Kaiserslautern—which the Americans call K-Town and the Germans call Lautern—was the home to many Americans because of nearby Army and Air Force bases during the Cold War. When I was living about 60 miles away in Saarbrücken, the radio station in Kaiserslautern operated by the Armed Forces Radio Network kept me up to date on US news and Top 40 hit songs.
K-Town is still home to Ramstein AB, Landshtul Regional Medical Center, and several Army logistics facilities. There is a lot of woodland around there with numerous parkplatz for hikers and they may have been trying to figure out why someone was out there at an unusual time.