Art Chowder September | October Issue No. 29 | Page 22

M.J.: You mentioned a tour of duty. In which branch of
the military did you serve?
Greg: I was in the Army and spent time in Germany from ’69
to ’71. I haven’t been back to Germany since then but while
I was there a buddy and I took a tour of Berlin. East Berlin
was still Soviet-held territory, and the Berlin wall was still
standing. Things were so contentious there they’d even buoyed
and mined the lake that ran through the city. Then there were
memorials all along the wall: candles, flowers and what not,
for all the people who attempted to go over or under the wall
and were killed. Seeing that had a great impact on me.
M.J.: What was it like for you watching the wall come
down?
Greg: It was amazing. Before that, all the borders of Europe
were closed. There were border checks everywhere. When the
wall came down and the communist party folded, the borders
opened up, and now you can travel everywhere throughout
Europe quickly.
One of these days I’d like to visit Prague. They say it’s the new
Paris.
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