TOM BEARDEN:
Some lawmakers in Germany and some in the United States have criticized the redeployment plan. They point out that the Army has a huge investment in Germany — PXs, commissaries, schools and barracks.
Some say it makes no sense to abandon that investment only to rebuild it in the U.S. or in Eastern Europe. They also note that Germany contributes about a billion dollars a year to support U.S. forces.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the U.S. would save about $1 billion a year closing German bases, but would have to spend about $7 billion to make the transition.
But economics aside, many people in Kitzingen, both Americans and Germans, say something essential would be lost: the cultural understanding that comes from two peoples living together. Marriages between Americans and Germans are common. Specialist McAnthony Foster and his German wife, Mandy, met in Kitzingen, and were married six months ago.
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