[USS Alaska]

Peaceful Independence Day to you Nathan, if you can remain strong enough to keep the peace.

I was stationed in Schweinfurt in the early 60's and we stayed in SS Troop's quarters {which were 100 times better than any US barracks} but the Germans were still recovering from the war and there were a lot of open wounds.

I spoke fluent German so my personal stay was great and I loved the food and beer.

[nathanbedford]

We live only a few kilometers from a former SS barracks which became an American rest area beginning in 1945 and was only turned back a few years ago to the Germans. You're right, the quality of these buildings extraordinarily high.

I remember well a large dining hall where we would occasionally go to have Sunday brunch when it was offered by the Americans (the only place back then where we could get real diet coke) which was remarkable for the fascist propaganda murals on the wall featuring Aryan farmworkers, both male and female, toiling in the fields bringing in the fascist sheaves. They bore a remarkable resemblance to all the propaganda posters made by communists that I have seen.