"A Constabulary Soldier!" U.S. ARMY OF OCCUPATION 1946 -  GERMANY AND AUSTRIA -  1952                                           Welcome To                                                                                     My Dad's Army                                                   Days in Germany.                                                                              During W.W.II, Germany was destroyed.                                                                 Following the end of the war  the people of Germany                                                          had no leadership, no law or order, and                                                  there were many displaced persons.      The country was in desperate need of help.  The United States Constabulary along with the  1st Infantry Division formed the deterrent to Communism in Germany and Austria.  These were our first "Cold War Warriors".  These soldiers performed many of the functions that the German and Austrian governments could not perform. The United States Constabulary was phased out in December 1952 having accomplished its mission.  It had been truly one of the elite forces of the U. S. Army and lived up to its motto, "Mobility, Vigilance, Justice".  THE GERMANS REFERRED TO US AS: THE "BLITZ-POLIZEI" or "LIGHTNING POLICE" Some units referred to us as "Circle-C-Cowboys" WE WERE THE UNITED STATES   CONSTABULARY ARMY-1946-1952. Background Photo: Gilbert J. Matherne - Fritzlar, Germany - 1947

Dating Days! Do you remember this sign?  Not the German girl, she's mine. <smile> Elisabeth Wendel Matherne photo by Gil     Frank Schpyskie and his girlfriend Red, Neil Aikin and girlfriend Waldtraute, Gilbert and his girlfriend Elisabeth. It was 50 years since Neil and Gilbert have seen or heard from each other.  They both had a good laugh when they found out that both of them wore their hearts on their sleeve while in Fritzlar. Wedding Bells Ring In Kassel        Gilbert and Elisabeth Matherne   Aug. 20, 1949 THE WEDDING COURT      Neil Aikin, Elisabeth and Gilbert Matherne, Waltraute Thiermann

     I am Gilbert Matherne and I haven't seen or spoke to any of the troopers since I left Fritzlar in Oct. 1949 until 1999.  I was able to locate Neil Aikin through the internet by looking for information on line about the U.S. Constabulary Association.
When I became a member and received my papers, I noticed that the Adjutant was my old buddy Neil Aikin whom I shared a room with in Fritzlar 1949.  Neil was also the best man in my wedding while I was stationed in Fritzlar, Germany.
Bill Tevington heard from Neil about our phone conversation and got on the phone to called me that same day.
It felt really good talking to them once again.  We had so much to talk about.  Bill was the National Historian of the US Constabulary Association in 1999-2000.
Bob Monasmith, former Commander of Outpost 8 vcop8@aol.com , was a great help to me in getting to be a member of the U.S. Constabulary Association.
It was thanks to the 601st ACWS,  Willie Hanson and Mr. and Mrs. Wil Rodriguez, that I was able to get in touch with the family of Denny Barela, who was once a US Constabulary Trooper  and another one of my old friends.   I was sadden when informed by his wife Margot of Fritzlar, that Denny had died in 1994.  Wallace Smith also died [1990] before I could find him but I was lucky enough to contact his daughter, Barbara Smith Scibetta, who is also the Author of the book "War Brides of W.W.II".  Who would know more about war brides than the daughter of a war bride. Elsi, her mother was born in Germany.
For all of you out there who are searching for your friends, I wish you the best of luck.  I know that our time is getting short and those of us who are left should leave memories of who we are and what we stood for in our Constabulary days.
We shared much more than rooms, we were sharing history in the making.  Just look back as we celebrated the 50th year anniversary of the Berlin Air Lift and the Cold War and the Occupation of Germany.
We hope that with the help from our younger generation, our families and our friends, that we could keep the Constabulary Association going and push for the funds that are necessary to support the Constabulary Museum in Fort Riley.  You can help us by contacting our governments or people in office who would speak for us in Washington.

Update  Neil Aikin [left] and Gilbert Matherne reunite in CA. Aug. 31, 1999  for the first time in 50 years.