OF HATRED
Ignoring my feelings, I had a job to do.

COMMON SENSE WAS NOT ON DUTY- Does anyone pay attention anymore?
This could have been avoided!

MY MEDICAL EMERGENCY AT 2:00 a.m.: I thought I was going to die.
I had a bad habit of eating dinner late at night. And being from New Orleans, spicy seasonings remained a constant companion in ...

KARMA ALWAYS BALANCES THE SCALES: I Just Had to Remain Patient
In 1996, I graduated from the Defense Equal Opportunity (EO) Management Institute at Patrick AFB in Cocoa Beach, Florida, as an ...

MY AUDACITY AT BEING ANGRY WITH GOD
I watched my mother die in my arms.

MY EO CASE THAT TESTED AUTHORITY
Why I stayed and finished my job.

THE THINGS WE SIT THROUGH - The Christmas Social
Leaving early was not an option.

THE DAY A HOMICIDAL MERCEDES TRIED TO KILL ME!
We were headed to France, the car had other plan

SUNDOWN AT THE ATM ON HALLOWEEN
The soldier was in a rush.

SERVING WITH AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN: Colonel William H. Berry, Executive Officer
I was in the U.S. Army and stationed in Heidelberg, Germany. I was a stenograph on the staff of General Frederick J. Kroesen, th ...

TENDING TO SOMEONE ELSE'S NEEDS
It was Monday morning, about 8:15. I was late.

I THINK THEY SAID THAT THE DOG WOULDN'T BITE!
A German Shepherd's trust in me

THE CASE OF THE MISSING SCHILDKROETE: The Whaat?
One afternoon, I was sitting on my living room couch watching television. From there, I could see my patio through the glass doo ...

A PANDORA'S BOX TO METZ, FRANCE, Part 2: Seriously Lost and on Mental Overload
After paying for my ticket again, I drove out of the parking garage and had to make a right turn to merge into the flow of traff ...

A SPECIAL SURPRISE VISIT: The German Kids in my Neighborhood
I believe that God knows when you need someone. One day, I was in a bad mood, getting depressed by the minute. I had been thinki ...

MY GUMBO INTERRUPTED THE CHAIN OF COMMAND
I didn't know the captain was allergic to shrimp!

My Defiant Act as a Black Woman in the US Army: I challenged authority and survived.
In July 1977, I joined the Army and completed basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. When I was assigned to an all-fema ...

SNAPSHOT OF A DAY IN SARAJEVO, BOSNIA: JUNE 1997 DEPLOYMENT
Written to a friend in the United States during my deployment to Taszar and Kaposvar, Hungary, and Sarajevo, Bosnia, in 1997.Hi, ...

MY NEW COMPUTER CHAIR: My problem is that I rarely read instructions.
OK, I bought this sleek, black high-back swivel chair for me to sit in at my computer table. It took me a minute or two to get t ...

Where are you, my little Herbie?: Herbie Didn't Show Up For Me
It was the end of October. Cooler temperatures had effectively rescued the country from the sweltering summer heat. The once-lus ...

A LITTLE STRANGER RETURNED MY LOST BLUE WALLET
How did he know it belonged to me?

THE PITFALLS OF AGING!
The fun and absurdity of it all.

MY FULL RICH DAY: Angels rescued me in my time of need.
Recently, I had eye surgery at Landstuhl Army Hospital. My surgeon scheduled me for a checkup the following morning. After my do ...

A Mardi Gras to Remember with my Late Sister Rose: Challenging a Cop as an Army NCO
Several years ago, I took a flight from Germany to visit my sister Rose in New Orleans for the annual Mardi Gras, a cultural and ...

RESCUED BY THREE AMERICAN ANGELS IN RAMSTEIN
Angels come in all colors and sizes.

Everyone Who Looked Like Me Was Not My Friend: Surviving in an Army Administrative Circus
I was a staff sergeant, the senior noncommissioned officer (NCO) in the S1 Administration Section of the 205th Military Intellig ...

