I remember the Cold War "frontline" with fondness, having been stationed in West Berlin as well (frmo 1988-1991). During that time I had the privilege of seeing the before, during , and after of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. I vividly remember taking excursions into East Berlin and remarking how it seemed that the sun stopped shining at Checkpoint Charlie. The split between the two worlds amazed and fascinated me. As a former USAF Russian linguist, we were always on guard about the "Big Bear" that could easily roll over Berlin. Rumors were rampant that they would take us high-value prisoners and torture us for whatever secrets we knew. Never could confirm that rumor. Month after month we practice our emergency destruct exercises (to ensure the intelligence we had would not fall into the bad guys' hands). That all being said, I look back on those days with fondness, because a black and white world was so much easier to come to grips with. Oddly enough, the recent events in the Black Sea region, along with growing tensions between Russia and former republics/allies puts a twinkle in my eye. Selfishly I hope that those linguists I taught get a chance to experience what I had in my youth.