David Starr: God and Family
David and Ute Starr had responded to a newspaper article about my book project. The Starrs would be off on an African safari the first two weeks in June, but they would be available Saturday, May 27th—my first full day in Nürnberg. That worked out perfectly for me, as I had not anticipated any opportunities for interviews until after the meet-up of former G.I.s at a McDonald’s on Sunday.
I was to meet the Starrs at their apartment in Langwaßer, in the southeastern part of Nürnberg, not far from the SS Kaserne where I had been stationed so many years ago—and the Nazi rally grounds. I was buzzed into the stairwell and looked up to see David’s face two floors above me. He and his wife, Ute, welcomed me into their comfortable apartment and told me how they met.
It was December 7, 1984, in the Green Goose, a Nürnberg night club frequented by G.I.s. David called Ute the following day on the pretext of needing to return a watch he had purchased at Woolworths. He required her help as a translator—an innocent-sounding excuse to see her again!
Her family eyed David tentatively at first. When Ute convinced her parents that David was serious, however, they welcomed him without reservation.
I asked David what made him fall in love with Ute.
“Her devotion to me—and God,” he answered.
David’s own devotion to God and service to humanity is ingrained in his character. In his youth, back in the States, he had rescued a young lady from a bad environment, married her, and had a daughter, Mindy. Mindy lived with her mother as a child. She married at 16 but now, at 38, lives with two of her sons in Colorado Springs.
David joined the Army in Avon Park, Florida, in 1978 and was trained as a computer operator. He was stationed in Colorado and was then deployed to Korea for one year. Upon his return from Korea, his wife served him with divorce papers. He completed his four-year hitch as a sergeant.
Following his discharge from the Army in 1982, David lived in Columbus, Georgia, where he worked at a cabinet factory. It was during this period that he was recruited by a group spreading the Word of God. After a year of training with the group, he served as a missionary in Ft. Benning, Georgia for one year.
David rejoined the Army in 1984 with his former rank of sergeant. He was trained in artillery and assigned to Pinder Barracks, in Zirndorf, Germany. He served five and a half years in Germany, rising to Senior Cannon Fire Direction Specialist. Then he met Ute.
On March 24, 1987, David and Ute were married. David’s military duties kept him in the field much of the time, but that was okay with Ute, who was finishing up five years of nursing school during that period. David extended his tour of duty in Germany to allow Ute to graduate in 1990.
Another fateful event occurred during that tour. During a training exercise at Hohenfels, the tracked vehicle in which David was riding rolled off a cliff, resulting in a serious back injury, which would plague David in years to come.
David’s next assignment, 1990-93, was Dugway Proving Ground, in Utah. Thus, Ute’s introduction to “America the Beautiful” was an isolated spot in the desert, 45 miles from Toole and 85 miles from Salt Lake City. Her German nursing credentials were not accepted in the States, so she worked as a janitor on base and studied for her U.S. nursing credentials while David immersed himself in the critical work of evaluating specialized weapons systems. Despite his Staff Sergeant rank, he was performing the duties of an officer, including relations with politicians. He recalls his response to one politician pushing him to approve an untested weapons system: “How many dead Marines do you want, Senator?” The pressures and isolation of that period surely must have tested the Starrs’ new marriage, which was, however, only strengthened in the crucible of the Utah desert. They celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in 2017.
In 1993-94, David was back in Korea, serving first as an instructor at the Non-Commissioned Officers Academy and then, with a promotion to Sergeant First Class, in a line unit.
From 1994 to 1997, David served as an instructor at the Advanced Artillery School, Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. By the end of his tour there, he was NCOIC (Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge).
