HOHENFELS, Germany -- They say old Soldiers just fade away, but sometimes it seems they occasionally pop up again. Such was the case at Hohenfels last month, when two former Soldiers returned with their families after more than 40 years.
Capt. Joyce "Skip" Mixson was stationed at Hohenfels from Oct. 1969 through June 1970. As part of the Medical Service Corp, he served as administrative officer for the three dispensaries of Hohenfels, Amberg and Munich. Spc. Brian Seleno served as an X-ray technician from Jan. 1971 -- Aug. 1973. Both men returned separately this September for a nostalgic look at their old stomping grounds.
"We wanted to come back to Germany because we had such a special first two years of marriage there and had so many friends in the permanent party there and in the town of Hohenfels," Mixson said.
Mixson and his wife Betsy had only been married two weeks when Mixson shipped out for Hohenfels. Betsy joined him later and began working at the Hohenfels Service Club doing arts and crafts work with the troops. Later she became the Army Education Counselor in Building 1.
Seleno returned to Germany with his two sons to attend Oktoberfest and stopped off to show them where he'd spent most of his Army career. Seleno said touring the dispensary brought tears to his eyes.
"There were six permanent party guys who worked, ate and lived there 24/7," Seleno said. "One of us pulled CQ (Change of Quarters) every night and we were cross trained to do all the functions of the dispensary."
The Mixsons agreed that touring the health clinic and the headquarters building was the highlight of their trip.
"They were both much the same and the memories flooded back," Mixson said. "We had strong memories and photos of the potluck picnics at the dispensary at the end of a week, and such an event was going on during our visit. Just like old times!"
Both men noted changes in the number of troops stationed here as well as the wealth of new buildings. Other changes included the disappearance of the clinic's helipad as well as the missile batteries that once protected the post.
"The biggest change was in the mission of the post, now used for multinational training," said Mixson, who added that he was impressed with both the mission and the Joint Multinational Readiness Center Commander, Col. Thomas Mackey.
"We were glad to hear of the use of lasers (in the training,) because in our time at the dispensary there were a number of accidental deaths from live ammunition," Mixson said.
All the visitors were treated to a tour around post with Norbert Wittl, U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria-Hohenfels public affairs officer, who brought them up to date on post history as well as the lives of many of their German national friends.
"Not to mention it was an honor to be in the company of the Jaegermeister of Hohenfels," Mixson added.
The Mixsons also visited some of their old friends while in the area, and stopped off to see their former home at 27 Parsbergerstrasse which they had rented from Horst Emhoff.
"(Emhoff) was an engineer who served in the German Army during World War II and was a Russian POW (prisoner of war,)" said Betsy. "He returned to Hohenfels to do much rebuilding in town and on post. He was a fine landlord and a good friend during our stay, teaching us much about Germany and helping me learn the German language."
Major Kaitlyn Perkins, Hohenfels Health Clinic chief nurse, conducted Seleno on his tour of the dispensary and said the event was just as much a thrill for her and the staff as it was for Seleno.
"It was an honor for Hohenfels Health Clinic to host Mr. Seleno, a member of our medical history who helped build the foundation and pave the way of Army medicine in Europe and in Hohenfels," said Perkins.
Perkins said she and the Health Clinic staff were fascinated by Seleno's stories of his time at Hohenfels, including learning that the current conference room had once served as Seleno's quarters.
"Overall, it was an incredible experience that had a lasting impact on our staff -- to meet a member of our history and to share with him how we carry the honor and traditions of the past through the transformation of Army medicine today," Perkins said.
Seleno said after returning home and viewing his old photographs, he was astonished at how much things had both changed and yet remained the same.
"So many feelings just flooded through me when I entered the dispensary," he said, reminiscing about fellow Soldiers that he served with who were all such a large part of each others' lives.
"This day will remain with me for the rest of my life," he added.
Social Sharing