Volksmarching in Germany: What exactly is it?
When I was in the Army stationed in Heidelberg, Germany, I became interested in volksmarching.  WHAT IS VOLKSMARCHING? ...

Why I Miss Tube Socks!: They always stayed put!
Recently, I went shopping at the Base Exchange on Ramstein Air Base in Ramstein, Germany. Shortly after I started walking throug ...

The Hitchhiker From Kosovo: A lonely young man in a country not his own.
THE HITCHHIKER FROM KOSOVOIt was Saturday morning. Heavy rain played a dismal tune on my concrete balcony. The noise awakened me ...

The German Nuisance at the NATO School: A German captain almost started a mini war.
THIS GERMAN NUISANCE I have never been a history buff. But years ago, I discovered one interesting fact in my research for a sch ...

Her Name Was Maria: Remembering my Generous German Landlady
HER NAME WAS FRAU MARIA RINDERIn 1991, I was in the Army assigned to the 527th Military Intelligence Battalion in Kaiserslautern ...

The V Corps EO Office False Flag: Was I in Germany or the Backwoods of Mississippi?
PART 1 - GRADUATION FROM THE DEFENSE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE I graduated from the Defense Equal Opportunity ...

I WAS A SOLDIER: Army Physical Training Got me in Shape
The evil Monday morning PT formation hovered over me like a hungry vulture in a scorching desert waiting to pounce on me, its he ...

A Unique Gift from a Poor Bosnian Woman: A Bag of Negro Candy
After 22 years of service in the US Army, I retired in Vilseck, Germany, a short distance east of the Czech border. Within a mon ...

The Dangers of Shopping on an Empty Stomach: I only needed some milk
I went shopping the other day for two bottles of milk. Oblivious to my original plan, I visited a few other stores and picked up ...

Losing my Best Childhood Friend: Her Name was Ann Lavigne
Her name was Ann Lavigne, my best friend in fifth grade. We attended St. Monica's Catholic Elementary School in New Orleans, Lou ...

TRAIN RIDES AIN'T THE SAME!: My trip turned to hell on earth, Part 1 - 5
PART ONETRAVELING BY TRAIN AS A KID WITH MY MOMI grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana. As a kid, I often traveled with my Mom by tr ...

My Hangover in Bosnia: It showed no mercy!
"HOOOOOOONNNNNNKKK!" blared the warning from the horn of a massive ship bearing down on me. Terrified, I started to row like hel ...

MY CHRISTMAS MIRACLE: Christmas had a spiritual message for me.
What are the odds of strange things happening at any given time? Something out of the ordinary happened to me today. I don&rsquo ...

GOD TAKES CARE OF BABIES AND FOOLS
I found out in a hilarious way!

COURTESY AT A GERMAN GAS STATION: A stranger's unexpected kindness
A most pleasant, unexpected thing happened to me. I had some business to take care of in Kaiserslautern. After I finished, ...

REMEMBERING COLONEL WILLIAM H. BERRY: The epitome of a senior Army officer
Colonel William Berry, Executive OfficerExecutive Officerto General Frederick J. Kroesen, the COMMANDER IN CHIEF (CINC)UNITED ST ...

THE TRAIN CRASH THAT NEVER HAPPENED, Part 1: It was supposed to be a simple trip.
As we all know, life can be like a wicked witch—cruel, unpredictable, and often ruthless. And if you're anything like me, ...

THE TRAIN CRASH THAT NEVER HAPPENED, Part 2: My car was on and off the Rails!
With my route carefully mapped out, I took off at about six o'clock that Friday afternoon. Before reaching the Autobahn, I stopp ...

MY FUN TIMES AT A SALSA CLUB
Part 1: A tea candle set his shirt on fire!

FROM COMBAT BOOTS TO GERMAN CASTLES: My Journey as a Black American Woman and U.S. Veteran in Germany

I joined the U.S. Army in 1977 to escape an abusive marriage and create a better future for my two daughters. Serving 22 years in Germany during the Cold War, I retired as a Permanently Disabled vet and write about my traveling adventures across Europe.