Vielen Dank / Thank You Very Much!

Hello, How are you doing? It certainly has been a while since I last wrote something here and I have no excuse for the wide gap between postings. However, after the events of this past weekend I really need to do a posting before it gets too late.

If you have been following the BerlinBrigade.com fan page on Facebook or the Twitter page, you may have read on a posting that I was looking for people in the Washington, D.C. area that were up for an impromptu BerlinBrigade.com meet-up. The reason as to why I was going to be in Washington, D.C. was kept on the down low until everything was set.

I was invited to the Residence of the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United States to celebrate the Day of German Unity on the evening of Friday, October 1st. The Ambassador, Dr. Klaus Scharioth, and his wife were most gracious hosts and it was most wonderful of them to open their home to all that were present on Friday evening to share in the celebration of 20th Anniversary of German Unity.

Of course, we all know that it takes more than one person to say "Hey, let's have a party" and make the party happen. It takes a support staff to pull it off. Therefore, aside from a great big BERLIN BRIGADE(dot)com THANKS to His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Klaus Scharioth, I want to extend that same Big Thanks to Tanya Jones, an Editor at the German Embassy's Press Department and the countless other Embassy staff members, Security Personnel, Contractors, Caterers, and the Bundeswehr Musikkorps Band and a couple of others that will be named later.

It certainly was a thrill and I am so glad to have been able to attend. Vielen Dank!

A Cold War of Spies and Swaps and Berlin...

Yesterday, a friend asked me what I thought about the recent spy swap that took place between the United States and Russia. I told him that it was no big deal as spy swaps have been occurring for as long as there have been spies that have been caught and it obviously continues after the fall of the Berlin wall. Swapping Spies will continue long into the future.

This time the question should be why did the exchange take place in Vienna and not in Berlin?

First a little history: since the end of World War II there have been numerous spy swaps that took place between in what was formerly known as East Germany and West Berlin. The swaps to place at a bridge connecting West Berlin to East Germany, the bridge was called (and still is) Glienicke Bridge otherwise known as the Freedom Bridge. The most famous of the Glienicke Bridge spy swaps was that of U2 pilot Francis Gary Powers and Rudolf Ivanovich Abel on February 10, 1962. Then over the years many other exchanges took place on that bridge. The last known official spy swap took place on February 11, 1986 when Soviet Jewish dissident Anatoly Shcharansky was exchanged for nine other alleged and convicted spies.

Now to answer the question of why not Berlin? The answer is quite simple. There is no more West Berlin; there is no more army of occupation. From 1945 to about 1991 the British, French, and U.S. Armed forces occupied the city of West Berlin and the Soviet Forces occupied East Berlin. That meant that the respective occupying governments governed both sides of the Berlin wall. It also meant they controlled how information processed and disseminated within the city of West Berlin. Therefore, when an exchange took place it took place out in the open but under tightly controlled conditions. That meant the media circus was kept to a few official military photographers and videographers that would release images to the top media exchanges of the day such as the Associated Press (AP), United Press International (UPI), and Reuters.

To even attempt the type of exchange that took place in Austria on the tarmac of the city's Vienna International Airport in the city Berlin would only be feasible if it took place on one of the city's currently operating two airports (Tegel Airport or the soon to be Berlin Brandenburg International Airport (BBI)). In this the modern, 24/7 always on world there are very few locations that are still under government control where access control is highly maintained. This makes airports such suitable facilities, for several security reasons there are areas that will never be photographed up close and there are certainly several areas, on the airport grounds, where aircraft can sit uninterrupted for extended periods of time where such exchanges can take place. This is especially important when the anonymity of the participants is not only needed but also expected.

The answer to the question of when can the next Spy Swap take place in Berlin? So long as the next spy swap happens after Berlin Brandenburg International Airport officially opens in 2012, Berlin can be next. Currently, Berlin Schönefeld Airport (Flughafen Berlin Schönefeld) is undergoing an expansion that will accommodate the air traffic generated with the closure of Tempelhof Airport in 2008 and Tegel Airport in 2012 when Berlin Schönefeld, which will be renamed to Berlin-Brandenburg International, will be ready for operations. At this time, BBI is full of construction equipment and personnel throughout the airport and the city of Berlin’s growth around Tegel Airport makes both sites not conducive to executing such spy swaps. However, in 2012 Berlin can then reclaim it's standing as the premier "Spy Swap" location on the planet.

In the meantime, back in the Gulf of Mexico...

