From Ramstein with Love – Parts 1-3

Transporting the Wounded

Every hour, several military transports take off from here ferrying troops and supplies to the fields of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, while others land carrying wounded to the U.S. Army’s nearby Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. The word “war” seems as out-of-place as it is ever-present in this idyllic corner of Germany, sometimes called “Little America”. The region and its economy have been dominated by the U.S. armed forces since the end of the Second World War.

Ramstein Air Base

America’s image may have lost much of its luster as a result of the Iraq War, but the people of this area could hardly imagine life without the G.I.s and all that comes with them. Here, the cooperation and partnership of the two nations is at its most palpable, f. ex. in the many German-American couples. German husbands and wives tend to slip into the unquestioningly patriotic attitudes of their spouses quickly, but that does little to soothe the pain of separation when military personnel are deployed to the field. Then everyone, men, women and children alike, are drawn into the human tragedy of armed conflict – in the midst of peaceful surroundings. For months on end, their lives are dominated by anxieties and worries for their loved ones, who may be reported wounded or dead at any time.

Schläfer Family