so graduated Panama
1968 what Drew you to the service uh I
was
drafted actually it was 3 days before
our wedding which was kind of exciting
we had everyone
invited I got drafted in 71 and I got
out in
73 what rank were you uh spec for you
were assigned to Berlin did you know
what your assignment was going to be
there well I was in I was in the
infantry so it was the only uh I guess
you'd say leg unit left you know most of
them were mechanized or helicopters mhm
so uh we uh we would uh go out and train
and we went to like graphen beer
hosenfeld um we went by truck through
East Berlin and also train which was
kind of exciting got to see the shiny
boots on the Russian soldiers and they
would like when we went through with
trucks they would come to the back of
the truck and count each weapon and call
you off by name and then you you'd go
through the Border it was I imagine it
was
pre-arranged Hitler East
dut hit
[Applause]
Hitler defendant Rudolph
h on the counts of the indictment
on which you have been
convicted the tribunal sentences you to
imprisonment for
life has served that life sentence and
Spandau prison in
Germany and at some point you get
assigned to prison Duty yeah that what
what it was is the four Allied Powers
the way it was explained to me um France
Russia Berlin and the United States
would switch off a month at a time time
and
uh guard the prison one man
and his own uh building it's a 100 room
prison and he was there alone seemed
kind of crazy to me but the
uh company Commander explained it to us
that
uh all uh France the US and and uh
Britain wanted to let him go but it was
the only way for the Russians to get
over the wall to look around so they
wouldn't sign the papers wow
yeah so you described what was spand
what was that before was it you know I'm
not I I thought they told me it was the
SS an SS Barracks or whatever
or
compound but uh I'm not really sure it
was it was a beautiful but what I the
only thing I really remember is uh the
hall always and like the restrooms and
showers were all marble and it was
really a beautiful building and then it
had uh a wall around with towers and
whatnot so literally had to do you have
Tower guards for this one person it was
kind of funny cuz they would give it an
M16 with three
bullets kind of like Barney F I guess
yeah and then I had a couple tours at
night and I still
recall it it was quite dark and then you
could they had the uh I guess you'd call
it the yard lit up and I could hear H
making you know like sounds out the
windows like he was uh trying to I think
he was losing his mind to tell you the
truth but he was doing wolf whistles and
whatnot but I never really got a chance
to see him much but I read some place
where he had a garden that yeah that
they had it's like a walk a yard that
they let him walk around and get get
some exercise and the uh there was a
rumor going around that in his Library
which he had in the prison he would read
about a different
country and he would go and draw that
outline in the sand out there in the
yard and I I did see him out in the yard
once and he was kind of running around
acting crazy trying to you know get I
guess marck
us here you got it's bizarre you have a
a contingent us contingent uh guarding a
prison which was huge physical facility
one guy did you kind of Wonder this is
ridiculous right yeah that's what we all
thought it was crazy but you know it was
kind of easy Duty we were kind of glad
that's the only time I did it is for
about a month I I'm pretty sure it was a
month yeah so what would happen during
that month were you actually building it
there or did you actually yeah we stayed
right there y and I think it was my
whole company if I remember right like
there was quite a a ceremony I remember
they gave us a special belt to wear and
and uh when we took over it was kind of
like a changing in the guards and they
made it kind of a big deal out of
that I guess uh the way they explained
it to me also had a doctor a cook which
was uh you know being I me I'm sure they
got paid but he considered himself a
hero he wouldn't he would not uh see his
family it was against it was a disgrace
for a German Wario to see his family if
he was captured and he would not see him
from what I
understood he is the last inmate of
spand prison in West Berlin where he
dies at the age of 93 on August 17th
1987 that's why I'm so thrilled to meet
you because you saw and listened to
Rudolph
h