I was born in Munich (München) on July 20th 1964.

Interesting that this day is the day of the uprising of German officers against Hitler and also the day the first moon landing. 

I was raised in Landau, which is located in the Rhine valley about 90 miles south of Frankfurt/Main.

My father Horst Galle was an architect in my hometown and he had his own little office that he ran with huis friend Kurt Spies.

My fathers office

My grandmother (Fathers side) and great grandfather at Amberg in the 1930ies

My dad in the 1940ies and in the 1980ies. He died in 1994 and I still miss him a lot.
He was one of my heros.

My mother Erika Galle (born as Erika Goth) didn't have to work and so enjoyed a loving mother that took really good care of me.

During my time in kindergarten and elementary school nothing really fascinating happened. I grew up in a time when our economy was constantly growing and  my fathers business going very well I had everything a young child could dream of.

As my parents enjoyed skiing I spent quite some time with my grandparents in the Bavarian alps.

It must have been in this time when I learned about my grandfathers history and as I was always interested in reading books and adventures I started reading all my grandfathers books about the second world war.

As my parents never wanted to talk about the war I started ask him a lot about his time in the Army and about war.

Maybe it was also his box filled with medals that fascinated me - young boys just love this - I guess.

Me many years ago on the blacony of my grandfathers appartment in Bavaria.

Over the years - honestly my parents weren't too happy about this - I became more and more interested in military history and started to explore the area around my hometown. As Landau was surrounded by the "Siegfriedline" I had grown up with destroyed Bunkers and trenches in the forests. When I was young my parents used to go out hiking in the woods and in the 1970ies you could still find old ammunition and also steel helmets in the forests.

As a boy of the age of 16 years my english was rather bad. A year later after I had run into some American soldiers (from B Battery 2nd Battalion 56th Air Defense Artillery) called Bravo and became friends with them.

The good thing was that my english improved and got better and better. 

These guys - to bad I forgot most their names - tought me English and I showed them around town and helped them with my German. 

And not just in Landau I can still remember nights out in Germersheim, Karlsruhe, Pirmasens and Kaiserslautern (K-Town).

I've never before met young men and the elder ones also (NCOs and Officers) that had been so polite to me. I was allowed to spend time with them in their quarters, listen to music (AFN) or browse the stars and stripes. I enjoyed original American ice cream and a coffee at the Mess-hall. My friend Brian van Hook even taught me how to play Pool at the large recreation room. 

I remember Saturdays and Sundays watching AFN-TV on the large TV-screen there.

I had so many interesting discussions about politics and democracy and the American point of view that I turned into a friend of the US and the Americans. 

See the web site:  http://www.bravo256ada.org

that gives you really a lot of pictures and stories about Bravo

1981

In  this year my parents gave me the first chance to travel to the US for a 5 week language course at Portland Maine. 

I was and I still am really proud to have that flag.

I had a fantastic time and I still remember my host parents Walt and Gayle Pellock.

If you read this maybe you can help me to find them again after all these years!!

It was really like being at home. 

On my 17th birthday they arranged a garden party for me and they gave me an American flag as a present that's still hanging in my old room at my parents house. 

1983

Two years later after I had finished school I took the chance to spent 4 months traveling the west and the Midwest all by myself. I started at San Francisco where I bought my fist car and traveled to: Los Angeles, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Green river, Vail, Denver, Laramie, Salt Lake City, The Grand Teton, Yellowstone Ntl. Park, Livingston, Helena, Great Falls, crossed the border to Canada and went to Calgary. From Calgary to Vancouver where my car broke down. After 4 days (where an American family invited me for this time. He had been to Heidelberg during his time in the Army) I started to drive back to San Francisco. Spent a few days in Seattle and drove down to Portland, Salem, saw the Redwood Forests and went back to San Francisco. Not quite San Francisco because before I got there I met a Family at an Air Force Museum that invited me to their home. They transported hey from California to stables in Nevada. I had a fantastic time with them. I worked with them and they even took me to the Reno-Air-Show. To bad I had to leave the states to go back to Germany and to the Army (October 1st 1983).

But I was lucky.

After my basic training I sent to a unit (155mm Field Artillery - Nuclear) that had an American detachment. And I was able to speak english again.

My Unit at Phillippsburg / Baden in 1984. I'm the maschinegunner top left on the truck

1985 

As I had joined a French association of friends of the Maginot-Lline only 25 miles away from my hometown a French friend introduced me to an American General that wanted to visit our fortress with his troops.

His Liaison Officer Norbert Hooks arranged everything and from this day on until today I am proud to do tours for the

1st Personnel Command  based in Schwetzingen that is close to Heidelberg.

1986-1989

Apprenticeship at the Brenners Park Hotel in Baden-Baden.

1989-1990 Management Trainee at the Steigenberger Hotel Franfurt Airport.

1990-1991 Assistant to the GM at the Steigenberger Resort Grafenau

February 1991

I got the chance to visit some friend in Dallas for a 2 week trip.

My friend arranged it that I got the chance to work in the Dallas Grand Kempinski for some time as a Management trainee. in the summer.

Summer 1991

Came back to Dallas to work at the Grand Kempinski / Dallas.

1991 - 1993 Hotelmanagement School in Heidelberg

1993 - 1994 Assistant Manager in a Hotel in former East Germany

1994 - 1996 Assistant to the owner at a 5* Hotel in Speyer/Germany

1996 - 1998 F&B Manager + Manager for the BASF Group own Restaurant and CEO's banquets and receptions

Me and my staff

Right now (2007)
I still do a bit of consulting for the hospitality industry.

But most of the time I guide tours to the Maginot-Line, Verdun, Belleau Wood and Normandy for the US-Army, military enthusiasts  and a Germany based tour operator called Enjoy Tours - many Americans that have served in Germany might know - .

After the filming of  "D-Day the ultimate conflict" at Omaha Beach in 2003.
The Team, Harley Reynolds US 1st Division, Jimmie Green former captain of an Landing Craft Infantry on Omaha Beach West and Franz Gockel one of the defenders of WN 62 east of the US Cemetery and Memorial.

2005

Martin-Robert Galle

Me. Feb 24th 2007 German Army Rifle Range Germersheim. I'm In The German Army Reserve.