Selling Hindenburgers

It was May of 1980 and we were stationed in Würzburg, Germany. My company commander, Captain Tom German, called me into his office. With a smile, he said he had a job for me. Our unit, the 123D Signal Battalion was tasked with running the hamburger stand for the upcoming Third Infantry Division (3ID) Bierfest. It would be my job to manage the hamburger stand.

What!?!?!? I was pissed. I hadn’t gone to West Point, joined the Army and deployed to Germany to run some damned hamburger stand. I was there to defend America and fight the Russians. I started arguing with Tom, and he stopped me. Our Battalion Commander, LTC Ben Swedish, had selected me and I had no choice, unless I wanted to discuss it with the Colonel. I sat and didn’t say anything. He looked at me and said “You’d better start. It begins in just a couple of weeks”.

I went to our platoon bay and told my platoon sergeant, SFC Paul Teague, the duty we’d drawn. He laughed and wanted to know if we‘d get free bier. The next day he sent a detail to a warehouse at Division Headquarters to inspect our booth. It was filthy and the paint was worn.

We repainted the booth, but where a big sign said “Hamburgers”, we changed it as something of a joke to “Hindenburgers”. We were stationed at Hindenburg Kaserne (Barracks) in Würzburg. Built in 1935 prior to WWII, the Kaserne was named for Paul von Hindenburg, a WWI German Field Marshall, who was later elected President of the German Reich in 1925. He was known for calling Hitler “the little corporal” *, but was also the German President who appointed Hitler Chancellor in 1933, before dying in 1934. Sergeant Teague and I both thought it was a pretty good joke and double entendre.

In mid May, the 3ID Bierfest started, and for the next ten days, my duty station was at the Fest. It was crowded with both Germans and Americans, particularly in the evening and on the weekends. In addition to the bier tent, there was a carnival, and numerous food stands, including ice cream, corn on the cob, bratwursts, and of course our Hindenburgers.

At the time, there were no fast food places like McDonalds or Burger King in Germany, and German restaurants didn’t serve an equivalent to a hamburger. In fact, the Germans didn’t really have the concept of an American hamburger. It didn’t matter – the Hindenburgers were a big hit. We served regular Hindenburgers and also Hindenburgers mit Käse (Hamburgers with cheese). There was always a line, and as the night got later, the line grew longer. Based on the jokes from some of the Germans, I think they appreciated the humor of eating Hindenburgers as well.

Over the course of each day we rotated several crews of soldiers through the stand. Sergeant Teague or I were always there supervising, watching the till, and getting more supplies as needed. It was hot work, and we bought the occasional round of bier for the troops as they worked the griddles.

Each night about midnight, as we closed and the troops finished cleaning up the grill, I’d make my way to the festival headquarters, and turn in the day’s cash, along with the paperwork covering the inventory used. The accounting was a bit of a pain in the ass, but Sergeant Teague and I were both sticklers ensuring the money and inventory tied out. We didn’t want, or need, any issues at the end of a long day.

After ten days, the fest ended, and I completed the final accounting and paperwork. My troops broke down the stand, and returned it to the warehouse. About a week later, we went on alert and deployed on an exercise to a classified location a few klicks from the Czech border. I was happily back in my element, and promptly forgot about Hindenburgers, and the hamburger stand.

A few days after we returned from the exercise, I was called to LTC Swedish’s office. When I reported, he asked me to take a seat and then pushed a piece of paper across the desk. I looked at the paper – it was a Letter of Appreciation from our Division Commander…. for running the Hamburger stand. I was commended for “selling Hindenburgers in record numbers….” I started laughing, when LTC Swedish held up his hand and said “let me tell you the rest of the story”. It turned out the previous two years the hamburger stand was run by other units in the Division. In both years, inventory and dollars didn’t match up. Money was lost and inventory unaccounted for. Needless to say, there were many unhappy people.

Colonel Swedish thanked me for my efforts, and thanked me for keeping him out of hot water as well. We shook hands, and I left his office. That was that… sort of. When I received my final fitness rating from him, it could not have been any better. Coincidence? Maybe.

I’ve found you learn lessons in many ways throughout your life. I was lucky to learn this one early on. No matter the job you are given, do it well. If you screw up a small job, how can your boss(es) trust you with anything bigger? Do the best you can, no matter the job…even if it’s just running a hamburger stand at a bierfest.

Addendum: