K-TOWN-GERMANY
K-TOWN-GERMANY
K-TOWN-The nickname that American Gi's have given to Kaiserslautern Germany, their home away from their home base Vogelweh a Us Army Post during the years after World War 2 and into the my time frame the 1960's. K-Town is an actual home to German citizens and the Gi's at the time are only welcome guests so to speak , as the local economy is dependent on good old American $, during my years there the $ versus the German Marc is 4 for one dollar
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I have just arrived at the base in the evening sometime in 1960s and I had been issued some bedding and shown where my bunk was and told to report to the head honcho early the next morning , Noticing that that meant technically I was not there yet I decided that climbing over a security fence and going to downtown K-Town and checking out the night life was a decent idea, I placed my bedding under my bunks covers and hoped that would pass for my self during the evenings
bed checks. May I add that at the time I was eighteen years old which influenced my decision making, throw in the word -bad.------
More proof of my bad decision making is that I had recently been released from a US Army stockade known as Castle William, located on Governors Island NYC. Where a Lieutenant Cabey the warden of the Castle had taken a liking to me and had given me two options, first option- a dishonorable discharge or second option another chance/change at army life in Germany, no other options in play,after contemplating the choices I had decided to give Germany a shot,
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mostly because I had heard that the Frauleins were GI friendly, and I needed a friend, Lt. Cabey was not my type.
So having scaled that security fence and avoiding the MP's stationed at the base entrance, and hopping a local trolley I find myself in downtown K-towns nightclub area, where GI's mingle with Germans in the various restaurants, bars and alleys of the the town.
Almost immediately I hear American, actually British
-music being played by a live band at the first bar I
ventured into, the song was “ I want to hold her Hand” by the Beatles. To me the most interesting part of the song and band was when the musicians took a break I listened to them speaking German among their fans and friends, it became obvious to me that they did not speak English, they only sang it, one of my first awakenings to International relations. Rock and Roll unites the world!
4-Leaving that joint I next enter a club called the Stadt Wein, which in retrospect changed the course of my life. A left turn instead of a right turn in a life can do that. Another rock and roll German band is on stage as I enter and the place is rocking! I sit at the bar order a beer, and chill out, but not for long, in the adjoining lounge area a fight breaks out between some mean looking shaved head and olive skinned dudes and some GI's, my kind of joint I am somehow thinking, though not much thinking going on there, just general physical chaos,as usual it involved beautiful girls and their honor somehow, I decide to join in and help my GI kindred souls, a few seconds later I hears someone who is back to back with me shout I've got your back, you got mine? Absolutely I might have said, and on the brawl went for another minute or so, timing is always distorted in these situations I have learned. Finally my new got your back buddy and I have managed to toss a few of those there shaved and olive skinned dudes outside into the cold and now snowy air. Turns out they were French Algerian soldiers and they would have their revenge not too far in the future
5- Back up introduces himself to me as Cadillac Jack, I remain with my handle Jeff. Seems Cadillac Jack is a former GI who has chosen to be honorably discharged
in Germany because of some business opportunities involving the US Army personnel and their disposable American dollars, by disposable I mean that as in all army base towns the US Army personnel are known to spend they're $ almost before they have it, making serious legal business opportunities prevalent, Cadillac was into automobile sales, camera sales, and is turns out Cadillac Jack is also a silent partner in the Stadt Wein, silent because in those days it was difficult for Americans to work legally in Germany. Cadillac having seen me in action throwing the Algerians out asked if I
6-was interested in working as a doorman/bouncer a this club, he also mentioned something about a Payday Loan
business he was soon to be opening, and its need for a collection agent, to all offers I said you bet I am, and the rest is history, well my history anyway.
So Private E-1 Jeffrey is soon working two jobs, evenings as a doorman/bouncer at CJs club , and during the day acting as a loan officer for CJs loan business. In
-those days troops were paid every 30 days, once paid it 6-was soon time to borrow $ as just like sailors in port and their $ so were soldiers in town and their money, most never made it until the 10th of the month before they were broke.
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The vig ( interest ) CJ charged was basically highway robbery, but I got half of the profit for collections , and that was that. I was loaning the company's officers $, me private E-I, not only that I was picked up on furlough weekends by CJ in his Mercedes, truth being I did not really need a furlough or pass as usually whoever was on night duty owed me $, so pardon the pun but it was in their best interest to let me come and go as I needed
day
However my good fortune did not last long. I have mentioned those French Algerian soldiers, well they were frequent clients at CJs club, a week or so after we had thrown that group of them out of the club for misbehaving, another group of them start another
problem arguing over some German babes, as usual. We escort them out of the club and thought that was that. It was not.
Closing time and CJ and I are walking those same girls 7-back to their car when some dude comes by and pushes me to the ground, unfortunately I took that as a challenge and chased him around a corner, a big mistake on my part as three of his buddy's were waiting for me, the next thing I knew I was thrown up against a wall, and I felt something shiny and bright and made of steel go deep into the left side of my back.
End of Part 1 K-Town