Recently, the press has made a big fuss that Bill Clinton was the first American President to walk through the Brandenburg gate - big deal. The DDR has long since evaporated and walking through the Brandenburg Gate today is nothing more than a tourist thing to do in Berlin. But it had the effect to flash an idea in my head - rare, I'll admit, but I had a real thought from this.

Who were the FIRST Americans to walk through the Brandenburg Gate after the dissolution of the DDR? Who was the first World War II U-Boat Skipper to walk through this beautiful monument? I think you can see where this is going.

In the early morning of 3 October, 1990 - the day of Reunification; our SHARKHUNTERS bus was driving up to the Unter der Linden and the local police told our driver he could not be there, that the streets were closed off for the festivities later that morning. Our very good friend, OBLT. HANS-GEORG HESS (125-LIFE-1985) talked to this policeman. HESS, who is now a Doctor of Law, is a very persuasive man - so the cop moved the barricade & let us pass. There was no one in this area except early arriving press, setting up their equipment, and a band was in the process of getting to their places to begin practice in an hour or so.

With no hesitation and with a firm step, our friend HESS walked briskly and deliberately to the Brandenburg Gate - paused in front of it to take a good look, then with a great look of pleasure on his face, he walked through the Gate from the one direction, turned and walked back through from the other - and it was DR (Jur) HANS-GEORG HESS (125- LIFE-1985) who was the 1st World War II U-Boat Skipper to walk through the Brandenburg Gate after the evaporation of the DDR. And as our SHARKHUNTERS group walked through with him, I think I can state without fear of contradiction, that we were the FIRST Americans to walk through this gate as well. Where was the Press that day?

Just a little trivia - hope you found it interesting.