The story of my life can be found in my book. It will start with my neede to be around a loving family. But that family would not be mine because I had one of the families where my dad had been in prison for child abuse and both parents had the hobby of openning and closing bar's. The family I hung around with when I needed to be away from abuse was the other Mormon family up the hill. There was a loving family and also the cutest girl I would ever meet.

Hello, for 10 years was part of the Berlin Elite, for the complete story read older postings also

They Promised Me Sleep Deprivation, Mental Torment, And Muscles So Sore You'll Puke. "Sweat dries, blood clots, and bones heal, suck it up, be a Ranger“

My Prayer
Almighty Father, whose command is over all and whose love never fails, make me aware of Thy presence and obedient to Thy will. Keep me true to my best self, guarding me against dishonesty in purpose and deed and helping me to live so that I can face my fellow Rangers, my loved ones and Thee without shame or fear. Protect my family. Give me the will to do the work of a Ranger and to accept my share of responsibilities with vigor and enthusiasm. Grant me the courage to be proficient in my daily performance. Keep me loyal and faithful to my superiors and to the duties my country and the US Army have entrusted to me. Make me considerate of those committed to my leadership. Help me to wear my uniform with dignity, and let it remind me daily of the traditions which I must uphold. If I am inclined to doubt, steady my faith; if I am tempted, make me strong to resist; if I should miss the mark, give me courage to try again. Guide me with the light of truth and grant me wisdom by which I may understand the answer to my prayer.

In 1976 after finishing High School early; I joined the US Army. Because my test scores were in the top 2% I went straight from basic/AIT to Berlin Germany. On my first week there they took me here “Check Point Charlie”. This was to let me see firsthand why we are there. You see while Berlin would be my best assignment ever it was also the new Alamo, because the mission was in case a war started we were to fight to the death to give the west as much time as possible to get ready. I was 17 years old and in my first major city and I had more fear of the city life then I ever had for the Russians.

The Berlin Wall

Berlin was located 110 miles behind the Iron Curtain. It was a city Governed by four powers, two friendly, one hostile, and the French (we called them the Western Russians). We would all have equal control (except the French; they had to ask us for everything) and a mission to get along.

Don't miss this link

http://www.berlin-brigade.de/us-ins/us-ein.html

Spandau Prison

My first guard duty would be at Berlin's Spandau Prison. Here we used all four countries to guard the last WWII war prisoner, Rudolph Hess. This was interesting for me because my Grandmothers maiden name was Susie Hess. This photo was from guard tower number one. We were not allowed to take pictures from in there so I can’t tell you where this one came from. What happened to me here; was while pulling guard from this tower the Russian Warden came walking up on the trail you can see on the left side of the photo. We were required to give the greeting of the day. I gave my own greeting of “I would rather be dead then red Sir”. It would turnout that the Russian Warden went to School in Minnesota on an exchange program where we train the Russian KGB to speak American English so that they can hide better. Well anyway this would be strike one on me, me saying that Rudolph Hess may be my Uncle would be strike two, and that thing that happen with the Warden’s daughter (her fault, her idea, I just played along; really, ask anyone; I am a push over). The Warden had more problems with catching this soldier with his daughter then any of my other problems that I made. This would be strike three and I was out (please remember I was a 17 year old guy mainly playing Army but sometimes house; I'm still a guy). Also when we met she was sitting on her bedroom window sill wearing so little that if I put everything together I could not make boot strings for my boots (OK, a little more then that but not much). This would give me some free time to see more of the city. I would find my way to Berlins biggest lake. There I would learn that swim suits may be optional which was good for me because well I did not have one anyways. I would meet a nice girl there that would show me around the city. Oh, Mike was growing up fast.

The French connection

This picture shows how the city was divided. Originally it was going to be just a three power control because France was not one of the victorious countries because they had fallen to Germany and we had to go in and take it back and give it back to them. This reminds me of a meeting that our military had in France a few years ago. At the meeting the language chosen was English because all of the countries there had people that could speak English and there were more countries there where English was their native language so it was set. A French General stood to make the statement that he felt that while in France they should all need to speak French. An American General stood to answer him with "we fill because Canada, England, and the United States made it so that everyone in France did not need to learn German then when they come once a year to France the French can speak English". The French General shut up and sat back down.

Don't bother to run you just die tired

In 1978 I competed in International weapons competition. I got the Bronze medal so the country thought it was better to use me more in support fire instead of front line. I was asked to first go to sniper school and then to agree to become Special Forces. By this time I had already lost Sally and wanted to die anyway. I decided to say yes to both. Now that would be taking me on a ride to Hell that I would have liked to of passed on but now I would not change it; because someone had to do it. In 1991 I was given a Special Forces coin for over 100 kills, on the back side it has "DON'T BOTHER TO RUN; YOU'LL ONLY DIE TIRED".

Do you see me.

Next with my new job I needed to learn to be a spook, I had the uniforms to be a soldier from anywhere or any land, but sometimes I needed to be totally invisible. My first question was I am in a big city with buildings and people, don’t I kind of standout dressed like this. You see I thought I needed a special weapon that I could break down and put it in a small case, wear a suit and blend in? Well there were no books for that so I was the walking bush in the city. I was thinking of carrying a sign that stated by the orders of the United States and the occupying powers, you don’t see me. That did not happen.

