GIs in Germany The Social, Economic, Cultural, and Political History of the American Military Presence
Book contents
- GIs in Germany
- Series page
- GIs in Germany
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part One Strategy and Politics
- Part Two Military Communities
- 5 U.S. Army Military Communities in Germany
- 6 German–American Relations at the Local Level
- 7 American Military Families in West Germany
- Part Three Tensions between Neighbors
- Part Four The German Armed Forces and the American Model
- Part Five The 1970s and 1980s
- Appendix: Population Statistics for U.S. Military in Germany, 1945–2000
- Select Bibliography
- Index
5 - U.S. Army Military Communities in Germany
from Part Two - Military Communities
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 October 2013
Book contents
- GIs in Germany
- Series page
- GIs in Germany
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part One Strategy and Politics
- Part Two Military Communities
- 5 U.S. Army Military Communities in Germany
- 6 German–American Relations at the Local Level
- 7 American Military Families in West Germany
- Part Three Tensions between Neighbors
- Part Four The German Armed Forces and the American Model
- Part Five The 1970s and 1980s
- Appendix: Population Statistics for U.S. Military in Germany, 1945–2000
- Select Bibliography
- Index
Summary
This chapter examines the political raison d'être behind the U.S. Army's military communities in Germany. It focuses on the political impact of the institutionalized presence of family members and other civilians with the American forces in West Germany during the Cold War. Under the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), there were as many American civilian personnel and military family members living in West Germany as troops. Bringing American soldiers' families to Europe and establishing military communities was initially intended to address an internal problem, to restore and maintain morale and discipline so that the military mission of the occupation could be achieved. The establishment of the military communities anticipated the new American policy in Germany. The immense value of the presence of army families as a political symbol always outweighed the financial and military arguments for leaving the families behind.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- GIs in GermanyThe Social, Economic, Cultural, and Political History of the American Military Presence, pp. 121 - 141Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2013