During that time Ute, now a licensed R.N. was a Red Cross volunteer in Lawton, Oklahoma. She and David met at a park for lunch and were listening to the radio on David’s truck radio when they heard the news of the April 19, 1995 Oklahoma City bombing perpetrated by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. Ute immediately reported to the Red Cross to help. She was flown to the site by military helicopter, along with a close friend of the Starrs, Gregory, who handles dogs for the Army. She returned home around midnight, having given a badly needed break to the other Red Cross workers and helping to locate ten more bodies in the rubble. All the while, radio stations were reporting that additional explosives were being found in the building.
David’s final military post was Seventh Army Headquarters, In Heidelberg, Germany. His presence was required there because of his specialized skills in nuclear and security matters. During that period, 1997-2001, Ute worked at the university hospital in Heidelberg. It was a good time for the Starrs—with one notable glitch. Injured in a skiing accident, he had to wait six months for surgery. The reason: all military surgeons had been deployed to war zones after September 11th. The Army would not allow David to go to civilian, or even Air Force doctors.
With 24 years of service, David requested retirement from the Army. He knew that he was not deployable because of the debilitating effects of the 1988 back injury when his track vehicle went over a cliff, resulting in a series of back surgeries.
David and Ute decided to return to the States, where David worked for Home Depot in Sebring, Florida. David’s military background made him a valuable employee. He contributed his computer experience to the retailer’s inventory control operations and his military mindset to potential security problems, such as a chain hanging dangerously above a customer walkway. Their dual incomes (Ute worked as a nurse) allowed the Starrs to enjoy a comfortable Florida lifestyle, with a large home in Sebring, from 2001 to 2013.
Because of his aforementioned service-connected injury, David was forced to go on disability in 2013. The Veterans Administration had given him the runaround for seven years to that point. Long delays, poor communication between VA facilities and bungled operations left David with a paralyzed left hemi diaphragm.
David’s father had died on June 7, 2012 and his mother in October of 2013. Reflecting upon the importance of his relationship with his own father and mother, David thought about Ute. Ute had followed him throughout his career; now it was her turn to be with her parents. They traded their big home in Sebring for a smaller, but lovely apartment in Nürnberg.
The move was not without red tape: they had to deal with the Social Security, Army, and Veterans Administration. They ultimately had to go through the American Embassy to transfer their funds to a German Bank. It took three weeks, including lots of paperwork and a veterinarian’s okay, to bring their dog with them.
Ute’s contributions to Social Security over a 26-year span of working in the States yielded no benefits because she is not a U.S. citizen. However, she had worked long enough in the German economy to be part of its social insurance system. Approximately 35-40% of Ute’s pay goes to taxes, but she and David enjoy a full panoply of benefits that seem like a fantasy to Americans, including free college tuition, generous pension, disability benefits—and comprehensive medical care.
In Germany David was finally able to receive care for the injuries he suffered in the Army. Within three hours, German doctors diagnosed David’s physical injuries and set an appointment for surgery. He was in the hospital twelve days and in physical therapy fifteen days. His total out-of-pocket cost: 270 euros—about $351. Recall that David had tried for seven years to get his service-connected injuries treated by the VA. Recently, David was hospitalized for a week to have a 80% blockage to his heart repaired. “The VA kept me for four days in St. Petersburg a few years back for an abnormal EKG, but then they released me with no treatment. The German doctors don’t take no for an answer. They found the problem and fixed it, saving my life,” he said. He pays for his own health insurance and pharmacy products.
David had to adjust to life in Germany, of course; he admits that he is still assimilating. At first, he experienced a sense of isolation and loneliness, being so far from home. He has little contact with daughter, Mindy, in Colorado. He does, however, have contact with Americans friends on Facebook. Asked about any plans to visit the States, David replied, “Someday.” Would the Starrs consider moving back to the U.S.? “Not as long as Ute’s parents are with us,” he said. Ute’s parents live close to David and Ute and foster their dogs, Rosco and Roxie. Rosco is blind and suffers from diabetes, while Roxie is younger and in good health.
