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Tag: Amish People

NATO maneuver “steadfast defender”

The largest NATO maneuver since the Cold War.
90,000 soldiers from the air force, army and navy practice emergencies. Almost all 32 NATO states were involved.

For the first time, the Bundeswehr is allowing film support of this maneuver. We start in Copenhagen on a particularly explosive mission for ZDF. My cameraman Silas Koch and I. The DONAU tender forms the leadership of an international mine defense association in the Baltic Sea. The associations operate in the far north, as far as Central and Eastern Europe. Towards the Russian maritime border.

We had barely been on the road for a day before we were already being watched. Although we were still in international waters in the Baltic Sea, we were able to see the silhouettes of Russian naval suppliers on the horizon despite poor weather and visibility. They moved in a large group.

The commander of the DONAU, Lieutenant Commander Stefan Huber, is well prepared for an emergency with his crew of almost 100 men on board. The supplier was armed with Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, naval light rifles and machine guns. “Only for self-defense,” said the commander. In addition to 780,000 liters of diesel fuel, the DONAU also had provisions, 150 tons of ammunition, material and fresh water on board to supply the accompanying NATO association on the high seas. Refueling took hours.

Commander Huber:

“Of course there is a possibility that the Russian Navy will provoke reactions, that definitely exists. We as the armed forces must always be ready, that is our democratic obligation, also towards our NATO alliance.”

Tension on board among the crew, but also among us. Because of a possible Russian threat.

The crew was generally woken up at seven in the morning via loudspeakers that blared throughout the ship and our day of filming was not over until dinner time, around 6 p.m. The chambers with the bunk beds are not comfortable, but functional. For two days we had waves up to 3.30m high and filming was very difficult. It was hardly possible to get a lot of sleep during the maneuver week, given all the training alarms and weather influences.

Everyday life on the warship was closely timed with shooting exercises, turning maneuvers, exercises such as fire on board, as well as the constant exchange of the accompanying warships in the NATO association. The connection to the association was also maintained by helicopters, which repeatedly thundered over our lead ship or landed on the flight deck. We were also able to accompany an operation on the high seas with the fast support boat, also known as the Gecko. The small escort boats were used to exchange people and material between the association on the high seas.

We had to put on the heavy orange survival suits with the life jackets. Which took some time. But they keep you very warm.

We experienced a highly motivated team and felt very safe and at ease in this team despite the circumstances. The camaraderie on board was indescribable. Finally, after six days at sea, we reached Stockholm and the supplier first had to pick up materials, fuel and food. After three days, the DONAU continued its journey towards the Gulf of Finland. This time to supply an even larger NATO association.

 

NATO Manöver
NATO Manöver
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NATO Manöver
NATO Manöver
NATO Manöver
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Mission IRINI – German soldiers in action off the Libyan coast.

We come on board two days before the Bundeswehr’s task force supplier BONN leaves the port of Catania (Sicily). My cameraman Silas Koch and I. For eight days we accompany the German Navy’s largest task force supplier towards the Libyan coast for ZDF.

The Bundeswehr’s mission: As part of the European Union, IRINI’s core mission is to implement the UN arms embargo through aircraft, satellites and ships. Stopping and searching suspicious ships is part of this core mission. But it’s not that easy to implement. If the captain of the respective ship does not allow the search, there is only a so-called “friendly approach”. A friendly contact with an exchange of gifts, information about the crew and any cargo.

On the second day of this mission we encounter a suspicious merchant ship. A practiced and highly professional procedure quickly takes place on board the BONN. The captain of the strange ship allows them to come on board briefly. The task force supplier with 220 soldiers lays into the wind parallel to the foreign merchant ship. A so-called boarding team from the BW, supported by a Lithuanian team, travels towards the ship in speedboats. The soldiers are well equipped to be able to act even in the event of danger. After checking the loading documents and the crew’s personal details, everything seems to be in order. The boarding team is not allowed to move freely throughout the ship.

The BONN (A1413), the largest of the BW’s three Berlin-class task force suppliers with a length of 174 m, has a helipad and a fully equipped medical station, continues on its way. The visit by the fleet admiral by helicopter is part of everyday soldier life, as are the many exercises on board. Because in an emergency, the team must be able to control everything perfectly. The task force supplier has tons of material, food and fuel on board to supply other ships that support this IRINI mission. The so-called RAS process is used to refuel a ship on the open sea.

The highly motivated team led by Commander Eike Deußen checks other ships on their journey along the Libyan coast. After six days we arrive back in Sicily, this time in Augusta. On this inspection trip we did not find any ships that violated the arms embargo.

