I was stationed in Berlin with the British Army from 1975-1977,and can remember looking across at the East German Boarder Guards and giving them a wave,I cannot remember any of them waving back though.Also as we patrolled around the wall,we passed the crosses where people had died trying to get to the West,don't forget that.

Syed Muzaffar Shah wrote: "My asvice to the ex east germans is that, 'love your freedom what ever the cost as there is no substitute for it.' May i ask the german goverment as to why it is present in afghanistan and iraq, towing the american line?"


Sir, if you honestly can't understand what America and other nations are doing in Afghanistan, you need to review a videotape of 9/11. Or Google other incidents (Bali, Madrid, London, etc., etc.) in which Islamic radicals deliberately killed innocent civilians.

To do nothing when your nation has been unjustly attacked is the same as waving the white flag -- and if you value freedom as much as you claim, you should understand that.

I was in Berlin from 75-78 and flew the wall muliple times every week in a helicopter.  The difference was like watching a movie. 1/2 in color, 1/2 in black and white. 1/2 in full life, 1/2 was dying.  Could it be that the 20% of former East Germans that are not too happy are the 20% who where in positions of authority over the other 80% of everyday people?  
I have barbed wire from the original "wall".  I would love to have a piece of that wall.  By the way, the Berliners were wonderful people.  I'll always love them.

Four years before the wall came down, I was in the DDR visiting family. The tears that were being shed because they felt that they would never be free were heart breaking. As a 19 year old optimist I said that," In 5 years you will be free" My family gave me a dismissive look and said no. The Ossies were of course very lucky,but the really lucky S.O.B's were the members of the Stasi and goverment that were ruthless and were never punished.  

The Berlin Wall was never just a pile of cement, it was a grim reality that cut through the psyche of every German, both East and West. As long as people who lived through that Cold War era are still alive, the Wall will never really be gone - just a memory that grows dimmer every year.
I can remember climbing an overlook tower on the West side of the Wall with a guy who had escaped the East a few years prior. Through letters, he had made arrangements for his sister in the East to bring her newborn daughter to other side at an arranged time. He waved, she waved. He had brought his binoculars and got his first glance of his niece and was able to see a tear in his sister's eye, and he too shed a tear.
That is the Berlin Wall I will remember - not a cement structure.

It's here in America alla the patriot act, military commissions act, and presidential directive 51.  

Vote Ron Paul take down this wall!

My husband and I recently spent part of our honeymoon in Berlin, and loved the warmth and energy of the City.  On our wanderings we discovered a portion of the Wall on display at the entrance to a shopping mall in West Berlin.  Later, we found a branch of a major US coffee giant within eyesight of Checkpoint Charlie.  Those of us who have lived in a capitalist country all of our lives take the comodification of history for granted, but I'm imagining it feels a little weird to someone who grew up in the East.

I lived in Berlin-Spandau from 1972 to 1976 and had many experiences pertaining to the wall.  When it came down in 1989, I stood in front of the TV watching CNN with tears streaming down my cheeks.  I never expected to see it come down in my lifetime.  It seems that we have not learned from history.  The Israilis are building a wall on the West Bank and after seeing pictures of it from a friend who visited there, I was astonished at how much it looked like the Berlin Wall. Families divided, check points to go through, and having to travel out of your way just to avoid the wall.  A wall between the US and Mexico will make it harder for Mexicans to cross the border but it will not stop them (I wish I would have kept track of all the escapes I heard about in Berlin when I was there).  Walls are not the answer, they are part of the problem.

Here's a view from a vantage point that might be considered "different."  I am a retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel.  English is my fourth language, inasmuch as I was born in Lithuania (1938), grew up in Germany (1944-1950) and had many occasions during the Cold War to spend time there.  It is fair to say that I became an involved observer of the "Passing Parade" of those tragic and turbulent times.
   
    In late 1ate 1988 I had an opportunity to meet with a distant lithuanian relative, and very good ancient friend of my parents, whom they had been unable to have any contact with for about 45 years.  Under Gorby's "perestroika" he had obtained permission to visit the USA in that year and wound up in Flagstaff, Arizona visiting my parents when I showed up.  He was a member of the communist party, and had actually done not too badly under that system, in stark contrast to most other members of my large extended family that he edeavoured to materially help as best he could.  He was very knowledgeable of Soviet politics and it was fascinating to hear him dicuss it.

    In my view in late 1988, the USSR was in the final stages of complete disintegration.  Physical political acts implemented by Mikhail Gorbachiov were of a nature that neither he nor anyone else could either undo, or control, in my then then opinion.

