Memories of a divide Berlin

He was at the Brandenburg Gate on June 12, 1987, in Berlin when President Ronald Reagan said, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

While not quite close enough to touch the president, Command Sgt. Maj. Eric Hodges was nonetheless touched by history in the making.

Nov. 9 marked the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. On this date each year, millions of people across Germany celebrate the reunification of Germany. And almost exactly 20 years to the day, Command Sergeant Major Hodges said he still holds a special place in his heart for this historic date.

Command Sergeant Major Hodges, the command sergeant major of the 793rd Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade, served with the 287th Military Police Company, Special Troops Berlin Brigade from 1985 to 1989.

For the young patrolman, this second duty assignment was somewhat of a culture shock, having come from Fort Knox, Ky.

“Let me just mention that Germans don’t do closets in their houses or apartments. And, though I was by no means naive, I had never before experienced nightlife like that at Kurfuerstendamm with all its pubs, bars and nightclubs,” he said. “There were hundreds of little things that seemed new and sometimes strange; it was an
adventure.”

Command Sgt. Maj. Andrew Underwood also served with the 287th MP Co. in Berlin. He, however, was a military brat and had already visited the city during his high school days before it became his first duty station in 1985.

Command Sergeant Major Underwood, who currently serves as the command sergeant major for the 202nd Military Police Group in Kaiserslautern, fondly recalls his five years in Berlin as his “greatest and most wonderful assignment.” For the self-proclaimed city boy, living in metropolitan Berlin was grand.

Different outlooks aside, both command sergeants major agree their assignment with the 287th MP Co. and living in Berlin was exciting.

Command Sergeant Major Underwood cites the interaction with the Allied powers and the diversity of missions the 287th MP Co. executed as the highlights of his tour.

“For some young Soldiers living 110 miles behind enemy lines may have been somewhat daunting, but for me it was just great being stationed and living there,” he said. “I began as a young patrolman, then became a noncommissioned officer at Checkpoint Charlie, and I worked drug suppression. But, most of all, I loved the daily interaction with our Allies.”

“It was very special working side-by-side with our British and French Allies,”
 Command Sergeant Major Hodges said. “We even patrolled the American sector with German partners. Technically, the Russians were our Allies also. However, at my level there was no interaction. I would see them, but that was all.”

Command Sergeant Major Hodges said the Berlin of that time was located like an island in the midst of a communist country and came with a number of restrictions.
“Far from being paranoid, I still would get a feeling of unease at times. After all, people attempting to cross into the Western sector of the city were shot and killed. And you were restricted in your movements (and) in your travel. I visited East Berlin a number of times, but had to get a special pass to do so,” he said.

Command Sergeants Major Hodges and Underwood said they also remember how easily the Soldiers of the 287th MP Co. bonded and how tight knit the military community was. Furthermore, they recall the relationship between the Americans and the Berliners as another positive aspect.

 “In general, the Germans were very thankful for our presence, very appreciative and grateful for the things Americans had done. They had a better understanding of the impact, too. Especially those who had lived through the Luftbrücke – the airlift. They went out of their way to make us feel welcome,” Command Sergeant Major Underwood said.

 “Looking back I recognize the historic implications of where I was and what I was doing. Now I look back and can say, ‘I was there, I was part of that,’” Command Sergeant Major Hodges said.

Just as today’s Soldiers are a part of what is happening right now, they too will have their part in shaping history recalled some day in the future, Command Sergeant Major Hodges said.