A recent reunion of World War II veterans in Germany proves the Allies did the right thing.

Photo: In May 1998, members of the German 3rd Parachute Division held a reunion with their GI counterparts from 45 years ago in World War II. Clockwise from left front: Ill. Don Lavender, 33°, Des Moines, Iowa.; Mrs. and Mr. Wilhelm Bongard, Duren, Germany; Dan Garvey, Appleton, Wis., and Delores Lavender.

As one of the older generation, I have come to appreciate the insight which evolves from experience. I am of the vintage that remembers when we stood in the high school auditorium for a moment of silence in honor of those who died in World War I. At the time, I did not have any idea that I might be involved in an even greater conflict myself.

Recently, I had the unique experience of attending a reunion of German soldiers that I fought against in World War II more than 50 years ago. I know that I am not the only veteran to have had such an experience, but it focused my perspective on war in general and the results. There were 13 GIs who met with 60 German veterans. I was struck by the fact that you could not tell the Germans from the Americans until they started to talk.

When someone asked me why I wanted to attend that reunion, I recalled a quote from the late German air ace, Johannes Steinhof. In an interview shortly before he died, he was asked about his many visits with English and American air aces. He replied: "We are all old men, wiser and appreciative that no one holds anyone to blame for anything. We are a small fraternity, and we are all good friends." For my part, any personal animosity has faded with time. I had long since concluded that all of us were doing a job, an unpleasant one at that.

I pondered how these German veterans could have been taken in by the likes of Adolph Hitler. From history, we know that at the end of World War I, the Allies had imposed severe penalties on Germany forcing them to surrender territory and pay sizable reparations. Those conditions provided fertile ground for Hitler. The German people were looking for anything that would restore their personal pride and nationalistic spirit.

I have been to Germany four times and have seen what was the East and the West when the two were divided. At the end of World War II, the Western Allies took a much more lenient approach toward Germany. Financial aid was provided through the Marshall Plan and every encouragement was given to develop a democratic society.

In the area that was under Russian domination, just the opposite was true. Whole factories were dismantled and sent to Russia. The people were required to learn Russian, but what was worse, they were systematically robbed of their work ethic. Very little effort was made to improve roads or to encourage healthy reconstruction. What building was done was of such poor quality that some of those buildings have since been torn down.

Employees were paid regardless of production. I heard of restaurants where people stood in line outside to get in. Upon entering, they found only a few tables being served and the others empty. The waiters and waitresses were paid the same whether they served three tables or 20. Laborers became accustomed to the fact that they would run out of material sometime during the day. They just sat because the pay was the same whether they worked a full day or a few hours.

Today, the reconstruction of roads and public buildings is a high priority in those same areas. Germans, in what was the divided West, are rightly concerned because their tax dollars are going to the East to make up for all those years of neglect. A retraining program was necessary to reestablish an acceptable work ethic and restore production.

General Eisenhower was quoted soon after the war as saying "The success of this occupation can only be judged 50 years from now. If the Germans at that time have a stable, prosperous democracy, then we shall have succeeded." It has happened exactly as he had hoped. Germany, though soundly defeated in 1945, is a leading country in Europe today. Where the Western Allies empathized and aided, we have gained a valuable ally in today’s world.

The division of Germany among the Allies after the war resulted in an isolated Berlin. Although each of the Allies had a portion of that city, the territory surrounding it was given to Russia. In June 1948, the Russians conceived the idea that, if they cut off vehicular, rail and water traffic to Berlin, the entire city would fall into their hands like a ripe apple falling from a tree. The Russians had not counted on the determination of the Western Allies. A massive airlift around the clock went on until September 30, 1949. Not only did the Russians miscalculate, but the Allies gained the grateful respect of Berliners.

In 1998–99, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift. A by-product of that airlift was gifts of candy to Berlin children dropped by small parachutes. Those children, who counted on the "candy bombers," now in their late 50s or early 60s, are still grateful and friendly.

To have seen the state of bomb-ravaged German cities after World War II, and to see those cities today is an indication of the determined German spirit, but they gained a lot from the assistance of the Western Allies. In the East, where the Russians demanded much and provided little, the Russians have lost it all. To some, revenge may be sweet, but the results are quite contrary. When you have lived over 70 years and can see 50 or more years of history, the truth is evident. The Western Allies did the right thing.