BERLIN Brats Alumni Association

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BERLIN Brats Alumni Association

We are actively seeking to locate all students, teachers and administrators from 1946 to 1994 to gather the diaspora of BERLIN Brats.

10/09/2026

Berlin Lights Up Again: Germany’s Capital of Freedom Prepares for a Spectacular October

Berlin is ready to shine. The Festival of Lights returns October 9–18, transforming Germany’s capital into a spectacular open-air gallery across 40 locations.
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Ten nights when Berlin becomes an open-air gallery
A festival that could hardly belong anywhere but Berlin
In Berlin, the festival doesn’t necessarily end at 11 p.m.
Berlin Cathedral adds light, sound and electronic music
Berlin is much more than its postcard landmarks
The city of freedom

The Berlin Festival of Lights 2026 returns from October 9 to 18, transforming Germany’s capital into a free open-air gallery of light art, projections and video mapping at around 40 locations.

Under this year’s theme, “Colours of Love,” famous landmarks including the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Cathedral, Victory Column, Berlin TV Tower, Museum Island, Gendarmenmarkt and Potsdamer Platz will be illuminated every evening from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

More than three million people attended the festival in 2025, making it one of Berlin’s biggest autumn tourism attractions and another reason for international travelers to visit a city where something extraordinary always seems to be happening.

10/04/2026

Today marks the 36th Anniversary of the Reunification of West & East Germany:

From US Embassy BERLIN:

10/03/2026

The World Cup (FIFA) singing continues at Munich’s current Oktoberfest ! 💕

09/28/2026

THIS IS WONDERFUL! DID YOU KNOW - "The City of Berlin" - via the "Checkpoint Charlie Foundation" is (and has been) giving Scholarships to the Children of 9-11 First Responders.

In the hours and days right after the 9/11 attacks on the United States, thousands and thousands of Germans began spontaneously donating money to support the victims of the attacks. The donations totalling some 2 million marks (or about $1 million) reflected an outpouring of support for the United States with no specific destination in mind. Many Berliners were eager to donate following all the support that West Berlin received from the United States during the Cold War that divided the city.

So the the city of Berlin decided to create channel a new scholarship to be dispersed to children of New York city firefighters, rescue workers and first responders who were killed or injured in the 9/11 attacks or suffered lasting health effects from their work at Ground Zero.

As Janneck Herre, the managing director of the Checkpoint Charlie Foundation that coordinates the fund, explained in this video that recently appeared on the U.S. embassy website in Berlin, the funds poured in from across Berlin and Germany to help the United States. Including in those donations were from 11,000 marks (about $6,000) from the night shift at a hospital in west Berlin and from firefighters.

Over the last 20 years more than 130 young Americans have received the scholarships that were first awarded in 2005. They are for $2,500 per semester or $5,000 per year, with the funds paid directly to the college or University. This year 22 scholarships of $5,000 were awarded to students whose families suffered from 9/11.

The Checkpoint Charlie Foundation works together with the NY Fire Department to identify and reward eligible students.

https://fb.watch/v/8Vmn0ETkg/ See less
Shared post from U.S. Embassy Berlin
U.S. Embassy Berlin
is with Checkpoint Charlie Foundation / Checkpoint Charlie Stiftung.
September 11 at 7:37 AM
·

09/27/2026

BERLIN MARATHON IS TODAY!

A Berlin Brigade member ran in the 1st Berlin Marathon in 1974 and returns this weekend (52 yrs later) to run again!!!

The Berlin Brats had a runner in the very 1st Marathon as well. Dieter Dauberman, Class of '74. (as reported in our July 2025 Newsletter).

09/25/2026

SADLY:
Yesterday Berlin officially withdrew its bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games for 2036, two days before the location would be decided. After Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) announced the withdrawal on Thursday morning, only Munich and Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr remain contenders for the 2036 Games.

(A 100 years previous the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games were famous for being a significant propaganda event for the N**i regime, showcasing their ideology while also highlighting the remarkable achievements of Black athlete Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals, challenging N**i notions of A***n superiority. Additionally, the Games were notable for their advancements in media coverage, including the first-ever televised Olympics).

The competition had long ceased to be a true three-way contest, instead becoming a duel between southern and western Germany. The lack of a citizens’ referendum in Berlin, which Munich and North Rhine-Westphalia had overwhelmingly approved, negatively impacted the chances, as did the unclear political situation at the time of the bid.

The black-red coalition government that had championed the Olympic plans was only voted out of office this past Sunday in the Berlin House of Representatives election. Elif Eralp (Die Linke), the election winner who could become the new mayor, is an opponent of the Olympic bid and has made this clear.

On Tuesday evening, the DOSB’s (German Olympic Sports Confederation) evaluation commission also published its final report on each location’s Olympic feasibility. The criteria included venue readiness, travel distances, and international appeal. While Munich scored 87 out of 100 points and Cologne scored 85, Berlin didn’t manage to exceed 74.6 points.

09/21/2026

YA GOTTA HEAR THIS!

I may have fallen down an AI music rabbit hole.
If you know what “Oskar at 7” means, this one’s for you.

West Berlin in the ’80s....
(or even the ’60’s, ‘70’s & ‘‘90’s)

Turn it up!

Creator: Rob Ahrens (roblobster), '87 Class Contact

https://suno.com/song/28708215-7ccf-48e0-8c30-466669c6e4c2@

09/13/2026

Americans are still the top visitor's to Berlin.

According to the Tourism Board it is linked to our military presence in the city (1946-1994) & our military families, ie: "us!"

(The U.S. presence was not simply military. American soldiers lived in West Berlin with their families, attended American schools, shopped in American stores, went to American cinemas and participated in the life of the city. Places such as the U.S. military installations in Dahlem and Zehlendorf became familiar parts of the West Berlin landscape).

See below posting by the Checkpoint Charlie Foundation, whose 1st Executive Director (founder) - Alexander Longolius was a Host Nation teacher at our school from '61-'67. He also served in the Berlin House of Representatives - and hosted our Reunion luncheon at the Allied Musuem (the former Outpost Theatre) in 2006.

09/11/2026

Today, the 25th Anniversary of 9/11: We remember.

09/07/2026

Remembering 9/11 (2001)

Twenty-five years later, we remember, reflect, on one of our own.

Kip Taylor, Class of '81 ('77-'79)

25 Years Ago:

Maj. Kip Taylor was excited about the coming months for two reasons very dear to him: the birth of his second child in late October and a promotion in November.

Now, his wife, Nancy, and family are gathered in his McLean, Va., home waiting to receive word that Taylor's remains have been recovered.

Taylor, among those missing at the Pentagon, had been stationed there for about three years, said his brother, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Dean Taylor, class of '79.

"He was the poster boy for the U.S. Army," Taylor said.

The son of a career Army officer, Kip Taylor enlisted after graduating in 1985 from Northern Michigan University.

At the time of the attack, Taylor, 38, worked in the adjutant general's corps and was a key aide to Lt. Gen. Timothy Maude, who is also missing.

Taylor was soon to become Lt. Col. Taylor, his brother said, but delayed the ceremony until late November so relatives could attend. They also would see his new baby.

"It was going to be a meaningful thing," his brother said.

One can visit Kip's Bench at the Pentagon Memorial Park pictured below and his Marker at Arlington National Cemetary:
Kip and Nancy have a joint marker off "Patton's Circle," section 64, plot 4877

More information can be found on our website at: https://berlinbrats.org/bios/81Taylor.htm

REST IN PEACE KIP! WE REMEMBER!!

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