Engineer Memoirs _____________________________________________________________________
were up in the V Corps area. Expanding Fliegerhorst was also being opposed by the Germans
in that particular area.
We put them up there, and finally, at one point in time, it got so bad that we flew some other
type of helicopters out of Wiesbaden and flew the AH64 Apaches in--a one-for-one swap.
General Saint made that decision so that we at least had the command working together
because, as he found out, they weren't coming up to operational readiness, not being able to
train together. Sitting there in Hanau and then flying the pilots from where they lived in
Wiesbaden over to their aircraft in Hanau so they could go train just really wasn't working
right. So, to maintain operational readiness, he made that swap, and we then had them there
at Wiesbaden.
After I left, that issue continued. It was only with the advent of the drawdown and DESERT
STORM--when they flew off to fight in the desert showing their worth and effectiveness--
and with the concurrent disappearance of the Warsaw Pact that I suppose that issue and our
restationing attempts were solved, by going away. I don't know. I'll have to ask General
Saint one day.
Q:
Did the communities find out that this was going on and protest that the Apaches were being
brought in on a one-for-one swap, or did you not hear any outcry?
A:
Well, they found out about it after the fact.
Q:
After?
A:
There were some protestations about it, about it not being straightforward, but our answer
was, "We were limited." The argument was, "We shouldn't have any more helicopters at
Wiesbaden."
Q:
Right.
A:
We don't. Operational need was that we needed all of the same kind together.
Q:
Right.
A:
So, there was a small furor that blew away.
Q:
Well, what you've been talking about are some examples of the environmental issues that, I
take it, were becoming more and more troublesome all over Germany.
A:
Well, they were and they weren't. I mean, USAREUR had a rather aggressive environmental
program. We were not environmentally insensitive. We really had put together a lot of things,
such as the heating plant business, that not only saved energy but also reduced emissions. I
was invited to speak to a symposium of German scientists and environmentalists in
Mannheim. I gave about an hour talk, and I had chart after chart telling what we were doing
to stop erosion in the training areas and to keep sod and ground cover. Also, the fact that we
had converted our heating plants, and I had a chart that showed the great reduction in nitrous
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