German Hospitality
Heroes Remember
So I had to take a load of supplies up to a mess hall in
Oldenburg so they give me rations in my vehicle to
last me three days to go from Oldenburg, from Appledorn
into Oldenburg. So I drove up, got up there into the base and
off loaded and they said,
"You gonna stay here on the base?"
I said, "No, I?m going to try and get back to Holland."
So I was driving back and I started getting tired
just before dark and I thought I?m going to try and
find a place to stay. Now I was in Germany and the
war had only ended just about a month so I left the
main road and I went down this narrow road and
at first I see two, three kids going, a young boy and
two girls, they must have been about 12, 13 or 14,
and I stopped and I was trying to say something in German
like where can I find a place to stay and they took one
look at me and they "Chooommb!!!" -
they took off down the road so we went along a
little further and here was two women coming
up and I stopped. I said,
"I'm looking for a place where I can stay tonight."
So the girl could speak English, she said, "Yes,
you see that big house right over there, that's where we live,
a big farm, a big crossroad, go down there and turn there."
And they started running ahead of me and going and
went up and drove up the driveway,
went into the house, went in and when I drove
up in the truck two men came out,
they were around my age at the time and
they could speak English and they had been in the army,
they was in the army. They were talking there and we talked and
they said, "Oh yes", and then the mother came out;
short stocky woman. Oh she was some excited.
"Oh yes, you're staying, yes,yes!!"
This girl was explaining to her, ?Oh yes, you come, you come!"
And I had my food in the truck, I took it out and said,
"Here!" They said, "No!", I said, "No, take the food!"
So the guys, they said,
"Look, soldier I think you better put your truck over
there behind the barn because if the military police
come by and see that truck you might get in trouble."
I said,"Alright!" Now they was Germans now;
the war just ended so I pulled the truck up behind there
went in there and sat down and
I talked to them and sitting by the stove,
there was a gentleman sitting there with a big goatee on,
big man. He was just sitting there looking at me.
I spoke to him, he kind of bowed his head.
So they fed me and everything, see they were still living
in the cellar and she took me upstairs, "Here, you sleep there."
"Okay!"That was on Saturday. So I woke up Monday, Sunday,
Sunday morning jeez the house was right quiet, nobody around.
So I went downstairs and the old fellow was sitting there in the
chair. And he was trying to tell me, pointing,
that they had gone to church and I looked down and
I seen the white church down there.
I said, "Okay." So I went out and I checked around
the truck see if anything was wrong and here they all were
coming, they were just a going right out straight,
they came in and made me sit down,
have breakfast and everything and
I said, "Well I got to go!"
And as they came out this little girl that that could speak
English said, "Wait a minute, wait a minute,
Mom got something for you!"
And she had made this little round cake and
she said, "Mom says you will be hungry by the time you
get back to Holland, you have this!"
I thanked them and away I went.
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