I remember the Cold War well as does any soldier that served in the Berlin Brigade during that time. We were stationed 110 miles behind the Iron Curtain. We were the last outpost of freedom, living daily under the watchful eyes and guns of the Soviets and East Germans. One joke that constantly floated around the barracks was that on the back side of the plaque at the entry gate to McNair Barracks was enscribed "McNair POW Camp" so that the Soviets could just switch the sign around when they crossed the Wall and the several hundred yards it took to reach us is WWIII broke out. But in truth, every soldier in Berlin saw things that made them vow to fight Communistic oppression to their last, dying breath.

In December 1988, I was detained by East German soldiers while returning from a trip into East Berlin. Of course this was almost a normal routine for those of us in Berlin, always being followed, watched and harassed by the communist regime. For 1 and a half hours the East Germans taunted me and tried to get me to say something to them. But as trained, all I could do was give my name and rank and demand that a Soviet Officer respond as the United States did not recognize the East German military as anything official. Finally a Colonel from the US Military responded to the east side of Checkpoint Charlie and I was released. Scary for a young man in his 20's.

With this in my past, I watch the communist regimes around the world with a wary eye. What is happening in Georgia is the rebirth of the Cold War. And if you don't think it's something that we should be concerned about, just ask any soldier that served in Berlin during the Cold War. We saw oppression that was almost unimagineable.
The fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 was perhaps the most dramatic and life changing event of my lifetime. Today, what happened in Berlin still rings through my mind, keeping at the forefront of thought that we should never turn our heads away from a country that is being consumed by a growing Cold War of the 21st Century.