As the story broke as I watched the German News in the basement of my house, I fell off the couch.

The next few weeks were a blur for many people in West and East Germany. I was a 22-year-old staff photographer at the European Stars & Stripes, so I about to experience the biggest story of my life and career.

Two other staff photographers were already on their way to Berlin from Darmstadt as were several reporters from both the main office and a couple of our other offices in northern West Germany, so I went to the intra-German border.

The first night we headed to Helmstedt, which was a main autobahn (highway) crossing used to get to Berlin from the west.

To say the crossing was a zoo, is an understatement. Cars, trucks, motorcycles were pouring in from the East. People were waving West German flags, spraying champagne on cars as they hit the border, singing, crying and some, well they had decided to stay.

See more at:

http://scottamillerphoto.visualsociety.com/2009/11/06/berlin-wall-20-years-later/