Sunday Morning SITREP 0929101013Z

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DISTRO: ALL PERSONNEL

SUBJECT: SUNDAY SITREP 0929101013Z

1. Does the Berlin Wall still exist?

A BBC New article reflecting on the historical political division in a united Berlin. The article's graphic will look eerily familiar to anyone who ever served in Berlin.

link to the article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24238553

2. NSA spied on Martin Luther King, Muhhammad Ali, senators and journalists during Cold War

Article regarding how the NSA is reported to have "spied on civil rights leader Martin Luther King and boxer Muhammad Ali during the height of the Vietnam War protests, according to declassified documents revealed Wednesday."

link to the article: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_09_26/NSA-spied-on-Martin-Luther-King-Muhhammad-Ali-senators-and-journalists-during-Cold-War-3577/?from=menu

3. JFK Visited Hanford 50 Years Ago, Trying to De-Escalate Cold War

Article recalling President John F. Kennedy's visit to the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in southeast Washington.

link to the article: http://kplu.org/post/jfk-visited-hanford-50-years-ago-trying-de-escalate-cold-war

4. The 'Little Traffic Light Man' That Could
"How Berlin's iconic Ampelmännchen were born, saved from destruction, and still matter today"

link to the article: http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/09/the-little-traffic-light-man-that-could/279968/

5. Benghazi -  Swift and Decisive

Article reference the LaBelle Disco Bombing, the actions taken after (Operation El Dorado Canyon) versus the incident in Benghazi in 2012.

link to the article: http://www.citywatchla.com/8box-left/5749-benghazi-swift-and-decisive

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Saturday Morning SITREP 0928080013Z

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Good Morning Everyone,

Here is a little something I have gathered and think you will find interesting.

1. Cold war bunker out of cold storage

Video article about a "genuine" Cold War Bunker in Gravesend (East of London), England.

link to article: http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update/2013-09-20/cold-war-bunker-out-of-cold-storage/

2. War hero turned Cold War spycatcher locked up some of Britain's most ruthless traitors

Article about one of Britain's most famous spycatchers.

link to article: http://www.vancouversun.com/life/hero+turned+Cold+spycatcher+locked+some+Britain+most+ruthless+traitors/8942471/story.html

3. US Army Military Police Corps observes 72nd Birthday

Read about how the US Army's Military Police celebrated and remembered its past during this week's "Regimental Week."

link to article: http://www.myguidon.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16438&Itemid=39


4. Land of the Giant Mushrooms: Albania's 750,000 Cold War Bunkers

A Slate article about the thousands of bunkers built by the Albanian government for an invasion that never came.

link to article: http://www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2013/09/27/land_of_the_giant_mushrooms_albania_s_750_000_cold_war_bunkers.html

5. BOOK REVIEW: Stalin's Curse: Battling for Communism in War and Cold War

Review of a new book focusing on former Soviet premier, Josef Stalin and what many are believing was that Stalin and the USSR had only intentions of peace and secured borders and not that of expansionism and the global domination of Communism.

Author: Robert Gellately
Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: Knopf

link to article: http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/stalin-s-cold-war_757205.html

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About the SITREPS

Greetings All,
Thank you for indulging me this time. I want to say Thank you for reading and following along.


Over the past two weeks I have been adding the SITREPS and I do hope you have found them interesting. However, I have found that doing a daily report is just not in the cards.

However, starting this weekend (September 28-29)  I will publish Weekend SITREPS.



 Please, I would love to hear from you and what you think. You can email me at dave@berlinbrigade.com

Thank you.
Dave  Guerra
A/6/502/ Berlin Brigade

A Brief Note to the Citizens of Germany (22 September 2013)

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Im Namen der Veteranen des ehemaligen US Army Berlin Brigade, würde Ich mag ein herzlichen Glückwunsch an die Bürger DEUTSCHLAND verlängern über den Abschluss einer der größten Prozesse jede Nation eingehen kann: Freiheit der Bürger, ihr Wahlrecht Übung !

Ihre Ausübung Ihrer Rechte als Bürger des deutschen Volkes sicherlich verstärkt die Tatsache, dass unser Engagement in Deutschland, das deutsche Volk, der Stadt West-Berlin, und die Bürger von West-Berlin von 1945 bis 1990 gerecht und richtig war.

