Well I got this in the mail today. One of my old buddies sent these patches to those of us that served with him. I thought that was pretty cool. He told me that our old Barracks, which used to be SS Baracks during the War, well they are now a Nursing home!
In his note, he said that he went on a tour of all the old US Bases in Germany back in 2000. I didn't know they even did that! He went to all Wurzburg, Heidlberg, Bad Kissigen, Grafenvohr, Wildeflecken (all spelling mistakes are mine! To lazy to Google this morning!), Mannheim...et all.
He even went to "Area X" or Area Mud, whichever name fit. LOL So of course, now that I have the patches-my mind has gone back and looked at my time over there. And the characters you meet in the Army. Like Louie light. Not his real name, but what we called him. Why? Because he was always high. Really high.

So one time the USO offered a five day trip to Paris. It was really cheap. Hop on the train, and ten hours later you are in Paris. You had to go to Frankfurt to change trains going either way. So it was my first train ride!
About a dozen of us guys from the Mortar Platoon signed up for it. Even one of the married guys (and married guys under E6 were rare back then.) and his wife went along too.
It was a wonderful five days. American money was like gold. France had just stopped rationing a year earlier...so prices were cheap. So were trinkets and souvenirs. Little Eiffel towers, little handkerchiefs, with PARIS written on them, and postcards galore!

So we have a wonderful five days leave. Train ride back to Schweinfurt took about 12 hours because of some delays. We pull into the Banhof at about ten at night. We are tired and ready to crash. Only to find a Deuce and Half waiting for us. They had called a German Wide Alert early that day. So they drove us out to the Field in our Civvies, with our small suitcases and no Uniforms.

We are unpacking our suitcases once we got to the Company Area, and Louie opens his suitcase. In it are maybe fifty of those little brass Eiffel Towers. Maybe five inches tall. And a hundred of those little hanky's with PARIS written on them.

Louie Light goes nuts.

"Who put all this crap in my suitcase? Where are my underwear and socks? Where did you get this stuff?"

He thought we had pulled a prank on him. At first we laughed. Then it dawned on us. Louie was in Paris for five days, and two long train rides...and didn't remember going. When the CO came and saw us all in Civilian Clothes, digging through are suitcases for anything to wear ...he lit into the Driver of the Deuce in a half.

"What the heck is wrong with you? Drive them to the Barracks and let them pick up their fatigues, TA 50, and duffle bags. Then bring them back here. And store all that civilian crap in the day room till we get back."

He then noticed Louis suitcase filled with all those tourist trinkets. He asked Louie if he was planning on selling them or what?

Louis was sober at the moment...so he answered honestly.

"Sir, I have no idea how they got there. I don't know what I was thinking."

The CO looked at Louis, then took a few of us aside and asked what was going on. We told him about our trip. And that Louie didn't remember going. He turned around and told Louie.

"I don't care if you served two tours in Vietnam. You need help. Now. Get in the Jeep. The Medic will take you to the Hospital. Don't come back until you are done with rehab."

We never saw Louis again. But about a month after he went to the Army Drug program we got a note from him. He had told the First Sergeant to let all of us who went on the trip with him (while he was tripping!) have all those souvenirs. Each of us got a couple brass Eiffel Towers, and ten or so of those silk hankies to send our Mom's, Sisters, or Girlfriends.

We wrote back thank you notes. And that was the last of Louie Light that we ever heard.