MLM, not what you think, no amway here.

I afterwards got the chance to move into a different line of work. It was with the MLM (Military Liaison Mission) Spies in uniform. Our job was to go past this sign and find out why they didn’t want us too. Here I did need to look like a bush because we were not only looking in cities but my missions were mostly at training areas in the field. You see I was a different kind of Bonn. What I did was follow the Russian soldiers that went into the trees to do there business and check things out. You see the Russians had a shortage of TP so when they hit the bush they just grabbed whatever they had lying there. I would go in with rubber gloves and a handy bag and collect it. I once dated one of the girls that had to go through my packages. After we became close she openned up a little. We were lying there one night, we started talking; she told me that less than 1% of what I brought had anything of value; in fact she had never recovered anything that was not already out dated. Now that was some crap!!

Let Freedom Ring

This is Freedom Bridge. Whenever we went past that sign but did not make it back to our side this bridge is where we would be returned to the west after the counties made a deal. This is also where I had to go to get Nick’s body when the Russians killed him. That was not good because he was killed the middle of March and I picked him up on the 30th and they did not put him in a bag first, not good I still don’t sleep.

March 31, 1985: Family, friends, colleagues and top Army officials gathered yesterday in a military chapel at Fort Myer to honor Major Arthur D. Nicholson Jr. and eulogize him as a man who had volunteered for a stressful assignment because he wanted to be on "the cutting edge."

Nicholson, 37, a liaison officer to East Germany, was shot and killed by a Soviet sentry near a garage-like storage shed one week ago. Nicholson, whose hometown was West Redding, Connecticut, had been attached to the 14-member liaison mission in Potsdam since 1982.

As several hundred people honored Nicholson at a service in Fort Myer's Memorial Chapel and a military burial in Arlington National Cemetery, Secretary of State George Shultz and Soviet Ambassador Anatoliy Dobrynin met at the State Department and agreed on discussions to prevent similar incidents.

After I was captured by the KGB I was brought here for the exchange. They had me for 15 weeks and I still have the needle marks in my hand from them ripping them out when they were done. The building pictured is the KGB prison where I was held. I went back and got this photo in 2006 after the fall of the wall. In the picture if you look on the right side of the sign you see a smaller picture that shows inside. If you see the block area not painted; it's the area where the cells were. We were in boxes 39"X39"X39". I could not lie down other than in a ball or even stand up for 15 weeks except when they took me for Interrogation. The bathroom was a hole in the floor.

Let Freedom Ring even louder

My job ended in 1986 in Berlin but had I stayed on a few years more it would have ended with the fall of the Soviet Union and the Berlin Wall. During my 10 years in and out of Berlin we were defenders of Freedom. Maybe this is no big deal for most but during the time that my unit was there 32 men lost their life in the service of this mission. I didn't count because when I got killed they worked fast and brought me back. Mission accomplished.

I would move on to bigger and brighter things. I would even play Afghani in Afghanistan in the 1980’s. That’s a good place to be if you want to play like you are Afghani, not really. I also got the chance in the late 1980’s to go to Panama to help change their leadership. My wife always said if some county pisses off the President I was going there for a visit.

OK, and what are we looking for again, and why

I also got the chance to go to Bosnia.

Good bye Danny

Who is Danny? Well I left Montana after finding Sally with Ron and hit the grown running. I started hitting the Disco's. Well it turned out that most guys go there to pick up girls but only plan on dancing one or two dances and then they just sit around drinking. Well I was never a drinker so I stayed on the dance floor for the night. I would start dancing with these two girls one right after the other. As the night went on I was getting worried about how to get things down to just one of them. Well things did not work out and I have trouble hurting anyone so I guessed it would end with saying good night to both and go home alone. Well when I got to the point of saying my goodbyes they would let me know they were sisters and ask me to see them home because it was so late. So as of that time I would date them both. Time went by and the sisters were fighting and they decided to drop things to me of me just being with one of them and they choose not me. Well I married one not knowing that the other was with child, my child. He would be named Danny. Danny would grow to be a soldier; and not just any soldier but one of the worlds best. Danny would become Special Forces, and be much more then anything I ever was. After losing Danny in Iraq in Sept. 2007. I moved to Washington State to the YTC (Yakima Training Center). My goal now is to keep training them the best I can to raise their chances of coming home. My goal is to have fewer people get the visit that I got to tell me that Danny would not be home again.

Always Looking Up

When you get to the top then reach for the stars. If you stay at the bottom maybe you can't fall but others can spit on you.

Time on a rock

The time in life that I call mine is when I am at my favorite place far from work and most people. A place where I can look out over many miles or just sit and think. This place is MOAB Utah. If I am not there to drive over the rocks I climb high to the top of some rock where no one else is climbing and sit down and look back on lifes wonders.

In closing I think about the friends I have and them that I have lost and thank God for all he has given me and I pray for them that are to small to forgive. We all make mistakes and will be welcome in Gods house anyway. With the exception of Sally; most of my friends still meet me with open arms and well most of the enemies that I have had are dead (only kill for God and Country). Many that know me say they never want to get on my bad side. Heck, I'm a Teddy Bear so never fear; LOL.