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On behalf of the Veterans of the former US Army Berlin Brigade, I would like to extend a heartfelt CONGRATULATIONS to the Citizens of GERMANY on the conclusion of one of the Greatest Processes any nation can undergo: Freedom of its citizens to Exercise Their Right To Vote!

Your exercising your rights as citizens of the German nation certainly reinforces the fact that our commitment and dedication to Germany, the German People, the city of West Berlin, and the citizens of West Berlin from 1945 to 1990 was just and right.  


We Thank You Again & We Congratulate You!
David G. Guerra
BerlinBrigade.com

Saturday Morning SITREP 0921081013Z

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Good Morning Everyone,
Here is a little something I have gathered and think you will find interesting.

1. Power city: Berlin’s political nerve centre

"What happens in the German capital affects us more than the goings-on inside the Washington Beltway or even Whitehall’s square mile. Ahead of Germany’s federal election tomorrow, it’s a good time to stroll through the heart of the Berliner Republik"

link to article: http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/power-city-berlin-s-political-nerve-centre-1.1534795 

2. One cheap switch saved US from nuclear catastrophe in 1961, declassified document reveals

Article talking about how a nuclear crisis was averted when a B-52 bomber carrying a nuclear weapon broke up over North Carolina in 1961.

link to article: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/21/20608882-one-cheap-switch-saved-us-from-nuclear-catastrophe-in-1961-declassified-document-reveals?lite

3. Berlin, Prague, Vienna: Far from the beaten European path

Planning on traveling to Berlin here's a little bit of info for you to consider.

link to article: http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/126581/berlin-prague-vienna-far-from-the-beaten-european-path#ixzz2fWzLIHJ0

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Wednesday Morning SITREP 0918060013Z

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Good Morning Everyone,
Here is a little something I have gathered and think you will find interesting.

1. Cold War Relics in the Caribbean: The Abandoned Planes of Pearls Airport

A small article and a couple of photos of an old SOVIET aircraft that were in place in the island nation of Grenada at the time of Operation Urgent Fury in 1983.

link to the article: http://www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2013/09/17/cold_war_relics_in_the_caribbean_the_abandoned_planes_of_pearls_airport.html

2. For first time since Cold War, Russian navy sets up permanent Arctic presence

Story about the Russians returning to their old Cold War stomping grounds: the Arctic.

link to the article: http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20130916/first-time-cold-war-russian-navy-sets-permanent-arctic-presence

3. Cameras disguised inside coat zips and bugs hidden in tree trunks: Fascinating insight into the crafty tricks and devious gadgets German spies used during the Cold War

Article about some the gear the Stasi spies used during the Cold War. Some of it obvious and some not so obvious. There was one that had me thinking "Oh, that's how they did that."
Guess which one it was?


link to the article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2423361/From-cameras-disguised-inside-coat-zips-bugs-hidden-tree-trunks-Fascinating-insight-crafty-tricks-devious-gadgets-German-spies-used-Cold-War.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

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Tuesday Morning SITREP 0917060013Z

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Good Morning Everyone,
Here is a little something I have gathered and think you will find interesting.

1. Germany's Refugee Policy Tested By New Arrivals

"As many as 5,000 Syrian refugees are moving to Germany this month after Chancellor Angela Merkel's government agreed to a U.N. request to host them. But they aren't receiving the warmest welcome in a country where a growing number of Germans are unhappy about the steady stream of asylum seekers."  Many are locating to HELLERSDORF district of the former East Berlin.

There is an audio version of this story on the page.


link to the article: http://publicradioeast.org/post/germans-tire-taking-refugees-warn-torn-nations

2. Cold War plane unveiled at Alberta Aviation Museum

"The Alberta Aviation Museum unveiled the newest addition to its collection this weekend: a CF-104 Starfighter plane that flew in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1961 until 1984."

IMHO, The F-104 is one of the coolest jets ever made.

link to the article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/cold-war-plane-unveiled-at-alberta-aviation-museum-1.1309400

3. Eric Schlosser's 'Command and Control' tracks nuclear mishaps

A new book tackling the what ifs and uh-oh's during the nuclear age.

