Kurt Mittl, USCS #5091
In 1960, I joined the German Air Force and in 1962 while stationed at the VIMY Barracks in Freising, Germany together with the 604th USAF, I continually visited the German/American stamp club.
Here, in 1962, I met another Lieutenant from the USAF who collected only covers with cachets and corner cards from Nuclear Submarines. I was very anxious to get as much information as possible on this very interesting collection. This was not only just collecting stamps and adding them in your album, here it was much more. It was action. You have to write to the PAO’s for getting your covers done with cachets etc., prepare your own Navy lists, read articles about your submarine, do your own album pages and enjoy your collection.
I asked the Lieutenant from where he got all the information and I got the answer, “From USCS”
Immediately, I got in contact with the USCS and became member #5091.
Now the hunt for covers was opened and I never got tired of this fantastic hobby which still is number one for me and I am still hunting to get covers.
Through the USCS, I learned about the different exhibitions and so I started to show my pages from my collection “US Nuclear Submarines” at different exhibitions in Germany, Europe and also in the USA, where I won in 1968 in Madison, Wisconsin, (June 29 – 30) the First Award USCS National Exhibition.
Later, I also started to add covers of nuclear submarines from United Kingdom and France.
Through my different activities in various international NATO staffs in Norway, The Netherlands and AAFCE, Ramstein, Germany, I have had the chance in 35 years of active duty to visit many ships, as e.g. GLADAN of the Swedish Navy, USS ESSEX and USS NIMITZ, USS KING and many other US ships, HMS ARC ROYAL of the Royal Navy, ships of the Norwegian Navy and German Navy. (e.g. the newest submarine) plus others.
So I started from a stamp collector to becoming a very active collector of navy covers and visitor of various navy ships.
Kurt Mittl, LTC Retired