Schweinfurt's Army garrison closes chapter of nearly 70 years of German-American history

By Mr. Bryan Gatchell (IMCOM)September 30, 2014

A crowd gathers
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USAG Schweinfurt colors cased, marched
2 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – An honor guard of U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach Soldiers marches the USAG Schweinfurt colors off the parade field during USAG Schweinfurt's closure ceremony. Nearly seven decades of U.S. Army presence in the Lower Franconia town of Schweinfurt concluded... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Florian Toepper
3 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Florian Toepper, county commissioner for Schweinfurt, Germany, speaks at the U.S. Army Garrison Schweinfurt closure ceremony. Nearly seven decades of U.S. Army presence in the Lower Franconia town of Schweinfurt concluded during the ceremony Sept. 19... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Kathleen Y. Marin
4 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Kathleen Y. Marin, Installation Management Command Europe director, speaks at the U.S. Army Garrison Schweinfurt closure ceremony. Nearly seven decades of U.S. Army presence in the Lower Franconia town of Schweinfurt concluded during the ceremony Sep... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Col. Christopher M. Benson
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Sebastian Remele
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Final American flag flown
7 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – An honor guard of Soldiers from U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach lowers the final American flag flown over USAG Schweinfurt during USAG Schweinfurt's closure ceremony. Nearly seven decades of U.S. Army presence in the Lower Franconia town of Schweinfurt co... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Folding final American flag flown
8 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – An honor guard of Soldiers from U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach fold the final American flag flown over USAG Schweinfurt during USAG Schweinfurt's closure ceremony. Nearly seven decades of U.S. Army presence in the Lower Franconia town of Schweinfurt conc... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Garrison colors
9 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Col. Christopher M. Benson, U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Mark A. Kiefer, roll up the U.S. Army Garrison Schweinfurt colors during USAG Schweinfurt's closure ceremony. Nearly seven decades of U.S. Army presence in the Lo... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Final American flag flown
10 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – An honor guard of U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach Soldiers carries the final American flag flown over USAG Schweinfurt away from parade field during USAG Schweinfurt's closure ceremony. Nearly seven decades of U.S. Army presence in the Lower Franconia tow... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
American flags
11 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sebastian Remelé, front left, lord mayor of Schweinfurt, Germany, and Florian Toepper, front right, county commissioner for Schweinfurt, carry flags gifted to the city from U.S. Army Garrison Schweinfurt on the occasion of its closure. Nearly ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

SCHWEINFURT, Germany (Sept. 25, 2014) -- Nearly seven decades of U.S. Army presence in the Lower Franconia town of Schweinfurt concluded during a garrison closure ceremony Sept. 19, 2014.

Hundreds of people attended the ceremony at U.S. Army Garrison Schweinfurt and watched the casing of the garrison colors and the final lowering of the U.S. flag.

Kathleen Y. Marin, Installation Management Command Europe region director, spoke at the ceremony.

"The inactivation of USAG Schweinfurt is not an ending, it is an end of only a chapter," said Marin. "Although we are leaving Schweinfurt, Installation Management Command's commitment to our mission, our German neighbors, service members, Families and civilians still remains."

USAG Ansbach oversaw the closure of both USAGs Schweinfurt and Bamberg. USAG Bamberg held their ceremony Sept. 12, the week before.

Col. Christopher M. Benson, USAG Ansbach commander, helped case the colors and spoke during the ceremony.

"We are not here to dwell on the sadness of our departure from Schweinfurt," said Benson. "Instead we're here to celebrate the great memories we've had and shared with our German partners and friends."

"I sincerely wish and hope that the bonds of our friendship will survive beyond the year of 2014," said Florian Töpper, the Schweinfurt county commissioner, who spoke at the event.

Sebastian Remelé, the lord mayor of Schweinfurt, also spoke at the ceremony specifically about the local history between the Germans and Americans following World War II.

"Today is without a doubt historic," said Remelé. "After almost 70 years, the last American Soldiers and their Families are leaving this location. At its peak, the American community here numbered 12,000 people, and therefore accounted for a major part of the population of both the city and district of Schweinfurt. Their withdrawal isn't just leaving behind 300 hectares of built-up areas in the city and the district, it also marks an end of an era in the post-war history of Schweinfurt."

Remelé described the arrival of the U.S. Army's 42nd Infantry Division and 12th Armored Division to Schweinfurt April 11, 1945, thus ending five years of war for the people of Schweinfurt.

