European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 14, 1969, Darmstadt, Hesse A the stars and stripes Tuet Doy january 14,1969letters to the editor lifer in his letter of dec. If . Maj. O. W. Van Winkle quoted a statement which unequivocally shows Why so Many citizen soldiers resent and pit the Van Winkle described the percentage of soldiers who actually fired their weapons i world War ii the korean War and in Vietnam and inserted quote which represents the huge Gulf in understanding be tween the citizen Soldier and the military professional Don t Knock it Vietnam it s the Only War we be this statement leads the Citi zen Soldier to believe that Mili tary men Are actually glad that they have an excuse Vietnam to use their Trade. They see to incorporate the cliche War is inevitable into a Way of life. The military exists because of Man s ignorance in dealing with his own kind. I being on of the useless gripes he so vividly described would hate to be a life time Mem Ber of an institution which exists because of Man s stupidity. American citizens Are drafted to fight in Vietnam and they do this with a deep sense of remorse and frustration be cause of no other Way to live together peacefully. The different Type of troop a new Breed that he described in his letter May be the first generation that will eventually make the profession of arms obsolete. Spec. 4 John p. Sughrue Burtonwood England 1 have something to Contri Bute to the lifer debate in a somewhat indirect Way.1 am a first term airman who is very dissatisfied wit the service. Why because for the past three and a half years have been subjected to the Fol lowing being treated like an inferior form of a human being by Many career airmen literally being ordered not to think for myself but to do what iwas told being discouraged from displaying almost an form of individualism being forced to live in a place 1 did not want to live and go to places i did not want to go being forced to live in sub Standard dwellings and the being directed to treat them like my own Home and being forced to eat food that is in ail that 1 find it in credible that anyone would expect me to reenlist. If 1 were to reenlist no mat Ter what other patriotic or Ide logic reasons i would have i would be condoning All of the above forcing not Only my self but others to accept them. That i will not do that is Why will not reenlist. Sgt. James e. Oertle Samsun Turkey 1 have been amused lately by the controversy Over whether lifers Are dedicated Patri ots or Dunder headed idiots. Perhaps before readers an writers make rash generalizations about groups of people they should take More care in choosing and defining their far As 1 can see there Are three groups within the Mili tary today the professional career Soldier the average co haphazardly referred to As "lifer1 and other derogatory names and the transient draftee or enlisted who takes Pride in calling himself a Short professional Soldier is the Ideal person to have Andis the Public image for which the Amy strives. Far too often a ambitions and capabilities Are thwarted by the very organization he is striving to improve and he degenerates int that class of lifers that is caught in the Middle too Man years in the service to quit now and to Little Hope of really improving their chosen profession. This frustration on the Parton the dedicated individual combined with his All too obvious Lack of understanding of human nature and employ motivation is one of the chief factors responsible for the attitude of those of us who look Forward to retiring from the army with Only two or three years of Active service. Until the organization an the individuals who Are in positions of leadership can see that their policies of harass ment Petty jealousies and irrational promotions Are the chief causes of the Short timers " resentment and Pas Sive resistance we Are stuck with the status quo. So let s Stop harassing the lifers Fellows they have their problems same As of fighting the organization or just Plain giving up do your Job to the Best of your ability and strive to improve the organization for As Long As you Are a part of it whether it be two or 20 years. Spec. 4 James e. Germany shopping recently my family and 1went shopping at the Hainer Berg shopping Center. We Didwall our shopping efficiently until we got to the by and Dis covered that our 11-year-old son had forgotten his id card and was not permitted to enter this facility. Although my husband prop Erly attired in his military uni form told the Young lady atthe door and the manager that he would be responsible for Ourson while in the by the answer was no. The girl said if you were e7 or above i could let you in but since you Are Noti can the manager said this was Correct. Air Force regulation 39-6states that e4 through e9 Are All cos no More and no me what regulation stipulates that dependent children fan e7 or above can enter the by with their parents without an id card which is better to have our children running around the shopping Center alone or hav ing them with their parents i say let s have equal shop Ping rights for All. . S wife Wiesbaden editor s note yes Luqin Nuernberg confirms that the id card checker and the Man Ager were Correct in that they were Only following the regu lations in not permitting your son to enter the by. According to an yes spokes Man Usa eur Reg. 60-3 and Safe Reg. 147-3 both