Bitburg is an ancient city with roots going back 2000 years. It was a stopover for traffic from Lyon through Metz and Trier to Cologne. The first time it is mentioned in documents is around 330 when Emperor Constantine the Great expanded the settlement to a road castle. It's been a part of many different rules over the years including Luxembourg, France, and Prussia.  Spangdahlem Air Base, a NATO airbase is nearby. The United States Air Force is the tenant. It is home to the 480th Fighter Squadron and the 726th Air Mobility Squadron

I'm catching up to my backlog. This one was sent in November 2023. The sender is from Portland, Oregon, and her card is an inspirational one.  Portland was named after Portland, Maine, which was named after the Isle of Portland. The Isle of Portland is 5 km south of Weymouth, England. The island is only 6 km by 2.7 km and has a population of 13 500 people. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a part of the Jurassic Coast. Portland Stone, a limestone, has been used in British and world architecture. St. Paul's Cathedral and the United Nations Headquarters used Portland Stone.  Portland Harbour is one of the largest man-man harbours in the world. Stone breakwaters were put into place between 1848 to 1905. A Royal Navy base was established. Royal Navy and NATO ships exercised here until 1995.

Vilseck is a town of 6400 people on the Vils River. It is an old town first settled in 925 with the construction of a castle. In 1937,  Südlager (German Army Base) was built here as part of the  Grafenwöhr  Training Area. The base was capitulated to the United States Army in 1945. The US base is called Rose Barracks. The current units are based at Rose Barracks: 2nd Cavalry Regiment Bavaria Medical Activity 72nd Med Det VS A Co, 39th Finance 2nd ASOS Elements of the 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command 514th Military Police Augmentation Platoon. Of course this remained a permanent US military installation due to its proximity to the West German/East German border during the Cold War and is a part of American commitment to NATO.