    When I explained this view my lithuanian relative ceased to consider me a rational companion in political discourse.  It was painful to experience this, but it was not a feeling I was unfamiliar with.  I had already found that in order to establish one's credentials as a rational political being, as opposed to being considered some sort of "dreamer," or other kind of "weirdo," one had to, in those days, make a statement at some point to the effect that one realized that "communism is here to stay." The alternative was to be considered a "non-participant" in rational discourse.

    I will never forget a segment of the McNeil Lehrer Report sometime in late 1989 (just after the "Wall" came down) when William Shirrer, author of the celbrated "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" was a guest of the show.  He was of course eminently qualified to write such a book inasmuch as he was a former foreign correspondent for Time during all the crucial years of Hitler's Reich and knew all the key actors personally. He was asked on McNeil Lehrer if he had "seen it coming," refering to the collapse of the wall.  He said that he hadn't.  He of course was not alone. The White House hadn't seen it coming.  The CIA hadn't seen it coming. etc., etc. etc.  So he was asked if he knew of anyone that had seen it coming.  He said:  "yes, there were some who had seen it coming, but none of them had any credibility."  He was talking about me.  

I was stationed in Germany in the Air Force when the wall was up and when it was torn down.  I remember I had to do flag orders in order for US military and their families to travel to Berlin.  They had so many minutes to get from one point to another.  One military family got turned away because their windows on their van were tinted.  The flag orders had to be perfect or else they would be turned away.  I also have a piece of the wall.

"those who don't remember the past are doomed to repeat it." previously mentioned by Mike Faust

i believe it was albert einstein? im prolly wrong so dont quote me on that

i was only 5 years old in 89 but i remember watching it on the news the day it came down and even as alittle kid i followed the news because of my fathers influence (and the news being on constantly) now that im 22 i understand even better the complexity of the world at the time and that the wall coming down was a historic symbol and i am glad to have lived threw that and be able to atleast witness it on tv

I got two small pieces!! you can see the graffiti on them

I saw one piece of the Wall is at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Museum in Semi Valley, CA. Due to his involvement of helping assist the dismantling of the Soviet Union during his presidency. The portion of wall at his museum has a picture of a butterfly on it, resembling the "rebirth" or "metamorphosis" of Germany.

Unless I've been suckered, there appears to be a genuine piece of the wall on the waterfront here in Portland, Maine.  It's about the size of a mattress and there is some great graffiti on it, including the line "The Party is Over", presumably placed there by the people who helped to tear it down.

I understand that a large piece of the Wall is in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (of all places) at the Kilpatrick Center.

More reason to support the Cold War Museum
www.coldwar.org

When working in Washington DC, I saw a large piece of the Wall in the Ronald Regan building near the National Aquarium.  It is fitting to be in that building with a quote "tear down this wall," from the man who encouraged reunification.

I had the privilege to see the wall in Berlin in December of 1989 only weeks after the protests that led to the reunification of Germany. I was a 21 year old Army soldier at the time and will never forget it. Especially the faces of the East Germans that crossed the barrier for the first time. They were so overjoyed and bubbly with enthusiasm. They were eager to talk to Americans. However, when we crossed Checkpoint Charlie to the eastern side they would not stop to talk to us out of fear of being watched by eastern intelligence. I have my piece of the wall plus  pictures and memories that will last a lifetime. One day I must return.

A small piece of it resides on my mantle, a gift from a friend who was in Berlin then, his wife was stationed there. It's one of those things that sits there mostly unnoticed and then something draws your eye there, and you remember what it was like then

I was in Gemany 1955-1957, saw that East and West Germany were divided and spent time in West Berlin. Glad that the country is one with no walls. Our early ancestors were of German heritage and glad they never saw the wall or even had an idea that the country would become divided because of "stupid man thoughts".

Hello? Pieces of the wall are all over the world!
I have a big chunk of it at my house, German graffiti covered. Why does anyone care? It is gone... Get real
people.

I would go for buying up the old wall and putting up at the mexican boarder to keep the nasty bug ridden dogs on their side

For those of you who may have read Mike Faust's comment above ("Even today in the USA, we aren't allowed to view photos of the towers or the destruction that came on us that day. ") his commentary couldn't be further from the truth.  Nobody prevents anyone from viewing photos of the Twin Towers, there is no law against it in the U.S., and many websites have videos of the destruction.  

I find this bizarre (the following) as the answers fail to present themselves to me.  I have a piece of The Berlin wall and feel "at ease" with this.  Hundreds if not thousands lost their life’s in attempts of freedom, visiting family members "on the other side" and more acts in the attempts to cross.  I do not have one flake of an ash from 9/11 nor would I ever want one as a symbolic measure to history.  This is what I do not understand, why I am ill-fated against owning a piece of our own soil however at ease with a foreign piece.  I believe I can only justify it that one act is freedom and the other terrorism.

