THE TOMMY W STORY [ OR HOW TO RAPIDLY   BECOME   A SERGEANT] --     DEC. 2016      

     WHEN I WAS ASSIGNED TO THE CE SECTION, REGION VIII [BERLIN], I MET MY PREDECESSOR
FOR A DETAILED BRIEFING.  THIS INCLUDED CURRENT CASES, GENERAL DUTIES AND THAT I WAS
EXPECTED TO KEEP TABS ON THE TOMMY W CASE.  I HAD NEVER HEARD OF TOMMY W BUT
SOON LEARNED OTHERWISE.
     TOMMY W HAD BEEN AN E2 ATTACHED TO THE SIXTH INFANTRY REGIMENT, BERLIN. THIS 
WAS A “SHOWCASE UNIT’ GUARDING THE US BERLIN INTERESTS. SHOULD THE SOVIETS SO DESIRE,
WITH THEIR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS SURROUNDING BERLIN, IT COULD BECOME A VERY SHORT
BATTLE 100+ MILES INSIDE COMMUNIST E. GERMANY.
    TOMMY W WAS A NATIVE OF APPALACHIA WHOSE FAMILY WERE HARD-WORKING FARMERS. HE 
JOINED THE ARMY AT 17. TRAINED FOR THE INFANTRY AND ASSIGNED TO BERLIN, TOMMY W WAS
CONSIDERED AN AVERAGE SOLDIER, BUT HE HAD A BASIC FLAW- ALCOHOLISM. WHEN HE DRANK, HE
COULD BECOME BELLIGERENT AND UNPREDICTABLE.
     NEARLY THREE YEARS BEFORE I ARRIVED TO BERLIN, TOMMY W HAD AN INCIDENT. IT SEEMS   HE
GOT DRUNK AT A LOCAL GI BAR AND THEN TOOK A TAXI BACK TO HIS BARRACKS. WHEN HE ARRIVED,
TOMMY HAD A DISPUTE OVER THE FARE WHICH ENDED UP IN A FISTFIGHT. UNFORTUNATELY FOR 
TOMMY, W THE  2 MP’S AT THE GATE SAW IT ALL.  THEY PROCEEDED TO ARREST HIM AND
TO PLACE HIM IN THE GUARDHOUSE WHEREIN HE REMAINED THROUGH OUT THE NEXT DAY. THEN,
TOMMY W BROKE OUT OF HIS CELL AND LEFT THE POST ESCAPING INTO THE BERLIN NIGHT. THE WAY
HE ACCOMPLISHED THIS FEAT WAS LEFT   UNKNOWN IN THE RECORDS.   FOR SEVERAL WEEKS, 
THE WHEREABOUTS OF HIM WERE A MYSTERY. SEVERAL US INQUIRIES YIELDED NOTHING.
      THEN, ONE MORNING, HIS DISAPPEARANCE WAS SOLVED. TOMMIE W WAS IN A FEATURED
ARTICLE, WITH PHOTO, IN “NEUES DEUTCHLAND” ´- THE OFFICIAL COMMUNIST RAG. THE DETAILS
FOR HIS DEPARTURE WERE COMPLETELY CHANGED. FIRST, HE WAS NOW SERGEANT TOMMY W.
HE HAD BEEN PROMOTED BY THE STASI AND THE KGB- HIS NEW FRIENDS.  ACCORDING TO THEM,
TOMMY W HAD AN EPIPHANY. HE REALIZED THE US ARMY WAS AN EVIL ORGANIZATION, AND HE 
WISHED TO ALLY HIMSELF WITH PEACE-LOVING SOCIALIST PEOPLES -   HENCE, HIS DEFECTION.
      FINALLY, HE STATED THAT HIS UNIT WAS PREPARING TO INVADE THE PEACE-LOVING FOLKS. HE SAID 
THAT THEY WERE ASSURED THAT LOOTING AND RAPE WERE APPROVED BEHAVIOR FOR HIS GROUP IF 
 THE BATTLE WAS WON. TOMMY W DID NOT SEEM TO UNDERSTAND THE ODDS OF WINNING.
  HE ALSO STATED THAT MANY OF HIS FELLOW SOLDIERS WERE THINKING OF DEFECTING TOO.
         A FEW DAYS LATER, TOMMY W WAS ON E. GERMAN TV WITH AN ADDITIONAL REVELATION. ‘HE
SAID HE HAD TAKEN PART IN GERM WARFARE BY PUTTING GERMS INTO BALLOONS RELEASED INTO
THE EAST FROM W. BERLIN. {ACTUALLY, BALLOONS WITH PROPAGANDA LEAFLETS WERE BEING
RELEASED. APPARENTLY, SOME OF THEM WERE BECOMING A HEADACHE TO THE   COMMUNISTS.]
        IT WAS TOLD THAT SERGEANT TOMMY W WAS OFF TO UNIVERSITY TO STUDY MARXISM. FOR
SEVERAL MONTHS, HE WAS NOT HEARD FROM.  THEN, A SOURCE REVEALED THAT HE WAS NOW 
LIVING IN BAUTZEN IN EXTREME   E. GERMANY. BAUTZEN HAD BECOME A HAVEN FOR SEVERAL
ALLIED ARMIES DEFECTORS. REPORTS FURTHER INDICATED THAT HE WAS WORKING IN A LOCAL
FACTORY AND DRINKING HEAVILY. APPARENTLY, BECAUSE OF THIS, HE WAS TRANSFERRED TO A 
NEARBY FARM. HE BECAME A FARMHAND BUT CONTINUED TO CAUSE TROUBLE FROM HIS DRINKING. 
      ABOUT 21 MONTHS LATER. THE PROVOST MARSHAL OFFICE CALLED SAYING A MAN CLAIMED 
TO BE A US   SOLDIER BY THE NAME OF TOMMY W. “DID WE KNOW HIM?” “OF COURSE,” WE SAID.
          THIS TIME, HE WAS PLACED IN A SECURE CELL.  DURING LONG INTERROGATIONS, HE WAS MOST
COOPERATIVE WITH INFORMATION ABOUT HIS HANDLERS, THEIR M.O. AND DESCRIPTIONS. 
HE SEEMED GLAD TO BE FINALLY HOME.                                                                                                                       
                                                                              
         TOMMY W WAS COURT-MARSHALLED. HE FORFEITED ALL HIS PAY. HE WAS GIVEN A DD. HE 
 THEN WAS SENTENCED TO LEWISBURG FEDERAL PENITENTIARY FOR 44 YEARS. THIS WAS LATER
REDUCED TO 21 YEARS BY AN ARMY REVIEW BOARD.
         THE QUESTION AROSE AS TO HOW TOMMY W EVER GOT THROUGH ALL THE BORDER CONTROLS
TO GET BACK TO W. BERLIN.  APPARENTLY, HE HAD BECOME SUCH A NUISANCE THAT THE STASI ONLY
WISHED TO GET RID OF HIM. HE WAS TOO WELL KNOWN TO BE PUT INTO THEIR   JAIL SYSTEMS. HE
IS PROBABLY THE ONLY US SOLDER EVER TO BE PROMOTED TO SERGEANT BY A POTENTIALLY FOREIGN 
ENEMY GOVERNMENT.          
                                                              JIM RYAN, MIANE SCRIBE   
PLEASE NOTE:  DO ENTER OTHER STORIES OF YOUR EXPERIENCES. WE NEED THEM TO KEEP OUR WEBSITE ALIVE AND INTERESTING,