U.S. and German soldiers take a break from volunteer work in St. Goar, Germany, on Feb. 23, 2023. The soldiers helped preserve a centuries-old castle wall in the town along the Rhine River. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
ST. GOAR, Germany — More than a dozen soldiers from the 21st Theater Sustainment Command spent a work day alongside troops from Germany, shoring up a centuries-old wall that once surrounded an ancient castle overlooking the Rhine River.
The small town of St. Goar lost significant tourist revenue when most American forces left the nearby Hahn Air Base in the 1990s, and the stone remnants had therefore been neglected for decades.
As a result, the wall was overrun with thick vegetation, which threatened to bring it down, according to local officials.
U.S. soldiers wait for a tree to be felled in St. Goar, Germany, on Feb. 23, 2023. The soldiers joined German volunteers to protect an ancient castle wall. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
U.S. and German soldiers made several trips down roughly 250 steps, while carrying buckets of cement, to help with repair work in St. Goar, Germany, on Feb. 23, 2023. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
The handful of workers employed by the town said clearing the small trees and undergrowth was too big a task for them on their own. On Thursday, U.S. and German troops stepped in to help.
“A lot of American service members come to Germany to see heritage like what we are restoring today,” said the unit’s chief of staff, Col. Matthew Alexander, one of the participants. “To help restore this means a lot to us.”
U.S. and German soldiers remove vegetation that was growing on and around a centuries-old wall in St. Goar, Germany, on Feb. 23, 2023. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Sgt. Lamar Richardson walks through smoky air, carrying a felled tree, as part of efforts to protect an old castle wall in St. Goar, Germany, on Feb. 23, 2023. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
They started the day by carrying buckets of cement down roughly 250 uneven steps in an area of wooded land near the wall, going back up again and repeating the process several times. This was for a separate project to help repair the concrete steps damaged by a recent storm.
From there, they moved to the wall, where they began cutting down vegetation and burning it.
Master Sgt. Kirk Thompson works to remove thick vegetation that grew into a historic stone wall in St. Goar, Germany, on Feb. 23, 2023. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
“It’s been pretty intense today,” Sgt. Lamar Richardson said. “I wasn’t expecting all those stairs, but we have to get the work done. That’s what we volunteered for, and I’m happy either way.”
The section of wall the troops were working near is located on a bluff overlooking the German railway. Leaving the wall to deteriorate risked having stones plummet to the tracks, said Karl Dautermann, a general engineer for the 21 TSC.
The Army has a long history in St. Goar. The 89th Division was based here in 1945 and attacked well-fortified positions across the Rhine in St. Goarhausen.
Spc. Lindsey Bakthy clears undergrowth to protect an old castle wall in St. Goar, Germany, on Feb. 23, 2023. Bakthy was one of about two dozen volunteers from the U.S. and German militaries who supported the clearing project. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Col. Matthew Alexander throws undergrowth on a bonfire in St. Goar, Germany, on Feb. 23, 2023. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Str---pes)
U.S. and German soldiers ascend about 250 steps before returning with buckets full of cement on Feb. 23, 2023. They were helping with repair work in St. Goar, Germany. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
In the decades after the war, U.S. and German troops worked together in the area. But in more recent years, that collaboration had faded.
In a bid to rekindle the relationship, Mark Cox, a retired Air Force major who works in plans and operations for the 21st TSC and lives in St. Goar, co-organized a joint creek cleanup last summer. Thursday’s project continued those efforts.
Organizers hope the teamwork will resurrect the tradition of both armies coming together to help the community, while getting to know each other better.
“We all like doing it to meet other people and see how the other army works,” said Staff Sgt. Lisa Klein, a paramedic from the German army’s medical regiment stationed in Koblenz, who participated Thursday.
