An 18 year old US Military Policeman in Cold War West Berlin (253)

Cold War Conversations

Ian Sanders

Society & Culture, Documentary, History

4.8 • 758 Ratings

🗓️ 16 September 2022

⏱️ 75 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Richard Blevins enlisted aged 18 in the US Army in March of 1987. He completed Basic Training & Military Police School training in July of 1987 and was posted to West Berlin as a United States Military Policeman. He describes his selection for Berlin duty while at Rhine-Main AFB in Frankfurt and his first journey across East Germany on the US Duty train to West Berlin. Richard’s first year consisted of patrol duties and combat training as well as serving at Checkpoints Bravo and Charlie as the assistant to the Non-commissioned Officer in Charge. He also got selected as a traffic accident investigator in 1988 where he would patrol with the West Berlin Police and respond to all car accidents involving US military, dependents, and civilian workers as well as West German nationals. Richard also describes how he heard the news on November 8th, 1989, that Erich Honecker had lifted all travel restrictions on East Germans starting at midnight. He is a close friend of Michael Rafferty who appeared in episode 13 with his account of the last days of Checkpoint Charlie. Don’t miss Michael’s video of 1980s Berlin in the episode notes. 0:00 Introduction with Richard Blevins 5:00 Richard's journey to Berlin and first encounter with Soviet troops 15:00 Contrasting West and East Berlin and living conditions 25:00 Richard's assignment to 3rd platoon: Patrol duties, training, and interactions with Royal Military Police 35:00 Liaising with Soviets and training with British units 45:00 Duties at checkpoints Bravo and Charlie 55:00 Living near the Berlin Wall and its transformation post-fall 1:05:00 Friendship with Michael Rafferty and plans to revisit Berlin 1:10:00 Security measures for soldiers and interactions with locals Table of contents powered by PodcastAI✨ Cold War history is disappearing; however, a simple monthly donation will keep this podcast on the air. You’ll become part of our community and get a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank you and you’ll bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ If a financial contribution is not your cup of tea, then you can still help us by leaving written reviews wherever you listen to us as well as sharing us on social media. It really helps us get new guests on the show. I am delighted to welcome Richard Blevins to our Cold War conversation… Episode notes here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode253 Follow us on Twitter here https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/ Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/ Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/ Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Welcome to Cold War Conversations, the home of real stories of the Cold War.
0:05.9	Timothy Shalame is Bob Dylan and a complete unknown.
0:09.4	If anyone who's going to hold your attention on the state, you have to kind of be a freak.
0:13.9	Critics agree it's outstanding on every level. Five stars.
0:19.1	Shalemay is a revelation.
0:21.7	What do you want to be? Whatever it it is they don't want me to be
0:23.4	now nominated for the golden globes for best picture
0:26.1	best actor and best supporting actor
0:27.9	Edward Norton
0:28.6	a complete unknown
0:30.4	ladies and gentlemen
0:31.2	bob bill
0:32.2	in cinemas january 17
0:34.0	rated 15
0:35.3	we would mess with
0:36.8	Americans a lot American tourists would come by and they'd say, hey, what army are you with?
0:41.5	And I'd tell them I was the Polish army or make something up or whatever. And they go, really? Wow, you speak really good English.
0:48.8	This is Cold War Conversations. If you're new here, you've come to the right place to listen to
0:56.6	first-hand Cold War history accounts. Do make sure you follow us in your podcast app so that you
1:04.0	don't miss a single episode. Richard Blevins enlisted aged 18 in the US Army in March of 1987.
1:13.6	He completed basic training and military police school training in July of 87
1:18.6	and was posted to West Berlin in the United States Military Police.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in -927 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Ian Sanders, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Ian Sanders and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.