Well the forces have dwindled in German over the past few years but there are still many military bases in the country. The barracks were taken over after the win in WWII and American forces have been there every since. The economies in many of these base towns actually really rely on the soldiers being there. The United States has kept these bases active for a couple of reasons. There is a security commitment to Europe and NATO and these bases a key area to house the different branches of the U.S. military. The Middle East has always posed a threat to the western world and so they have the military placed around the world in anticipation of some trouble happening with countries like Iran, Afghanistan and their surrounding neighbors.
If you find yourself at one of the many hotels Mannheim has to offer it may interest you to know what the city is all about. This city has been a heavy military force for years. The official name of the collection of bases is the Mannheim US Military Community Activity or USMCA and it also merged with th USMCA-Worms in 1990. There are six major barracks included in this 293rd Base Support Battalion. They are named Funari Barracks, Coleman Barracks, Turley Barracks, Spinnelli Barracks and Sullivan Barracks. The Friedrichfeld depot is also near and it lies outside Schwetzingen towards Heidelberg. The main branches of military located at these bases are mainly Army and Air force. As an American visiting the area, it is a real treat to see our fighter planes patrolling the area. Now a days it is hard to get onto the bases with out knowing someone.
There are other things to see near Mannheim if you find yourself with a day to explore. Euro Disney is not far as well as some of the great beauty of the Black Forest. I found the Neuschwanstein Castle to be the grandest of castles in the area.
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