Technorati Tags:
• Cold War • Berlin • West Berlin • Berlin Brigade • US Army • British Forces • French Forces • Soviet Forces • Spies • Spy Swap • Glienicke Bridge • Freedom Bridge • Tegel Airport • Tempelhof Airport • Berlin Brandenburg International Airport • Flughafen Berlin Schönefeld

Memorial Day 2010

Memorial Day Greetings To All

I want to take a few seconds of your time to pass along this Memorial Day message to everyone.

Memorial Day is the one day that we as a nation take time to pause and pay homage to those soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines that paid the ultimate price while in service to this great nation, the United States of America.

If you haven’t done so please take a moment to remember all that have died in the name of keeping this nation free and allowing its citizens to continue living as one nation that has remained free for over 233 years.

If you have not done so that is OK because today Monday, May 31, 2010

At 3 PM EASTERN 2PM CENTRAL 1PM MOUNTAIN 12PM PACIFIC you are asked to observe the National Moment of Remembrance

As established by Congress you are asked to stop whatever you are doing and observe a minute's silence.

I agree 100% with the White House Commission on Remembrance when they said that the time was chosen because it is when most Americans are enjoying their freedoms on this national holiday.

I want to further add to the National Moment of Remembrance during that minute please include in your moment of remembrance those that served and are still serving.

Thank you.

You can hear this message on the BerlinBrigade.com Cinchcast at http://www.cinchcast.com/berlinbrigade/63255

Spring Forward

How is your Spring Break going? Also I hope you made it through the spring forward of Daylight Saving Time or as I like to call it the "Long Night of 1 less hour of sleep."

Either way here we are and the latest episode of the BerlinBrigade.com Podcast is online. Right now, we are letting the episode propagate through the iTunes network before putting it on the front page (which should be later tonight (Sunday)).

If you didn't get a chance to listen to John Bolden, Jackie Dunn, Ray Williams, Michael Broadway talk about the escape from East Berlin to the West in episodes 17 & 18 don't worry those episodes can still be found on the PODCAST archives page, along with all the other podcasts.

Hope you are following us on the BerlinBrigade.com Fan Page on Facebook. We are having a lot of fun, sharing plenty of images, having a great conversation, and having a great time.

I will post a follow up message once the podcast is fully online.

Thanks for your time,
Dave

March Madness Already?

Greetings again everyone,
Hope things are going good with you and yours. Can you believe it's March already? Talk about time flying. Just wanted to take a few minutes to bring you up to date with what's been going on around here at BerlinBrigade.com.

1. I do hope you liked the past two podcast episodes. It was certainly a treat having John Bolden, Ray Williams, Michael Broadway, and Jackie Dunn share their unique story. However, editing has begun on a new episode of the BerlinBrigade.com podcast and another exciting interview is on tap for you.

2. I will also mix in the quick interview that I had a couple of weekends ago with Tom Hartney of the Berlin U.S. Military Veterans Association regarding their upcoming reunion to Berlin in August.

3. I will talk about something very special that I received from one of our Allies.

4. Plus, I will answer some email and give a few shout outs, as well.

In the meantime, this evening I updated the Registry Database and added the Blog page to the website. So check them out. I do hope you are liking that new registry display page that shows the latest additions or changes to the registry.

Before, I sign out for the evening be sure to follow us on Twitter and on Facebook, the links are on the home page. I invite you to come join the conversation with all of us.

Thank you for your time,
Dave Guerra

Presidents Day 2010 and a word or two about holidays.

Made it through the holiday season. Whether you were at home right here in the United States, at home in Berlin, or deployed forward at some FOB I do hope that everyone had a wonderful time. Today is Presidents Day here in the United States pretty much that's it for holidays until Memorial Day.

Of course, we have Easter, St. Patrick's Day, and Earth Day between now and then. In the meantime you can't forget Sunday March 14th that's when Daylight Saving Time starts (Spring Forward...which means that those on CQ get one less hour of duty but if you are up late it means one less hour of sleep, as well).

Better not forget Sunday May 9th is Mothers Day. Of course, the start of parade season begins with Armed Forces Day and this year Monday May 31st is Memorial Day.

While there might not be any more Federal (day off) holidays between now and the end of May there is still plenty to celebrate. Heckm if you need an excuse celebrate then pick any day and celebrate or wait until International Polar Bear Day on February 27 or April 29 as it is National Shrimp Scampi Day.

Enjoy this Presidents Day and remember Spring begins on Saturday, March 20th.

January 10, 2010

Just want to pass along that REGISTRY has been updated. All submissions for addition, deletion, and change between late November 2009 and January 10, 2010 have been made and are now online.