specify that authorized dependents . Commissioned or warrant officers and enlisted personnel Grade e7 or higher and civilians of equivalent assimilated Grade when accompanied by their sponsors will be authorized admission to yes facilities on verbal identification by their of Wrath personal emotional criticism of me Doe not alter one Iota the undeniable substance of my reply to maj. Levell Merritt sets dec. 9 which was disclaim that the army is the greatest Citadel of racism on the face of the Earth was a Gross distortion of the truth because significant Progress has been and is being made. The army has set the Pace in eliminating segregation from its segment of society. If my recognition of this significant Progress makes me an Vaele Tom or an a com modal zionist then i accept aside from an obvious Dis agreement Between Merritt me and other critics on the current status of integration in the army i am hot As my critic simply insensitive to conditions that still prevail. But it is impossible no matter How Desir Able or deserved for a fair godmother with a magic Wand to swoop among us Correct ing at once and forever All the injustices of today and yester years. There Are Many of us who believe that the ultimate Solu Tion is embodied in the concept of human we View human Power As a constructive creative Force for Progress. We operate under the theme that All problems must be resolved within the Frame work of our democratic prices sess because our Hopes for the future by Choice Are indelibly interwoven in the fiber of Amer Ica. Central to this concept of human Power is a willing a e s s to subordinate Tempo Rary victories if necessary so that we May pass on intact to future generations a meaning Ful lasting legacy. As an aside the editorial policy of the stars and stripes is in itself an example of the stride toward equal rights for All. I firmly believe that the right of free speech applies to my critics As Well As me. In providing a forum for my critics you have published let ters highly critical of the very military establishment with which you Are closely critics of the military their right to free speech hardly seems compatible with the charge that the entire military Structure is discriminatory and is the greatest Citadel of racism on the face of the Earth. It. Col. De reef a. Green Heidelberg stomach ache after Reading the Many articles in the is about the student uprisings in the states a have a stomach ache. Who do these Young Punk think they Are making de mands on the various school systems to meet their desires they Don t want to be drafted because it does t suit them and they Don t want to attend certain schools because they Don t suit them Don t the administrations of these various schools Wise up and Stop coddling these punks and lower the Boom on them if they re not satisfied with the Way we run things inthe ., Send them Back whence they came. ""4l full Tao Gelkopf Germany i just finished Reading grapes of Wrath 1968" dec. 22 is and i think the article stinks. Or Houston appears to Bethe Type who writes a one sided version of things he sees. He wrote an article a year of so ago which was based on the transient workers in California and article appeared to be As one sided As this one. He picked slovenly filth Ridden Transi ent Camp and based his article on it saying that this was a typical amuses and at the same time irritates me is the picture of the author and his son to the Cabin. In the a article he claims it was taken in a Yakima Valley Camp whereas in his other article the same picture was suppose to have been taken in a Cali fornia Camp. Is he sure where he was it does t seem like it conditions Are so bad then Why Haven t the okies and arkies set nationwide pro tests or burned and looted the cities As have other depressed people Why do they continue to drive thousands of Miles to pick fruit i can show you migrant families who come out in droves to pick fruit live frugally while they Are in the Valley then return to their native states to take it easy on the Money they have know one family in Arkansas who has built a Fine farm on the Money it made As pickers. To or. Houston i say have you really gone out to see How the average fruit worker live Sand works i doubt it. If you want to visit some typical transient Camps Why not try the farm labor Camp in Yakima state Runor the Sun timer Orchards in Gleed or the strand Orchards in Teiton. These Are typical Yakima Val Ley Camps. Also if you want to writ about the migrant workers Why not write about some of the people who have devoted their lives to helping the transients i feel that although i m not an authority on the subject Iam at least a bit More Quali fied than Houston to write about it. He spent a few weeks by his own admission in the article in the Yakima Valley whereas i be spent most of my life there. For years picking fruit and doing other Orchard jobs. I can Only advise Houston to go Back to Yakima and try again. He May if he really tries find that people Aren t so bad off As he claims an that owners Aren t As cruel fiends.8, sgt. Thomas l Murphy we Brocken Germany i lived in Yakima for 22years in chef . Kurop a command in support the Wymand internal information program of to Dopart Mant cd in. Content of to of to a trip of Oft tit Merity Fri Otth official View of the Nov mint Orth a part it to do few. 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