Specialist Fourth Class Renae Shircliff - Stuttgart, Germany
After high school Renae wanted a challenge, so she joined the Army. Her interest in traveling was satisfied when she was trained as a tank mechanic and was sent to Stuttgart, Germany. There, about every three months a three-day bus trip was arranged for interested troops, and Renae, along with about 40 other people, traveled to different countries in Europe. Turning 20 in Paris was a highlight.
Following World War II, the Allies drastically weakened the German military, splitting the country into two parts. The Soviet Union controlled East Germany and the other Allies controlled West Germany. The capital, Berlin, was also split into East and West parts. Within a few years the Soviets extended their authority over other Communist countries in Eastern Europe through the Warsaw Pact. An “Iron Curtain” split those countries from Europe, with troops guarding it so no one could leave.
Alarmed by the actions of the Soviet Union and concerned that it might invade the Western European countries, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was created in 1949 by the United States, Canada and 28 European countries. The agreement was that if one country was attacked all the NATO countries would respond to the attack.
In the late 1980s the removal of the border fence between Hungary and Austria allowed many East Germans to escape. In 1989 the wall that separated East and West Berlin was pulled down, and in 1990 all of Germany was reunited.
Renae’s service in Germany coincided with the beginning of loss of Soviet control in East Germany and Eastern Europe. From its inception in 1949, NATO was in readiness in case troops were needed to counter any further Soviet aggression. As part of military preparedness, five-ton tanks were flown to Germany from the United States and then loaded on railroad cars for the final leg of their journey to the base. The tank mechanics met them there and drove them down tank trails to their storage facility. Only American female soldiers were allowed to drive the tanks, and Renae caused quite a stir with soldiers from other countries who saw her go by.