Having served in Germany at the end of the Cold War, it’s always interesting to me, to hear these kinds of stories, even if they are from a different army.
The British Army of the Rhine consisting primarily of British I Corps and began duties as an occupation force but that quickly changed to a posture of defense in order to counter the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact forces. In this role, BAOR was lead force for NATO’s Northern Army Group and was equipped with nuclear weapons. The organization was changed slightly in 1993 and deactivated altogether in 1994.
That man totally destroyed my impressions of my very first exercise in Germany, a Sqn of Chieftains all under cam nets and hidden away playing soldiers then along came this blue van…illusion of being a steely eyed dealer of death shattered…
The best part of SSD for me has always been learning perspective from the international warriors… seeing a ‘universal soldier’s experience, so to speak.
Now, do Ajima from Korea…
I swear to God, there’s a whole world of study out there about modern-day camp followers, some of whom made really good money doing what they did. The “little old noodle lady” we had in Korea got picked up and hauled around by one of her sons, in a then-top-of-the-line Ssanyong SUV that she’d paid cash for, and she’d financed her kids into pretty big businesses from her earnings in the 1960s and 1970s. By the time I met her, the whole thing was her retirement hobby, and she just went out with our guys as a tradition. During her hey-day, she’d had multiple tents, about ten other women working for her, and probably sold more ramen noodles than Nissan.
What was weird is that she’d be packing up and moving before we got the word, and usually be at the next bivouac site, waiting for us. I still haven’t figured that one out, unless she had a contact in the ROK government that was giving her our supposedly-secret movement plans. I know our chain of command was as mystified as we were, and they all claimed they weren’t telling her a thing…
Israel has something similar with the vans bringing troops ice cream and other treats on border outposts. Dudes would be rabid for that stuff after a long enough time on the border.