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A predetermined life like 300 years ago

Long preparation, many rejections: I had to overcome many obstacles for my ARTE documentary about the Amish People – and had to know the ten commandments.

We are warmly welcomed by Enos Slabaugh and his family of eight in Middlefield, one of the world’s largest Amish communities in Geaugha County, Ohio, in the northeastern United States. The community farmer and farrier has a lot to do on his almost 40 hectare farm. After all, the Amish only get around by horse and carriage. Nearly 20,000 Amish people – and 8,000 horses – live in Geaugha County alone.

The Slabaughs live the life of the ‘Old Order Amish’: the Amish of the old order who follow centuries-old commandments. A distance from many facets of progress: neither cars, computers nor electricity are used on the farm. The water comes from the in-house well. Only a few battery-operated lamps provide light in the stable and house. And a generator with gasoline makes washing work easier. Eno’s tribute to progress.

Always rejections

The Amish in the USA are an Anabaptist Protestant religious community that has its roots in Central Europe, especially in Switzerland and southern Germany. They don’t like being photographed and certainly don’t like being filmed. This could arouse pride and vanity, they believe. Because the deeply religious community adheres to the Bible: “You shall not make for yourself any graven image, neither of what is in heaven above, nor of what is on earth below.”

We kept getting rejections for our filming. After months of research, I found a family who was willing to be filmed, but a short time later I was rejected again. The Amish discuss everything in their community. If she is against it, it stays that way.

A community usually consists of 150 to 200 members. A bishop, two preachers and a deacon. The service is held either in a self-built community center or alternatively in one of the large barns on a farm. We were allowed to attend one of these services. But only with the bishop’s permission. After he asked my cameraman and me about our religious attitudes, this also included asking about the ten commandments.

With the help of John Gingerich, co-founder of an Amish library in Geauga County, it was finally possible to establish contacts with Amish families. They were very interested in Germany, the Amish country of origin. They are not allowed to travel there by plane because they reject the modern lifestyle. Our standard German amused them. Because the Amish have their own language in addition to English. The Pennsylvania Dutch. A mixture of Palatinate, Swiss German and English.

reformers and traditionalists

The New Testament is the guide for everyone. On our journey through Ohio and Pennsylvania, we experienced different interpretations of the strict Amish rules in the communities.

For example with Chester Kurtz and his family of eight. Kurtz is a construction manager and subcontractor. At home he lives as an ‘Old Order Amish’, modestly and simply. However, in his job he uses all of his employer’s technical advances.

Hypocritical – that’s not how Kurtz sees this way of life, when I asked him, when the strict rules are adhered to at home but broken at work. He doesn’t own these technical things himself, he just uses them.

Backward image of women

The role of women is clearly defined. That’s what it says in the Bible, say the Amish. She takes care of the household and the children. Contraception is forbidden. The man works as a farmer or craftsman and provides for the family.

Here, too, we experienced that the distribution of roles was not always adhered to unconditionally. An Amish woman was willing to speak openly on camera about birth control and incest. Edna Miller from Ohio, mother of six says: “When a woman’s health is at stake, it is not wrong to use contraception. The Amish are not perfect religious people. We also have bad cases of incest.”

No high school diploma for children

There are several hundred Amish schools in the United States to which each family pays a share based on their income. We had

the rare opportunity to accompany lessons on film in Ohio. The state doesn’t interfere. Reading, writing, arithmetic and religious education play an important role here. The Amish children do not know a high school. After the eighth grade they have to leave school and receive training in agriculture and home economics.

We always noticed how interested the children and young people were in our technology. They weren’t camera shy. Rather curious and fascinated, especially when we let the drone fly and they could follow the image on the display. She named the drone “Birdy.”

Marcus Slabaugh, son of farrier Enos, told us that owning a drone would be out of the question for them because they reject technological advances. “But,” he said, “we like to watch.” Marcus wants to follow in his father’s footsteps. He loves horses and nature more than anything. He doesn’t want more schooling at all.

Harsh punishments for those who drop out

Anyone who wants to have more education and leaves the community as a baptized member to adapt to the modern world is excluded. In Pennsylvania we met a group called “Rumspringa”. This is what the Amish call young people between the ages of 16 and 20 who are not yet sure whether they want to be baptized in order to finally join the community. We saw them smoking, drinking and using cell phones. “We try out a lot of things before we decide,” said one of the young people. There are no exact figures for dropouts. The Amish population continues to grow rapidly. On average, families have six children.

Their economically independent way of life has become more modern than it was 300 years ago. But they remain true to their principles and values. But it remains a predetermined and secluded life from the outside world.

Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch0
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch
Amish People
Amish People
Amish People
Amish People
Amish People
Amish People
Amish People Foto: Silas Koch