Wiesbaden garrison commander Col. David Mayfield toasts the opening of the German-American Friendship Festival at the Hainerberg housing area, June 29, 2023. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
WIESBADEN, Germany — Most Germans rarely get a chance to see the secured U.S. bases in their country, where American service members and their families work and live.
But over the coming days at least two Army garrisons will let in their German neighbors to help celebrate the quintessential American holiday, Independence Day.
In Wiesbaden, the German-American Friendship Festival kicked off Thursday and runs through Tuesday at the Hainerberg housing area. Fair rides, food and Fourth of July fireworks are on offer.
The Liberty Wheel towers above the German-American Friendship Festival fairground at the Hainerberg housing area in Wiesbaden, Germany, on June 29, 2023. The festival is part of U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden’s Independence Day celebrations. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
The aim is to bring the residents of the city along the Rhine River together with the Americans, said Wiesbaden garrison commander Col. David Mayfield, who spoke at the event’s opening ceremony and affectionately referred to the base as the city’s 27th district.
“It is our honor to welcome the rest of the Wiesbadeners in the other 26 districts,” Mayfield told a small early afternoon crowd before tapping a beer keg to begin the festivities officially.
Organizers expect some 70,000 people to attend the Wiesbaden event if weather permits. The first edition of the festival was held in 2012, but it was canceled in recent years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Beer is poured from a keg opened by Col. David Mayfield, the commander of U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden, to mark the official start of the German-American Friendship Festival at the Hainerberg housing area, June 29, 2023. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
The event will offer some respite for U.S. and German military personnel at the Army’s headquarters in Europe. Many have been working overtime because of the Russia-Ukraine war, which has transformed the U.S. military’s role on the Continent.
Russia’s invasion has resulted in a renaissance in U.S.-German relations, according to German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
Wiesbaden Mayor Gert-Uwe Mende described the bonds with Americans in his city as “tighter than ever” but said events like the friendship festival are useful to broaden the camaraderie.
U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden commander Col. David Mayfield enjoys a ride with Wiesbaden dignitaries at the German-American Friendship Festival on June 29, 2023. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
“It’s just fun and that is important,” Mende said. “It’s important because it’s another way to get together, not in an intellectual way, not thinking about war and NATO, just thinking about our neighbors and friendship.”
Sgt. Maj. Claudia Spieles, a recruitment officer for the German military, said she hopes the celebration will spur some German attendees to ask about their services.
The Bundeswehr set up a recruiting stand near the festival’s centerpiece: a large Ferris wheel with blinking lights and a replica of the Statue of Liberty at its base.
U.S. military police and German counterparts patrol the fairgrounds at the Hainerberg housing area in Wiesbaden, Germany, on June 29, 2023. The U.S. Army garrision in the city is inviting Germans to join in a festival celebrating Independence Day. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
“Younger people are watching the news and they’re realizing that it’s useful to have a Bundeswehr,” said Spieles, adding the German public’s perception of the military had been historically low but could be shifting because of the events in Ukraine.
While fun is the focus of the festival, it also serves as a reminder that Germans and Americans continue to support each other in many ways, including on the battlefield, Spieles said.
Meanwhile, in Stuttgart, home to U.S. European and Africa commands, officials are anticipating one of the largest Independence Day celebrations there in decades.
Sammy Botros, left, and Marcus Wirth run a shooting gallery attraction at the German-American Friendship Festival in Wiesbaden, Germany, on June 29, 2023. The festival is sponsored by the U.S. Army garrison in the city, and an estimated 70,000 people are expected to attend. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
On Tuesday, the Army garrison will host a fireworks show at its Panzer Kaserne headquarters, where the German public will be invited in for the first time in at least 20 years.
“Before Sept. 11, it was common for Germans to celebrate our independence with us,” said Joe Johnson, director of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs in Stuttgart. “We are hopeful that by opening up the gates of Panzer to our neighbors, we can rekindle some of the magic that existed in those times.”
The event begins at 4 p.m. and concludes after a 10:30 p.m. fireworks display. The fireworks show in Wiesbaden is set to begin at 10:45 p.m.
A view from the Liberty Wheel at the German-American Friendship Festival in Wiesbaden, Germany, on June 29, 2023. The Ferris wheel is the centerpiece of U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden's festivities for Independence Day. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
At Baumholder in Germany’s rural southwest, the Army garrison said it would allow German resident employees and up to four of their guests to attend Independence Day celebrations Friday and Saturday.
Ramstein Air Base’s “Freedom Fest” on Monday and Tuesday is open only to Defense Department ID cardholders and authorized guests.
Stars and Stripes reporter John Vandiver contributed to this report.
