I never really understood why it was there in the first place. It was an ugly eyesore. It was twenty-eight years old when it met its demise. Ten per cent of the population where it existed wishes it were still there. I’m all for the underdog, but in this case, I’m going with the 90% majority. John F. Kennedy once stood before it and referred to it as a disgrace to humanity. Later Ronald Reagan, while standing near it, boldly declared it should be destroyed. They tried at times to dress it up and make it look pretty by painting flowers and such on it. But it reeked of repulsiveness, if that’s a word. No need to keep you in suspense. You’ve probably figured out by now that it’s the Berlin Wall. And I grew up with it. Even though it was 4533 miles away, it was real. Teachers talked about it in class and politicians referred to it in speeches. Some speculated it would be there forever, separating East Germany from West Germany. It was the most visible symbol of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States. Dictatorship versus Democracy. And the youth of my generation existed with the threat that someone important on one side or the other would drink a bad cup of coffee one morning and we would all be annihilated by the loaded weapons our countries were pointing at each other. Oh, it’s not like we obsessed on it or it interfered with our lunch breaks, sporting events, or Saturday night dates. But the threat was ever present. And so was that stupid wall. A few years ago, on a visit to California, I saw a piece of that wall at the Ronald Reagan Library. Nearby, a taped recording of the President’s voice kept shouting over and over, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” A request Mr. G. politely obliged a couple years afterward. Kinda funny how it all went down. After years of oppression, an East German spokesman stepped up to the microphone at a press conference and read a little speech. At the end of the speech- almost as an afterthought and with no fanfare- he declared that citizens could travel back and forth between the borders despite the wall. When a reporter asked when this would be allowed, he stammered a little, shrugged his shoulders and said something to the effect of, “I’m not sure but I guess it can start now.” Oh happy day! To Germans it meant freedom and eventual unification. To me it meant the Cold War was over and the good guys had won. It took a few more years to confirm that fact, but I think we all knew it that night as we watched our televisions. Most folks in the younger generation have no clue what a Berlin Wall is. And they think a Cold War is something you declare on germs during flu season. But I remember well. And I know I don’t want the wall or the war to rear their ugly heads ever again. Twenty years ago this past week, that ugly wall came tumblin’ down. I shall never forget the night I watched on TV as the world celebrated its extinction. And 90% of us have been happy ever since.