| It’s
late October 1961, and the last of Berlin’s lights
have gone out, a crow caws, a faint wind nudges loose
a few bronze leaves, and the gray visages of shuttered-up
cafes and markets line black streets. In his sentry box,
a lone GI lights a cigarette and wonders if he can smell
snow coming.
Minutes pass. In their barracks, William Kosel’s
platoon dozes.
Around 2 a.m., there comes an avalanche of sound:
a breathless sergeant spews, “Grab your bags!”
Men, still half-asleep, clamber out of their bunks while
overhead can be heard the crazy chatter of distress
flares.
“I’m a Vietnam-era vet, not a Vietnam
vet,” said Kosel with a chuckle.
But that said, Kosel nearly saw the first shots of
World War Three when his platoon was scrambled to Checkpoint
Charlie one night in late October, 1961.
“It was an actual stand-off,” said Kosel.
He paused for a beat, took a sip of coffee, then added,
laughing, “It was a stand-off, all right.”
Kosel’s time in the military included two tours
with the Army and one with the National Guard (that’s
not to mention the time his Merchant Marine ship was
commandeered off the coast of Kuwait during the first
Gulf War).
“I still get veteran’s benefits, I just
haven’t collected them in a while,” he said
of his many years of service.
Since then, Kosel’s worked with the U.S. Postal
Service (“Nine-and-a-half years...until I got
sick of it,” said Kosel), as a junior engineer
on a merchant ship, and as a Real Change vendor.
“I guess it keeps me out of trouble,”
Kosel said of Real Change. He added that the
paper helps with rent and allows him to meet people.
These days, you can find him on the corner of Third
Ave. and Seneca St.
There, $1 will get you a good read. And a good yarn.
Who’s the special person who offers you Real
Change? Nominate them for Vendor of the Week:
editor@realchangenews.org
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