Despite knowing Army veteran Ray Brendel for many years, we had never heard his story until recently. Ray, who served as a finance clerk at Fort Knox and Germany in the 1970s, probably thought he didn’t have much of a story to tell compared to the combat experiences shared at our events. But, we strong believe Every Veteran Has a Story, and we are especially interested in experiences that often go overlooked or unmentioned, like those of a finance clerk. I’m grateful to Ray for sharing his story with us, which is adapted here below. Ray will be joining us on our two-week WWII Battlefield Tour of Europe later this year, and we’ll drive right past his old base, Flak Kaserne, just outside of Stuttgart. We plan to stop so Ray can stand once again at the front gate and remember his eventful year during the height of the Cold War.
In March 1975, I boarded a military-operated 737 bound for Germany, arriving at Rhein-Main Air Force Base near Frankfurt early in the morning. After 24 sleepless hours, I opted to push through processing instead of resting. Within two hours, I was assigned to the 38th Finance Section in Ludwigsburg, stationed at Flak Kaserne, a former German military post repurposed by the U.S. Army after World War II.
Navigating the German train system for the first time with two fellow soldiers—Eugene Humphries, whom I knew from Fort Knox, and Gary “Stretch” Wolfswold, a towering but rail-thin soldier—was a challenge. None of us could read German, but we managed the two-hour trip to Ludwigsburg, encountering an unexpected delay when cows wandered onto the tracks.
Upon arrival, we were met by a soldier who drove us to a nearby Army post for the night. Skipping the mess hall, we opted for a local Guest House, where I had my first taste of German wine alongside a pizza dinner. Exhausted, I slept soundly until morning before heading to Flak Kaserne, my home for the next 16 months.
Flak Kaserne had a deep history, originally built in the 1930s as an anti-aircraft artillery base. After the war, it served as an internment camp for captured Nazis and later housed displaced Germans before the U.S. Army took over in 1950. By the time I arrived, it was home to the 38th Finance Section, the 4th Transportation Battalion, the 226th Supply Company, and a small but intriguing Army Intelligence unit—”spies,” as we called them.
Our unit operated out of Building 1708, a former wartime hospital. The finance office and teller windows were on the first floor, while the barracks were on the second. Next door was the mess hall, making it easy to grab a quick meal. The post also had a gym, a small PX with a grill, a chapel, a barber shop, a tailor, a recreation center, and an NCO club where enlisted soldiers could drink and unwind.
I was assigned to the coding section, a continuation of my finance work at Fort Knox. My job involved preparing soldiers’ payroll data for keypunching and electronic processing. After a few months, I moved to the Quality and Assurance Section, where I reviewed and corrected payroll errors before final submission. While not an official promotion, it was a step up in responsibility.
Our days started with an 8 AM formation—something new for me, as finance units typically didn’t hold daily formations. First Lieutenant Hurst, a West Point graduate, was a stickler for inspections, ensuring we maintained sharp appearances. After formation, we got to work, processing financial documents, correcting errors, and handling soldiers’ pay issues. Some days, I was tasked with driving a worn-out Mercedes Benz for errands around Stuttgart’s various Army bases, thanks to my military driver’s license.
In September, our unit moved into a freshly renovated barracks, Building 1706, in preparation for the 38th’s merger with the larger 106th Finance Section. The merger tripled our unit’s size and introduced a significant number of female soldiers, though they lived in separate quarters. With the transition, I was reassigned back to coding before later moving to the Customer Service Desk, where I assisted soldiers with travel pay and payroll disputes.
Off duty, I spent time with friends—Robert Lovelace from Washington D.C., Pete Cramer from Minnesota, and Gary Cummins from Texas. We played basketball at the gym, joined the 38th’s softball team, and occasionally gambled in poker games. We lost the post softball championship to the “spies,” despite having beaten them in the regular season. I also played in the flag football league, which led to a torn meniscus—an injury that would haunt me for years.
We frequented a local Guest House, run by a couple who lived upstairs and made their own wine. While I wasn’t a big beer drinker, I developed a taste for Dinkelacker and German white wines. On weekends, we took the train to Stuttgart to visit a nightclub—my first experience with a disco scene.
Entertainment on base was limited. We had a small theater where I saw “Jaws” and “Macon County Line.” Television was mostly German, so I rarely watched, though I once caught a dubbed episode of “The Waltons,” which was amusing. We couldn’t get American TV, except for Super Bowl X, but we listened to NFL games on Armed Forces Radio while playing Hearts and Spades.
In April 1975, when Saigon fell, we were put on alert. In the middle of the night, we were ordered to report to the office, issued M16s without ammunition, and sat around waiting for further instructions. After a few hours, the alert was lifted, and we went back to our normal routines.
In November, I went before a review board and was promoted to Specialist 5, equivalent to a Sergeant but without command responsibilities. My pay increased to $492.60 per month. By early 1976, as my service neared its end, I was reassigned to the Customer Service Desk, assisting soldiers with their travel pay and financial issues until my departure in June.
One of the most memorable experiences of my time in Germany was a spontaneous trip to the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. On Friday, February 13th, I learned that the USO was organizing a bus trip the next morning. My friends and I jumped at the chance. We arrived in Innsbruck at 9 AM, bought last-minute tickets, and watched the men’s alpine slalom race and the four-man bobsled competition. It was an incredible experience, and I was glad to have made the trip before leaving Germany.
Another spare time activity I enjoyed was going to concerts. Some of the bands and performers were: Jethro Tull, The Who, Cat Stevens, Alice Cooper, Climax Blues, Commander Cody, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Earth, Wind and Fire and Santana.
Just before I left for home, there was an all-day outdoor concert just outside Strasbourg, France. There were 2 stages side by side. As 1 group played, the other stage was being set-up for the next group. There was very little downtime. Some of the musicians were, Wishbone Ash, Bob Marley and the Whalers, War, Procol Harum, Little Feat, and Stephan Stills. Ike and Tina Turner also played in one of their last performances together.
By June 1976, my time at Flak Kaserne came to an end. My experience in the Army was not filled with battlefield heroics, but it was a unique chapter of my life—one of discipline, camaraderie, and the occasional adventure in a foreign country. The post, like many others, eventually closed in 1991 after the Cold War ended. Looking back, I appreciate the opportunity to serve in Germany and the memories of life at Flak Kaserne.
