Partnership Tree set up on the grounds of Artillery Kaserne for the first time

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany--Garmisch community members gathered next to the Garrison headquarters building to witness the set-up of the first partnership tree ever erected on the Kaserne grounds, May 10.

Spectators came out in their Bavarian Trachten outfits but the most wanted accessory that afternoon was an umbrella.

Modeled after a traditional Bavarian Maypole, the tree was selected and cut directly on the installation in coordination with the German Forestmeister. The local Directorate of Public Works crew spent weeks and countless hours to prepare the traditional pole. They shaved off the bark and planed the trunk smooth before it was painted in traditional Bavarian colors – white and blue. Shields on the sides of the pole feature the U.S. Army Garrison Garmisch community and tenant units as well as the surrounding German partner communities and the city of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Following Bavarian tradition, the pole was stolen the night before the event. A group of 18 American and German Soldiers and Civilians hand-carried the 22-meter long and 1.2 tons heavy pole away and hid it away from the event scene where it was staged for the next day.

In the morning, Deputy Garrison Manager, Laura Hemming, received a crow mask with a ransom note.

The Crows, that’s what the group called themselves, asked for a celebration with beer and Bavarian Brotzeit (Bread, bratwurst, ham and cheese) and a German-American celebration must be organized again - but one outside the Kaserne, for the public. The way it used to be, before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York and, more recently, the pandemic, which both brought the partnership to a virtual standstill. "So that the German-American friendship continues to grow together." After the demands were negotiated, the tree was delivered back to the staging area. This time with a vehicle from the DPW crew.

Finally, at 3 p.m. that afternoon, the partnership tree was hoisted into the air with the help of a crane from the Garmisch fire department and local community members using traditional poles to anchor it into a metal stand. Garmisch-Partenkirchen Mayor Elisabeth Koch, Grainau local chief Stephan Märkl, USAG Bavaria Commander Col. Kevin Poole, and other invited guests witnessed the ceremony.

“Our partnership tree symbolizes the countless friendships and excellent partnerships that the U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria–Garmisch Community and all its tenant units have established here in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen area with their German friends and partners since 1945,” said Poole. “Let's continue to fill our friendships and partnerships with life.”

Following the ceremony, by Bavarian tradition, Mayor Koch tapped the keg and people enjoyed bratwurst and draft beer.