(FRANKFURT, Germany) - A German whose early childhood was influenced by the action of an American Soldier has in turn reached out to the children of American Soldiers in Germany.
Dr. Wilfried Kastening, treasurer of Frankfurt International School, and his wife, Astrid, business manager of Theatre Unlimited, hosted 45 children and their chaperones from U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden's School-Age Services program at a play in Frankfurt. The children attended the opening performance of "Peter Pan" at the English Theater.
Kastening said he was evacuated out of Berlin in 1945 to a small village near Frankfurt. He recalled that a U.S. Army tank rolled into the village one day and a Soldier got out and gave him a chocolate bar. "That began my love of Americans," Kastening said. "It was the first chocolate I had had in several years."
Kastening said he appreciates everything the United States has done for Germany since World War II. "There would not be a Federal Republic of Germany if not for the American Army especially Gen. (Lucius D.) Clay," said Kastening. (Clay served as the military governor for the U.S. Zone in post-war Germany and was a proponent for the reconstruction of the country. His ideas greatly influenced the Marshall Plan which rebuilt Western Europe after World War II.)
"The U.S. helped to establish the German constitution," said Kastening. "After the war we really didn't know which way it would go."
Kastening lived in America for a few years and during that time he said he came to realize how much "America has done for Germany." That is why he chose to do something to give back to children of Soldiers in the American community in Wiesbaden.
Watching the youngsters enjoying themselves at the theater, Kastening said that hosting them at the show "was the least I could do for these deserving children. I love to see their happy faces."
The youngsters have all experienced the deployment of a parent to a combat zone. Many of them are currently going through the reintegration process with a parent who has redeployed and some will soon move to a new duty location.
SAS chaperone Carol Doherty said that attending the play was a wonderful opportunity for the children to get their minds off of the pressures of being a military child. "It's also a great chance for the parents to have a free afternoon. I told them to go have lunch and relax," said Doherty.
"It's really nice to be at the play," said 10-year-old Tarod De La Torre. "It is kind of more fun to see 'Peter Pan' on the stage."
Devin Sealey said one of his favorite parts of the play was Capt. Hook's nemesis, the hungry crocodile. "I didn't know that Peter Pan sliced off (Capt. Hook's) hand and fed it to the crocodile," said Sealey, whose mother just redeployed.
Before the play began the American group was welcomed as special guests by
Sheelagh Maythem, Theater Unlimited's director. After the show Dr. Kastening and special guest Doria Rosen, deputy principal officer for the U.S. Consulate General in Frankfurt, invited the children up on stage to meet the cast and receive a lollipop.
The children presented Dr. and Mrs. Kastening with handmade thank-you cards and pictures they had drawn to show their appreciation for the special day.
"I would like to continue doing this with any appropriate child-friendly musical here at the English Theater," said Kastening. "I would like for other Germans to join me in doing this."
The show was presented by Theater Unlimited featuring a cast, team and band of international children and adults, including many Americans. For more information about the English Theater go to http://www.english-theatre.org or to learn more about Theater Unlimited visit www.theater-unlimited.com.
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