The AYA, the American Youth Association, was an organization located on every major US military post throughout Germany. It was the center of all teenage activity, trips, sightseeing, sports, contests and most important of all...dances. In Giessen, it was housed non-descript green stucco building that faced the parking lot of the Commissary, and was half way between the upper and lower housing areas. Throughout the years preceeding the late Sixties, the AYA Director (usually an NCO) decided and planned upcoming activites and published a schedule of events. Trips to nearby castles and teen dances at other AYAs required a permission slip be signed (to ride the olive drab US Army bus) that would transport us and our adult chaparone to the event. The bus departed from the front of the AYA. For popular events two buses would be required.

As Bob Dylan once wrote, "the times they were a'changin'" and in the summer of 1966, a Teen Council was authorized to assist in the planning of events for the upcoming year. Elections were held. The new Council started making changes right away. The key to the jukebox was obtained and we sold, at 10 to 15 cents per record all of the oldies. We put all of the 45s  in carboard boxes and set them on the stair to the stage. They sold like hotcakes! With the proceeds from this sale and money that was already in the change box,  we placed an order with Sam Goody Records in New York. Not every slot in the jukebox was filled, but we had a plan to take care of that. From that point on, all proceeds form the jukebox was to be used to buy new music by The Turtles" Happy Together", the Troggs "Wild Thing" , The Beatles "Paperback Writer". It just made sense. Put in the hottest songs and folks will drop in their nickels to hear a song. Our next event was to hold Saturday night dances and make the jukebox free and put it on automatic play. Admission was thirty-five cents for couples and twenty-five cents for singles.

Without question, the most defining event of 1966 was the plan to order our own letterjackets. This was a total departure from the accepted norm, a revolution of sorts. Only the major high schools had these coats. This was an outlaw move. Giessen, an hour and half on the autobahn north of Frankfurt, precluded any real possibilty from our participation in FHS events due to time, distance and travel. Having our own letterjackets gave us an identity and a kind of pride that had never existed before.

We obtained a catalogue by mail from Wilson Sporting Goods (the address we found at the overseas order desk at the PX). The style of jacket that we wanted was  identical in color and design to our sports rivals, Frankfurt. "Grudging admiration" is a term that comes to mind.

The price of the jacket was  determined by the quantitiy ordered. Only those individuals who had played as a member of a school or intramural team were eligible to wear a jacket. As I recall, we needed checks from 36 students to meet the minimum.