A Reluctant Lieutenant at Bitburg Air Base

The reluctant lieutenant will make you laugh with his self-deprecating, sometimes cynical humor and frankness. He was one of thousands of academically talented young graduate students yanked out of their happy, idealistic existence to replenish our relentless war in Vietnam. He became the lucky lieutenant when he drew orders instead for a three-year assignment to support the Cold War in Germany.
This collection of short stories will lead you through those years with wit and irony as he chronicles the remarkable events he experienced, the fascinating people he encountered, and the invaluable perspective he gained on leadership. Examples abound of sterling leaders and pathetic shirkers among both officers and enlisted men, of clarity and consternation, of boredom and panic, and of luck both good and bad. Through it all is romance and the adventure of living in Europe.
Ridder is a born storyteller. His insights into the people and systems that comprise the military will strike home with anyone who has served. Those who have not will experience a unique and authentic view of air force life from the inside.

Ted Ridder grew up in Quincy, IL a few miles up-river from Hannibal, MO. He loved both the river and Mark Twain's stories about it. After working his way through Quincy College and graduating with honors in 1966, he enrolled in a clinical psychology program at Western Mich. Univ. His graduate study was interrupted by military service in 1968.
Ted completed Officer Training School and was commissioned a 2nd Lt. in the US Air Force. Following advanced training in munitions maintenance, he had the good fortune to draw orders for a three-year assignment to Bitburg Air Base in Germany rather than a tour in Vietnam. He was honorably discharged as a Capt. in May 1972.
By then he was married and returned with his wife Cindy to Kalamazoo, MI, to finish his graduate work. After attaining certification as a school psychologist, he accepted a position in Ionia County, MI that continued for 30 years. During his tenure, he was elected president and chief negotiator for the local teachers' union and later president of the Michigan Association of School Psychologists.
He authored a chapter on "Children and Television" in a desk reference volume for practicing school psychologists. This book was published by the National Association of School Psychologists under the title Children's Needs: Psychological Perspectives.
Ted and his wife Cindy, a science teacher, both retired in 2002 and still live in Ionia, MI. Ted's been a serious tennis player for 40 years but decided that the robust nature of the Covid virus might make 2020 a good year to pause that activity. With time on his hands, he wrote the first story in this book and found people enjoyed it. So, he wrote a few more. Cindy critiques and edits everything he writes and drew the cartoon on the front cover of the book. They both enjoy photography, bird-watching, mysteries, music, cats, and Rick Steves' European travel videos—especially when Rick showcases places familiar to them.