Joe Doakes, once of Como Park, emails:
Members of the German Parliament have been talking tough about Trumps tariffs.The tariffs will hurt Americans worse than Germans. America doesn’t make anything anymore. There’s nothing they need from us.Excellent. High tariffs are gone. And so are our soldiers, airmen, Marines. Germany can have those empty bases to fill with their own soldiers to stare down the Russians.Peace, friendship, and honest commerce with all; entangling alliances with none. Wise words from one of our founders. Glad we have the opportunity to get back them.Joe Doakes
For whatever – I say, whatever– reason, the Euros always back away hard when we talk about bringing the rest of the troops home.
Joe makes a great points about bases U.S. forces in Germany. I landed on Okinawa about a month after reversion when the U.S. gave the governance of the island back to the Japanese.
The guys stationed there told us newbies that literally overnight all of the prices in the shops and restaurants jumped up and the Okinawans on the streets, got nastier to our personnel. There were several hundred Okinawan citizens that works on these bases in a variety of positions. Primarily, in food and concession services and maintenance roles. There were also large anti-American protests advocating to kick us off the island. It got so bad that the Provost Marshall threatened to put the towns of Naha, Kadena, Nago and Uruma off limits to military personnel. The governor put out a statement to the entire population highlighting all of the benefits that “our American friends and allies, contribute to the island”. I remember that those attitudes changed to friendliness and cooperation.