Language has been a barrier; despite the two German courses he took during his first hitch. Fortunately, Ute has been there to translate for him. According to law, he had to pass an A1 (basic) German language test within 90 days of his arrival in the country. He is now working on his B2 German language test, which requires six months of classes at a cost to David of 195 Euros per month. He also has to pay for transportation to classes. He must renew his visa every year.
David has encountered no resistance as a foreigner in Germany. He and Ute have many German and American friends. The only German/American problems he has observed have involved drunken G.I.s.
David is able to view political and social issues with the perspective of an American living overseas. I put some of my students’ questions to him:
· U.S. politics talk—They hate Trump, think we are dumb to elect him.
· On taxes—David pays taxes to the U.S. on his Social Security and military retirement income. Ute pays taxes to the German government.
· Laws? Courts are too liberal.
· Prison system? Too lenient
· Right to bear arms? Guns are hard to get and tightly regulated.
· What about E.U.? Should be dissolved, robs from rich and gives to poor
· Hitler talk? Very limited, Germans hate Hitler but are interested in his escape to South America.
· Changes in Germany since you located there? Huge Muslim influx
· Thoughts on refugee situation in Europe? Bad, send home. Europeans are naïve to dangers from Muslims, terror, & communism. Immigrant issues lead to rise of right-wing groups.
· Security/crime a problem? Yes, in some areas of Germany, and at times I stay very alert.
David related the following story, which reveals the security consciousness he honed during his 24 years of military service. He was riding on the subway in Nürnberg when he noticed an Arab with a bulky vest and coat with wires protruding. Another Arab man, apparently a friend of the
person of David’s interest, entered the subway car with his two small children. When the second man spotted his friend, he left the train with his children in tow. Whether the heavily-clad gentleman had evil intentions or not, David maintained surveillance of him until he reached his own destination. Perhaps the man, coming from a warmer climate, needed the extra wraps for warmth. Perhaps the wire was for iPod earbuds. Once a soldier, however, a certain vigilance in ingrained in a man.
On the less volatile questions of everyday life, David relaxed his vigilance a bit.
· Transportation? Fantastic public system, but the Starrs did buy a new and a used car
· Technology? Old school, slow, with limited 2-4 MB cellular data plans. (Subsequent to our interview,
David reported that he and Ute have new cell plans with more data. “…so, plans here are slowly changing. I saw one company offering unlimited data.”)
· Shopping? Expensive, stores closed on holidays
· What’s better in Germany? Beer, police
· Education system? Germany teaches trades [in addition to academics]
· How WWII taught in school? Guilt, guilt, and more guilt.
· College tuition? Free
· Kids grow up differently? More diversity
· Driver’s license? Under 300 Euros, a great computer program for self-study, must surrender U.S. license.
I was grateful for David and Ute’s personal perspective on politics and everyday life, for they yield that person-to-person connection that is at the heart of this story. Even more central to my big question, however, was the nature and quality of the Starrs’ marriage. The first question of my students at Madison College cut to the chase: “What is the biggest difference between your German wife and your American wife?”
David did not hesitate. “Ute is hard working and determined; She is a self-starter. She is definitely smarter than I am. My American ex-wife was lazy; she even got fired from McDonald’s. She was not faithful.” (My analysis: Ute 100, ex-wife zero.)
“What is a typical date night like?”
“We enjoy a night out in the old city [of Nürnberg]—dinner, a movie perhaps, and ice cream. We love the festivals, the Volksfest, Altstadtfest…” Nürnberg, like most German cities, hosts festivals throughout the year involving music, merriment, and of course, beer.
“How do you celebrate birthdays and holidays?”
“Pretty much the same as in the States—Ute’s family birthdays, along with our own. We celebrate the German holidays; there are a lot of them. Our greatest pleasure is travel.”
POST-INTERVIEW NOTE: After returning home, I received an email from the Starrs describing their African safari as “the trip of a lifetime.” It was very gratifying to meet the wonderful couple and know that they are enjoying life to the fullest after 30 years of loving, supporting, and sacrificing for each other.
