European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 28, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday september 28, 1977 the stars and stripes Page 9 Kalmar s comforts Are Small scale Nyji Colonna staff writer Kalmar Germany is the base Exchange is run by t. Sgt. . Dandridge and s. Sgt. Ann Walker. Sets. Mark Leslie and Robert Salisbury and airman 1. C. Justo Hernandez operate the stars and stripes Book store. The class i store is Down the Hall from the Security police station and the Only club going is in the bomb shelter. Kalmar a opened about seven months ago is now a fledgling Metropolis of some 175 air Force men and women of the 2167th comm so and Del 9 of the 601st tac control Wing headquartered at Sembach a Ger Many. Three Sites the entire . Contingent is located in three buildings on Kalmar Cavern head quarters of the 3rd German air div. And believe it or not one is hard pressed to find much dissatisfaction with this Iso lated tour. Isolated Only because we Don t have All the proper facilities yet said col. Joseph Gevirts det 9 commander. Hopefully by next summer Well have enough facilities and housing available so that this will become an accompanied  the base is about five Miles from Kalmar a Small German town near Kleve and the dutch Border. Kalmar was other Wise in the news last weekend when a Large but peaceful demonstration was staged there against a proposed West German fast breeder atomic reactor air Force personnel began arriving Here in late february. Jim Smith a sergeant from Spencer Iowa has seen quite a change since his arrival in Early March. I could t believe it when i first got Here Smith said. We even had to put our own Beds together. There was nothing Here. At first we slept on German cots. Ham and eggs but the germans Here have been really Nice. They have been very helpful. At first it was hard getting used to. The clubs and dining Hall served All German food and some of it i was t too thrilled with. Now though we can get Ham and eggs at the club and canteen and we now get Hamburg ers at the  that took almost an act of Congress. We had to coordinate All the Way to Bonn to get approval for cafes to sell Ham Burger buns and things to the German snack bar Here and alleviate the customs the operations Center in the basement of the 2167th comm so and det 9 of the 601st tac control Wing main building at Kalmar in the Northern part of West Germany stays Busy despite the units isolation from fellow Safe installations elsewhere in the country. Charge Nevins said. Everything was approved and i understand the place does a pretty Good business now with americans. Apparently the German troops Are enjoy ing them  the recreation facilities Are located in a bomb shelter below one of the three build Ings. Security police and other sections drive German vehicles. The dispensary is operated by two medical technicians. The theater and Chapel Are in the attic of one building. Basically we have All the facilities of any base Nevins said but we operate on a much smaller  he added that the base was just about at full strength. Any increase in people will be As a result of dependents coming Here when we become an accompanied  future plans include taking Over an abandoned German school in Kalmar that will be used As a . Elementary school the leasing of about 100 housing units in the City which will be built if Congress approves the budget request and the build ing of an cafes and commissary Complex. There Are a few families already Here All but two Are non command sponsored. Those two families were transferred Here from  in Germany Nevins said. Shopping out the personnel Here go to Brun sum the Netherlands for most of their commissary Exchange and medical support and also make use of a British air base about 12 Miles away. Most of the people Here agreed that the biggest problem they face is the language. There Haven t been any americans in this area and the germans Here Don t speak much English said sgt. Deby Adams of the Security police unit. But then again maybe the fact that no americans have been Here is Good. Our relations Haven t been spoiled. And there Are so i new of us that we can blend in better. We Aren t that  Adams of Indianapolis added that she has already extended after being Here just four months. The people Are so close. Everybody gets along and helps each other. We Haven t even had our first fight  the morale welfare and recreation facilities Are undergoing continual improve ments Here according to s. M. Sgt Barbara Lewis mar supervisor. We have requested a lot of Money to try and make More improvements Here but until then we Are doing a lot on our own. We Are trying to make the most out of what we have which in t All that much Down  Down Here is the basement bomb shelter area with a multitude of rooms. We can t Knock out any Walls so we Are using different rooms for different facilities Lewis said. The major facility is the  the present All ranks club in the basement. We really Aren t a club yet pointed out t. Sgt. George Bland the club manager. The club was started by sgt. Jim Ryan who got a lot of people together and began fixing up a place. We Are actually a lounge. I be been Here about six weeks and this is the Best isolated assignment i be Ever  isolated duty that was the reaction of most people Here. The consensus was that isolated duty is not always the Best but this is the Best place to serve it. Anne Walker is a staff sergeant who went Back to the . To get married about a month ago. My husband in t Here so i Don t like it. But i think it is much better being Here than on some Mountain  the veterans of More than one Remote tour were in agreement it s the Best Remote they have Ever been on. The first timers weren t As keen hardest part i m married and my husband is also in the air Force said sgt. Donna Mirabelli. But he can t be stationed Here because he s in aircraft mechanics. He s going to Wei Brincken. The hardest part about being Here is that it s hard to watch other people with families Here when yours can t be Here. But everybody Here is very close and that  the decor of the Dungeon is contemporary Graffiti. The Walls Are covered with phrases and names. The reaction of most people Here is that Kalmar is a very Good assignment. In big letters on the Dungeon Wall reads let s keep Kalmar a  fitting right in relations Between the american and German personnel assigned to the Kalmar base Are cordial according to sgt. Deby Adams who As a member of the Security police drives a German vehicle just like All the other sections on the base. There s a language Barrier but everybody gets along and helps each other says Adams who has Al ready extended after being there just four months. We Haven t even had our first fight  is photo Cole