I was stationed in Bavaria when the wall came down - my best memory is the sudden flood of Trabis now flowing down the Autobahn, worldly possessions strapped to the top, like caravans of Gypsies.  The Ossies were so afraid that it wouldn't last, they poured across while they could, then trickled back when reunification finally happened.

[Freedom] There are two 7-ton 'sister' sculptures (12-ft tall, 18-ft wide) of five horses running through rubble left by the wall.

One of the sculptures "is a gift of friendship from the American people to the people of Germany. The second or "American" casting is permanently displayed in the central courtyard of the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, adjacent to the campus of Texas A&M University."

URL: http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/museum/museum_tour/sculpture.php

I own 4 miles of the wamm

I was in Berlin last May and found the few remnants of the wall hugely moving, walking in no man's land emotional, and Checkpoint Charlie disturbing (even with the tourists). The Checkpoint Charlie museum does not let you forget how it was and should be a required visit. I don't think we forget, as much as we don't talk about it.  

James wrote "Good story, I think West Germany [sic, West Germany ceased to exist in 1989] should use some of it's [sic: s/b ITS] money and build industry in the east so more East Germans can have jobs and share in the dream of a unified Germany. I wonder if their feelings of being second class citizens is [sic, s/b ARE] real or just a feeling of inferiority with the west."

I've just recently returned from a trip to Saxony, where my wife's family lived, and Berlin, where my daughter lives. The German government **IS** pouring billions of euros into revitalization and has been doing so since reunification!  New housing, stores, and factories are going up all over. I have a picture of a section of Berlin with TEN tower cranes in about a 4-block area.  Most cars are Audis, Mercedes, VWs, and Volvos - no more Trabis.  

But the fact is, eastern Germany came out of 12 years of Nazi depravity only to be sucked into the Soviet orbit for another 4 decades.  It's going to take a lot more than 17 years of work to undo the damage committed by those obscene regimes.

What does shake me is the level of "Ostalgie" ("nostalgia for the East") that still exists.  As one small example, I stumbled on a shop just inside the old eastern zone that sold original and replica uniforms of Soviet and DDR soldiers as if they were Halloween costumes.  Would an American store last 5 minutes if it sold, say, plantation-owner outfits or slave-trader memorabilia??  I wanted to plaster the area with copies of Franklin's famous statement that "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety".

There is a piece in Ronald Reagan's hometown of Dixon, IL as well.

I was there in Berlin a couple of weeks ago. Charlie's point and the block of the wall... I tried hard to imagine how it must have been in the days when the wall was up and... with all the new look and feel of Berlin I found it really hard to do.
I think the world and Germany have changed way too much since then that today it is really hard to relate to those days, even though it's "only" been 18 years.

I have two pieces that I chipped out of it in 1990  sitting downstairs in my living room. I remember I got them right after the Wall Concert.

I had just entered basic training when the wall came down.  Being cut off from most outside news, an announcement was made that the wall was coming down.  Everyone cheered although I'm not sure most of them truly understood what they were cheering for other than the idea of freedom.  

Ich Bin Ein Berliner. The colorful pieces I have of the Wall remind me of the colourful people I know there.

We were in Germany the following year, @ Oktoberfest when some families celebrated together after many years apart.  We were in the Black Forest on National Reconciliation Day.  I don't know about the "work ethic" in the East; our guide lamented the fact that all the rubble from the war was still there!  

"Even today in the USA, we aren't allowed to view photos of the towers or the destruction that came on us that day."

Maybe I don't understand what your saying, but, I really can't go along with that.  I just did a search and I got a video that showed the impact.  Of course we can.

I've visited Berlin many times since the Wall fell and there still is a "mauer in Der Kauf" among many Easterners and Westerners in Berlin.  It will take many, many years for the Berliners to come to terms with the Wall no longer there. Most of my friends in Berlin, Berliners born, are of mixed emotions about the wall being gone.  The West has had to pay a tremendous amount of money for unification, and the East has many, many who do feel second-class. What does the future hold?  The Berliners will have to answer that.

I was just beginning my first trip around Europe and had to pass thru East Berlin by train in late November. All the blinds of the windows on the train had to be pulled down while in the station and we weren't allowed to leave the train. You could see guards with guns and German Sheppards through the cracks in the blinds. Later in January (now 1990), I returned to Berlin (west) and walked along what parts hadn't been torn down yet. You could still visit Checkpoint Charlie and get your passport stamped. I have several small pieces in a box with my pictures.

Some say fences/walls make good neighbors , I say it keeps out friends.
I have a few hunks of the wall , as I was there during the day.
I show them to my grandkids , and remind them of how stupid smart people can be in times of stress and fear. When a wall/fence is put up , there is a reason , and that reason has to be fixed.

I am so glad that we are not a censored society and we can view the despicable pictures and videos of September 11. These scenes should be shown more to remind our people of the evil that we are subject.  There seems to be so many that wants to forget the past.  But, as has been said before, if we do we will relive it.