COMMAND AND CONTROL: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety, by Eric Schlosser. The Penguin Press, 632 pp., $36.


link to the article: http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/books/eric-schlosser-s-command-and-control-tracks-nuclear-mishaps-1.6048702

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Sunday Morning SITREP 0915075513Z

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Good Morning Everyone,
Here is a little something I have gathered and think you will find interesting.

1. Our view: Disturbing Cold War-era discovery

The discovery of Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine, starter fluid for the Nike ground-to-air missile fleet in a Chicago suburb.

• link to the article: http://heraldnews.suntimes.com/opinions/22549889-474/our-view-disturbing-cold-war-era-discovery.html

2. Teufelsberg mirrors Berlin's dramatic history

"An artificial hill in former West Berlin was once a major building site for Nazis - then a surveillance center during the Cold War. Today, it's being restored by artists and conservationists, and welcomes visitors."

• link to the article: http://www.dw.de/teufelsberg-mirrors-berlins-dramatic-history/a-17074597

3. Cold War airbase turns ghost town

Interesting little article on how post Cold War realities are affecting life in the former USSR.

• link to the article: http://barentsobserver.com/en/security/2013/09/cold-war-airbase-turns-ghost-town-05-09

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Saturday Morning SITREP 0914085013Z

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Good Morning Everyone,
Here is a little something I have gathered and that you may find interesting...

1. Fake mustaches, hidden cameras, 80,000 agents: How Stasi brutalized a nation
An interesting little article by CNN on how the STASI used "disguises and complex surveillance techniques" A nice little look back. The accompanying photographs have an individual that looks familiar. Hmmmm, could be the disguise.

Link to the full story: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/13/world/europe/stasi-images-book/?hpt=hp_c3


2. From the Fall of the Berlin Wall to Tahir Square: The Case for Freedom, Democracy, and Peace
Huffington Post has an article on geo-political divisions in the world and the need for REAL Leadership in the world.

link to the full story: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amb-alexandros-p-mallias/from-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall_b_3916348.html

3. Bulgaria closes probe in Cold War umbrella killing
Story about the death of Georgi Markov, Bulgarian journalist, who fled Communist Bulgaria and settled in the UK. Markov is believed to have been shot with a poisoned tipped umbrella and died four days later in 1978. The story centers on the current Bulgarian Government's attempt to find the culprit but to no avail.

link to the full story: http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/2013/09/12/bulgaria-closes-probe-cold-war-umbrella-killing/M9QAIUzupdX2DJHGMm75rO/story.html 

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Friday Morning SITREP 0913060013Z

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Good Morning Everyone,
Here is a little something I have gathered and think you will find interesting.

1. Bloomberg News is reporting the following headline: Berlin to Turn Cold-War Airlift Site Into 1,700 Affordable Homes 

It seems the grounds of Tempelhof Central Airport are slated to be the latest location in Berlin to be turned into affordable housing. You can read the entire article here: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-09-12/berlin-to-build-homes-at-airport-used-for-cold-war-airlift


2. "And Then We Take Berlin"

The new book by author John Lawton is out: "And Then We Take Berlin". It offers a new and different spin on life in Post War Berlin and the early goings of the Cold War. "John Lawton’s terrific “And Then We Take Berlin” tells the story of a British soldier-cat burglar who becomes involved in post-war Berlin’s black market, then is asked to apply his skills in the service of a serious Cold War plot."

Should be interesting to read.  Read the Seattle Times Article here: http://seattletimes.com/html/books/2021755698_lawtontakeberlinxml.html


3. 1940s drama ‘Foyle’s War’ returns on PBS

For those of you that want the Cold War served up on your television screen be sure to check out "Foyle's War" on PBS  (check you local listings for time and date). This British produce series is in its seventh season and it promises to be a good one. The lead character Christopher Foyle is "asked" by British Intelligence Service MI5 to investigate and confirm the existence of a Soviet spy network working in London.

See the Preview video


or

Read the Miami Herald's article: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/09/11/3620713/1940s-drama-foyles-war-returns.html 


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