Posted by: livelovethinkexist | May 4, 2010
Photos – Hahn AB, Germany – 1989-1991 (Set Thirty Three – February 1991 – Bruch, Germany)
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It was now February 1991, and winter still had a firm grip on Germany – as these pictures of a snow covered street in Bruch demonstrate.
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My wife took these pictures of her parent’s home in Bruch, as well as an entire roll of film of David playing in the snow with his toy dump truck – to send to me in the desert.
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I’ll use these pictures to discuss some of the issues that were important to our family, while I was still deployed in the Gulf.
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At some point the squadron members knew that Hahn AB was going to close after the Gulf War, and eventually it did close and converted from an Air Base (AB) to a commercial airport.
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At the time we couldn’t tell anyone about Hahn AB closing down, but during the cease fire in the Gulf I was told I would be PCS’ing to a new assignment very soon; here David helps clear the terrace of snow with a broom.
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Once we had access to the satellite phones, I was able to call my wife and tell her that we would be moving again soon – but I couldn’t mention that the reason was because Hahn AB was closing.
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In the Gulf my squadron commander said I had two options for assignments: fly the F-111G at Cannon AFB, NM, or the F-111E at RAF Upper Heyford, UK – I picked RAF Upper Heyford, UK, in an instant as it was in the best interests of our family.
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I was one of the first members of the 10th TFS to depart the desert because I had to move so soon to my next assignment, and I left the desert on March 15, 1991 on a C-141 and returned to Hahn AB.
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This is the last sequence of photos to post prior to my arriving home, and my arrival pictures are also in my Gulf War photos – in Hahn AB Set One.
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We ended up being stationed at Hahn AB only about a year and a half in total, and although we were moving to England I still had to go to Cannon AFB, NM, to learn to fly the F-111G – which was about a 3 or 4 month TDY or “temporary duty.”
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My wife couldn’t believe or understand why we were moving again so soon, and eventually our plan was for her and David to spend the summer in Bruch while I was TDY for the summer to Cannon AFB, NM, to learn to fly the F-111G for 3 or 4 months.
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At this point my wife and I had been married 5 years, David was now 4 years old, we were planning our third international move across ocean waters – and I was now officially a veteran of the Persian Gulf War.
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My wife and I were now planning for our fifth home together in five years of marriage: Heckenmünster, Germany; Sacramento, CA – a rental home and then a purchased home; Monzelfeld, Germany; and soon to be our next home – in England, north of Oxford.
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My wife and I took a stress test on our own after my return from the Gulf, that the Flight Surgeon had handed out to everyone when I was stationed at Spangdahlem AB on a previous assignment; and after adding up all of the “life changing events” or stress points we had been through together – my wife and I were literally off the chart at the high end of the scale at that time.
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So my wife and I decided that going forward we were going to “stiff arm” all the events of the external world outside of our home as best we could – and focus on keeping our own family going forward and reducing all outside stress influences as much as possible – and in time it must have worked because we’re still going strong after 24 years of marriage!
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