It was the beginning of a nightmare for the new mayor, Thorsten Gredler. The 61-year-old won the election in March in Vilseck, a small German town near the border with the Czech Republic. Monday, May 4, was his first official day on the job.
And shortly after noon, a breaking news alert shocked the town and its 6,500 residents: Thousands of American soldiers from the local Stryker Brigade Combat Team may have to go home in the coming months, though official confirmation is still pending.
“People’s initial reaction was fear. After all, we have lived here for 80 years in close friendship with our American neighbors,” a visibly emotional Gredler told DW. Vilseck had become his “home away from home,” the mayor said. “They feel at home here, away from their homeland. Americans are integrated into our social life, football and music clubs. Many even stay here after they retire.”
Vilseck: A pawn in a game of powers?
The new mayor must feel as if he is stuck with full force between the grinding gears of geopolitics. US President Donald Trump, angered by the lack of European support in the war with Iran and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s criticism of US actions, recently announced new tariffs on European automobiles and the withdrawal of US troops from Germany.
There are currently about 40,000 American soldiers deployed in Germany. The small town of Vilseck is located near Grafenwöhr, where the US maintains its largest military training area outside the United States. Its area is 233 square kilometers (about 90 square miles). Gradler pointed out that the troop withdrawal would have dramatic economic consequences for Vilseck and the entire region.
“The military training area generates an economic impact of €650 to €700 million ($765 to $824 million). It includes construction contracts, major projects, supermarkets, auto repair shops and rental apartments. With 3,000 jobs, it is one of the largest employers in the area.” Furthermore, approximately €800 million is currently being invested in new infrastructure at the military training area, leading Gredler to wonder: “Why expand and modernize the site just to withdraw troops?”
The withdrawal of US forces has been discussed before
Sabine Kederer is the owner of the historic Hotel Angerer, which is in its 14th generation and located a short distance from Vilseck’s town hall. She says she’s reminded of “Groundhog Day” at the moment: the famous film in which lead actor Bill Murray recounts the same day over and over again. He remembers going through an almost similar experience six years ago.
During his first term, Trump had already threatened to withdraw thousands of US troops from Vilseck, but this did not happen after Joe Biden became president.
This time Sabine Kederer’s first thought upon hearing the news was: “Not again!”
“But I won’t start thinking seriously about it until the decision is actually made,” she said. “I don’t have a plan B yet. After all, 70% to 80% of the guests staying here are here specifically because of the military training area.”
While some residents of Vilseck accuse the German Chancellor of forcing the community to bear the brunt of the dispute between the US and Germany, Kederer has a different opinion: “Maybe he could have been a little more diplomatic, but I think it is important that our politicians speak out from time to time. One should be able to tolerate different opinions.”
many people want to stay
Veronica Varga, owner of Vroni Hundesalon, a dog grooming salon, says her business is doing so well that, if necessary, she could survive without her military clients. But more than half of its customers are from America. Their schedule of grooming Poodles, Labradors and Bichon Frize is fully booked through the end of June.
“Right now I’m getting a lot of calls from people who are afraid they’re going to be kicked out,” Varga told DW. “They are now booking appointments for September, October and November because they are worried that if they have to leave suddenly they will not be able to get a slot. We have never experienced anything like this here before.”
Every day around 20 dogs enjoy their care services. When her two assistants, Rebecca and Emily, are on duty, that number can go up to 30. Emily (20) is from America and started working at the salon two years ago.
She is excited about Germany and – still with a touch of disbelief – tells her dog’s story: One day, her dog ran away and she put up posters with his photo all over the city, saying that he was missing. It didn’t take long before someone called her to tell her she could take her dog to the town hall. “I love it here – especially the peace, the woods and the hiking trails. The idea of returning to America scares me a little because although I was born in Florida, I haven’t lived in the United States for very long.”
Vilseck is preparing for ‘D-Day’
Many in Vilseck still hold out hope that the municipality will survive another US troop withdrawal. Yet, preparations for the worst are already quietly underway. This is largely due to people like Markus Graf, a career soldier for 25 years, who grew up near a military training area. Now a construction contractor, he stands in front of two excavators at a seven-hectare site near Vilseck, an area to be turned into a business park by this August.
“Our goal is to attract industry and skilled trades to help mitigate the impact of a potential US withdrawal or loss of jobs,” he said. “Given its proximity to Grafenwoehr, the site is also of interest to the defense industry.”
This article was translated from German.