Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, commander U.S. Army Europe, together with thousands of visitors gathered at the Stauferpark in Göppingen, Germany on July 2, 2017 to celebrate the German-American friendship festival "Remember Cooke Barracks," which was organized by the city of Göppingen.
The Stauferpark, formerly U.S. Cooke Barracks, holds great economic value for Göppingen, as it has created 1,500 jobs in the area and therefore significantly contributed to its success story.
On March 8, 1991, the deployment of the 1st Infantry Division marked the end of U.S. Army stationing at Cooke Barracks in Göppingen. A year later, the official closure and the return of the facilities to the German government then took place on February 28, 1992, signifying the end of Cooke Barracks.
However, the festival illustrated that the German-American friendship remains as alive as before the withdrawal of the U.S. Army, which became apparent during the speeches given by the officials.
The speeches at the opening ceremony focused especially on the steady multinational bond between the U.S. and Germany. Göppingen's Lord Mayor Guido Till opened the event with a greeting to the "friends of the German-American friendship," including Hodges, retired Brig. Gen. William J. Mullen, Göppingen mayors, city council members, and police presidents.
Mullen, the last commander of Cooke Barracks, reported back to Göppingen with a "Grüß Gott."
Hodges, who was stationed in Göppingen as a young West Point cadet in 1978, included memories of former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl in his speech, as well as elucidating his observations regarding current developments in world politics.
The German-American bond is of great importance for the whole world and has been a constant for all the years, Hodges stated.
The former Göppingen Lord Mayor and honorary citizen of the city, Hans Haller, saw the high-ranking visitor as a testament to the trust and friendship that had grown and been upheld over the years between the two countries.
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About us: U.S. Army Europe is uniquely positioned in its 51 country area of responsibility to advance American strategic interests in Europe and Eurasia. The relationships we build during more than 1,000 theater security cooperation events in more than 40 countries each year lead directly to support for multinational contingency operations around the world, strengthen regional partnerships and enhance global security.
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