"A huge sense of relief felt by the people of Schweinfurt quickly turned to a sense of uncertainty," said Remelé. "However, how would the Americans treat the Germans? What kind of reprisals could they expect? How long would they stay?

"The initial measures, such as the curfew of the civilian population and the non-fraternization rule of the American armed forces seemed to promise hard times," continued Remelé. "Yet trust-building and essential relief measures such as the distribution of care packages quickly led to an easing of what had initially been a tense situation."

The attitudes of the Americans helped sway Schweinfurt, according to Remelé. Specifically Remelé mentioned the role of the "American House" in Schweinfurt, a culture and information center open from 1949 to 1953 that offered Germans lessons in English, film and art exhibitions and more.

"It also became clear that the Americans did not see themselves as an occupying force and that they were also keen on spreading a sense of democracy to Germany with the opening of the American house, for example," said Remelé. "The American way of life also became a part of life in our towns and villages, which were at the time very provincial places."

Töpper also noted how much the Schweinfurt region changed as a result of nearly seven decades of American presence.

"The hardest part, however, will be saying goodbye to the people you have grown to love, the lifestyle we have come to appreciate, and the celebrations that have shaped and enriched our lives in the Schweinfurt region for nearly 70 years," said Töpper. "Our personal connections are wide-ranging: German-American marriages, friendships, and, in particular, the many German civilian employees who worked for the U.S. Army."

Benson and Marin both complimented the workforce of USAG Schweinfurt.

"Despite the challenges of closing a community, the staff of the U.S. Army Garrison Schweinfurt accomplished their mission with grace, with dignity, with compassion," said Marin. "They made the difference in the lives of Soldiers and Family members who made Schweinfurt their home away from home"

"This proud and dedicated workforce consistently performed well above their weight class because they love what they do and they love who they do it for and with," said Benson.

Since the closure process began for Schweinfurt, the numbers of Soldiers, Family members and employees has decreased to a small contingency.

"The 12,000 or so Soldiers and Family members that lived here are already gone … off to new posts and new adventures," said Benson. "And the tens of thousands of other Soldiers, civilians and their Family members who were stationed here since 1945 are also gone. But I can tell you that they will never find a place like Schweinfurt again. And they'll never find the deep friendships and the good times that they forged here. But their memories remain strong, and their hearts will always have a special place in it for Schweinfurt and its people."

Lt. Orville B. Conn was the first member of the 6th Cavalry Group to be killed during the landing in Normandy. Lt. Col. William J. Ledward was commander of the 27th Artillery Battalion and was killed in action in Italy in 1944. Conn and Ledward Barracks, which made up USAG Schweinfurt in addition to other properties, were named after them in their memory. As part of the ceremony, Remelé and Töpper presented encased American flags to members of the Ledward and Conn families.

Remelé spoke of Conn Barracks' namesake.

"His name is used to represent the many U.S. Soldiers who lost their lives in the battle for freedom in Europe," said Remelé. "It is therefore very important that his name is not forgotten even when the U.S. armed forces have left Schweinfurt."

Some attendees echoed this sentiment. Some of the Schweinfurt natives recalled growing up with the Army there.

Franz Brügger, an attendee at the ceremony, lived in the Schweinfurt area for 18 years before he immigrated to the United States. He was drafted in 1968 and served in Alaska and Vietnam. He recalled his memories of the post as a child and of getting to walk between tanks at open houses. With the absence of an active garrison in Schweinfurt, he said the changes to the town would be wider ranging than the garrison footprint.

"Where is the American GI?" asked Brügger. "It was a way of life living here in Schweinfurt. This was part of it."

Jutta Thein, a local national, grew up in Schweinfurt. She moved to Berlin when she was 20.

"I miss the nationals," said Thein. "They live, they buy, they have the culture here."

Elver Williams, a retiree living at Schweinfurt, attended the ceremony. He had lived in Germany since 1979. He spoke of the disappearance of USAG Schweinfurt that the ceremony represented:

"Once it's gone, we can only read about it in books."

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To learn more about USAG Schweinfurt, see the links in the "Related Links" section above.

Related Links:

USAG Ansbach blog site

USAG Ansbach home page

USAG Ansbach Flickr page

USAG Schweinfurt page

Stadt Schweinfurt home page

USAG Schweinfurt closure ceremony Youtube

USAG Ansbach Twitter feed

USAG Ansbach Facebook page

A Salute to Schweinfurt: Photo exhibition

USAG Schweinfurt closure ceremony Flickr page