I was stationed at the Koop from August 1966 until August 1970. Was NCOIC of Communications. I lived in Ried Rohn with my wife Brenda and three sons. Despite driving to work through umty four feet of snow it was the best tour in 20 years of AF service.

There was a story that I was told about the german entombed in the central part of the building which the 616th used as HQ etc:
There was purported to be a glider pilot entombed in a huge coffin placed on a granite slab. I remember it as being about 9' long. It was said that he was the first person to fly a glider from the Kuppe to Paris and back again; the problem was that he supposedly died making his return landing at the Kuppe.
 As a memorial he was laid in state in the chapel and people from all over Germany came to see his tomb.  The story goes that when the British troops arrived at the Kuppe during the war they threw Fritz, as he was called, down the mountainside.  This act made the British very unpopular in the area.
 Later when the American troops arrived they collected the bones and put Fritz back in his box, making the Americans the friendly ones.  Naturally, being imaginative GI's there were all kinds of suppositions as to the origins of the bones placed back in the box.  As an aside; I was an Englishman in the USAF so I had to tread lightly with the locals.

 
 

 
 
 
 

   Photo of Fritz' tomb

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

My apologies to Glen for overlooking this and others sent to me after the trip.

I will endeavor to create a page with pictures of his trip.

I save all those sent to me, no matter what the subject and all will eventually find their way to this site.