Erma bent over to put the finishing touches on the newest addition to her garden where flowers lined a cared-for walkway leading to a beautiful, well-kept house. She is an elderly woman. Her view from the deck above, as she would later brag, is spectacular. Where golden fields of wheat do not cover the land, tall, dark evergreens do. Through another window, the town is visible. Her house is the second to last house on the southeast end. The town, called Wüstems, consists of about 50 buildings and is set in the Tanus Mountains. Walking through the town, all one can hear is the whistle of a Sycata-like bug or the occasional German leadfoot proving the speed limits wrong as they whip their Audi, Mercedes or BMW through the countryside. But, she focuses on her garden. And, when she is finally content, she stands up and finds herself staring down the barrel of a ME66 Seinheiser Microphone and a Canon 60D Camera, hardly even noticing the two tall Americans who speak terrible German. I believe the American military coined a term to describe our campaign in Wüstems: shock and awe. Continue reading
