My wife Ute, Grandson Richard and I went back to visit her family for 2 weeks back in May 2000.
Ute's mother said that the Pirmasens Post was used as a POW camp by the Germans; mostly French POW's. I guess that's why the post wasn't destroyed by the allies. Pirmasens was bombed and fire bombed many times. Most of the city destroyed.
Husterhoeh Kaserne was a fairly large post. There were a lot of signal guys, medical, chopper base, armor and missile units there. Pirmasens post sets on a very high hill top. The whole north side was filled with missile silos. We never got to go there, off limits. My wife said when she was a little girl living in Rodalben in the valley below Pirmasens, they could see missiles raise in the air, then disappear back into the ground. The whole hill was honey coned with tunnels from Nazi Military times to U.S. occupation of post. The best I can figure out the post must have been named D'Isley Kaserne up to late 50's, them name changed to Husterhoeh Kaserne.
The first picture you see is me and the front view of the D Company end. I had a old picture of a fellow setting on this same wall back in 65. His name was Ron Payne, the Co. D company clerk. A real nice guy. I remember one time Ron was sitting on the crapper a little tipsey and someone slipped up on him and punched him in the mouth! He lost half his front teeth. Never did find out who did it! Can't find the old picture anywhere! The lower window to my right was the armory room. We had M-14's and stainless steel canteens back in 1963.
The next picture is a better shot of the front view. If you look all the way to top windows, our Day Room was there. To hot in the summer, to cold in the winter. Before I moved off post my room was the 2nd window up in white area to the left of the stairwell. The stairwell had regular windows that opened up in 1963, not the glass block windows you see in the picture. I guess the army was worried some drunken dude would make the wrong turn, or maybe one did. There were no Spruce trees there in 1963 either; maybe little ones? I can't remember, it's been 37 years!
The entire 79th was housed in one large building that curved with the street. The HQ side of building parallels Pirmasenser Strasse, which runs from downtown Pirmasens to downtown Rodalben, about 5 clicks away. Rodalben is where Ute is from. A & B Companies fell between. There was a sign at the old B Co. entrance in May 2000 for a small Signal Corp detachment. That was the only part of building still in use.
The guardhouse on the D Company end was the main gate guardhouse in 1963. Nobody could get on or off post with out having a pass signed by CO. There is a concrete barrier in front of it now, looks like it has been there for some time. Post MP's were stationed at gates.
In one of the pictures you see Ute and me in front of EM Club. We went there often in the early days, then it just got to dangerous! There is a motor cycle shop in front now, and they have music in the club part on Friday/Saturday nights.
The next is of the old Pirmasens Post rifle range. The Germans use this as a pig farm. Think they might have a problem with lead?
Then there is picture of the 79th Motor Pool. Spent most of 1965 in this building at parts room under Spec. 5 Pierce. He was really a great boss. It was Building NR.4103. The 2nd Armored stored a lot of tanks, APC's etc. in motor pool area with us. The 2nd flew over from Ft. Hood in the 60's and did war games. Old Cold War Stuff! When we were there that day there were a few GI's loading containers on a trailer using a large forklift. But they were too far away to talk to them. There must have been some US property on post yet.
Another picture is of the Gym and Theater, and there is another shot of the post from the theater. Another picture is of the Signal Towers on post and another of the Service Club across the street from 79th. Still there in 2000!
On the picture of the street from barracks to motor pool the 79th was most distant building in the picture. The WAC barracks were the last building on left before 79th. The rest of the buildings, who knows, wasn't important at the time to me. Along the street we used to walk from the barracks to the motor pool there was a Helicopter unit stationed there. The little airstrip gone now.
On the picture with my grandson Richard you see the piles everywhere. The Germans were up-grading the post utilities (gas-electric-water) to remodel the buildings for commercial
use. Here in the U.S. we would just tear the post down and put up a parking garage or something!
In the same one story structure with the guard shack was the battalion communications section. Had a nice AN/GRC-19 Radio in there. The Radio & Guard Shack were connected to 79th Headquarters building. A little story here: It was around Thanksgiving and I was waiting my turn to be jeeped to the motor pool to walk guard. It was about 23:00 hours. I was setting at a table reading a book when when I heard "thump-thump-thump from outside. I walked over, opened the door and looked out. Here's two black chefs from the 79th mess hall chucking hams over the fence and a couple of Germans picking them up and chucking them into the trunk of a car. One chef turned around and told me I better get my A-- back in the shack or it would be going over the fence with the hams! Sounded like a plan to me as I closed the door! Black Market? It's possible.
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