T Bryant of Texas, that "texas saying" is from a poet who has never even got close to texas. Just for the record.

 In 2001 I saw some remains of that "prison wall" that divided Berlin. I showed it to my kids and we visited the Haus Am Checkpoint Charlie. I explained that it grew in earnest about the time I was born, 1962. Even in the 60's that wall disturbed something deep inside my parents(just an average American couple in Delaware). I don't know exactly why but it bothered them deeply, they spoke of it often.
 When I finally saw it in person I was witness to a striking moment. A Police Officer was shooing an old couple away from some remains of that wall. They had a small hammer and they were chipping away at the wall; a local told me that this couple does this every day and the same officer usually sends them home. The old man stated that there are walls and gates all over Berlin but ONLY this wall was built to imprison! Those other walls were built to protect. The older walls defended his city, this wall only divided him from his brothers and sisters. He railed loudly at that monstrosity and tears welled in his eyes for his friends and family who were sequestered from him behind it. "I lost my family behind it, you see! Everyone who is important to me, all gone." he pleaded, "before it fell, they died behind it; imprisoned!" "They were stolen from me!"
 The officer assured me the couple would return tomorrow as he knew them well. The Officer said he was sure that so long as he was well enough the old gentleman would continue his self-imposed task, to remove that wall.
 I hope that old man lives a thousand years, for sadly I'm sure we will forget without him.

The Berlin Wall, up until the day it was torn down, was ever present during my childhhood, teenage, young adult and adult years.  It had always been representative of that frightening invisible wall between the Eastern Bloc Countries and the Western world, including the U.S.  When the wall came down, I sat and cried tears of joy while watching the event on TV.  I was 36 years old at time.  I only wish I could've been there to feel the joy and exhilaration of the German people from both sides of the wall.  It is a day I will always remember as a momentous change in the history of our world.

I, too have a piece, packaged in a nifty souvenir box with a certificate of auhenticity that I think my parents bought for me at the Reagan library of all places. I also have a picture of me in front of the western side of the wall as an exchange student living in Germany in 1985. During my time there I visited East Germany as well. It was a view of the world that changed my isolated-growing-up-in-southern-california life.

Freedom rings, no matter how strong communism exists, when the right time comes, no one can stop it.I wish I had a piece from the Berlin wall.And how long that unseen wall between North and South Korea gonna still keep those love ones apart.There must be a Gobachev around.No worry: The rest will do the same.

There is a piece of the Wall embedded in a giant sun-dial at the foot of the Broadway bridge in North Little Rock,Ar

Too Oscar : There is only one way to save your country , Fight it what ever it takes!
God Bless

My ex was an officer in the Berlin Brigade from 1979 to 1984.  We used to cross over at Checkpoint Charlie to go to East Berlin every few months.  The difference between the two Berlins was incredible.  There were buildings in the East that still showed signs of the destruction of World War II, while the West was beautiful.  I remember eating dinner at the Hotel StadtBerlin in East Berlin and being served bacon grease to spread on my bread instead of butter.  I also remember traveling to Steinstucken, a small village that was outside the main city of Berlin but had been given to Berlin centuries ago.  When the Berlin wall went up, the villages built thier own wall around themselves stating that they were part of West Berlin. This village was serviced by a helicopter airlift long after the Berlin airlift was over, until a wall was finally built down both sides of the road going to Steinstucken.  I was too pregnant to travel to Berlin in 1995 to see the Wall come down.  But my ex went back on business shortly after and came home with some junks.  It was kind of interesting -- some African refugees were making money by renting hammers so people could chip off their own bit of the wall.  From a symbol of communism to free enterprise.

The very existence of the Berlin wall for so many years was an affront to the freedoms of choice and travel that this nation holds dear.  The 'American Wall' is just as much of an affront.  It might stop the flow of those who are half-hearted in their desire to to come here;  but it will not stop those who are desparate to come because there is no work in their Mexican town and their kids are hungry.  We need a rational immigration policy that will be effective in legally bringing in new and potential citizens at a reasonably rapid pace but will not allow illegal immigrants to function as full citizens with full rights to benefits.  Good walls do not make good neighbors; they make angry people on both sides.  Just as East Germans risked life and limb to cross the Berlin wall; our neighbors to the south will find a way across the American Wall.

   I was stationed in Ansbach, Germany (Bavaria) when the wall came down in 1989. Things that stick out in my mind include our unit going on alert that morning in case something unexpected happened, and the sudden flood of Trabant and Skoda cars EVERYWHERE! When I got to Germany in May of 1988, The Cold War was still very much in effect, and by the time I left in 1990, The Russians were on their way out. Amazing how quickly things changed.....

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