European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 04, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday october 4, 1985 the stars and stripes Page 11 Ann Landers dear Ann Landers i Hope you can help me. I am 14 years old and Don t know what to do. Last night i walked into the Kitchen and saw my sister banging her face on the table. She became very Upsel when she saw f \ me handing there. J she made me from ise i would never Tell anyone. Now she is complaining to everybody that her husband beats her up. Actually he is a nicer person than she is. He helps me with my Homework and i like him. It makes me feel awful to know that she is trying to make him look like a wife beater. They Are getting a divorce and she needs a Strong Case against him to get More Money. I am not breaking my Promise by telling you this because you live a Long Way from me. Also i am not signing my name. Please Tell me what to do if i am asked questions by a lawyer. Promise keeper in Alabama dear Aubin if questioned about this matter you mini 111 the truth in fact i Hope you will have the courage to Leb your sister that she had better not try to make her husband out to be a wife beater because now that you have seen her bruising her own face you would have to speak up and protect him from her lies. Dear Ann Landers i thought you might like to put this in your column. I Cut it out of the Orlando paper last november. I am Only 15 years old but it makes Sens. To me. . From Orlando dear . It makes sense to me too. Thanks for sending it on. Your editorial about the threat to Flor Ida children from killers inspired this piece. I Hope it will make people More charitable. If you watch mine if you watch my kid son daughter Niece Nephew or Cousin i la watch yours. If you see her walking or playing alone keep an Eye on her. And Iii watch yours. If you see her frightened or fighting with an adult wander Over to hear if everything s of. And i la watch yours. If you see her lost in a mall or store notify someone to make an announcement. And 111 watch yours. If she s Ever missing or taken look for my kid. And i la look for yours. Bat if you Don t want to watch my kid. Ill still watch yours. Barbara White Orlando dear Ann Landers i am a fan of Rock v Roll but 1 am curious As to Why a lot of famous musicians and performers Wear so Many crosses and Rosary beads. I often Sec Rock stars with a Cross Dan gling from one car or both Crucifix necklaces and bracelets. Arc they mocking the Christian Faith is it just a fashion or Are these people True believers puzzled on Long Island dear Pun according to Don Mcclese pop music writer for the Chicago Sun times religious Type jewelry is in fashion with Madonna setting the trend. In some cases it May be a reflection of Faith. In very few cases it would be a sign of mockery. Reminder All letters to the editor r ust contain the full printed name and address of the writer and must be signed. We do not read unsigned letters but we will withhold your name on request and protect your privacy. All letters arc subject to editing. Somebody really does care about your commissaries after Reading recent letters to the editor and a column by John Windrow the Best columnist you have As far As i m concerned we still have questions and complaints about the commissary. I m serving my second tour in Europe hav ing been Here from 1971-1973. My comment about the commissary controversy is so what we be always done it that Way. In 13 years the letters Haven t changed one Iota. I m certain that stars and stripes can find thousands of letters in its files with the same complaints. Only the names change. And what s even More comforting than having the same letters repeated in an 18-month Cycle for 13 years is for me to be Able to read the same responses. Of the signatures change and a differ ent commissary May be out of mrs. Smith s pies this week but it s All still pretty much like it was 13 years ago. If the ubiquitous they did really care they would do something about it. Please stars and stripes Don t go to the ". Commissary come for a reply to this letter we be heard it All before. Besides those people Don t know the first thing about How to manage a Chain of grocery stores. Yes i said it those Despic Able words we military Folk dare not use grocery stores. Don t misunderstand. L n. Sure the de pendent spouse managing the produce Joes the very Best she can. I m sure the local meat department manager  hard to serve us. But they obviously get Little or no help from the top. What arc the consequences of poor performance in the ". Army commissary come Europe none if i mismanaged a budget or failed to order and Stock enough to meet demand or mis priced or did any number of things one reads about weekly i would lose my Job. Or be Given a bad Oer or be court Martiale. Let s face it we be been running Groc Ery stores Over Here for How Long 30 years and we still can t get it right. We still Don t know How much to order we still can t figure out How Long it takes to get Here and we still run out of stuff. Or never get it. Or Price it wrong. Or and nobody cares nobody docs anything about it. Why is that Safeway Kroger. A pall the big boys can keep bread on the shelves seven Days a week in thousands of grocery stores through out the Continental United states. And the entire us. Department of defense grocery procurement and operations come cannot keep bread on the shelves of 40 grocery stores in an area the size of Oregon. Why is that because nobody cares there s enough bread shop Early shop late avoid payday shop on the Economy we Only have one bakery our truck broke Down bake your own As soon As somebody decides to get Tough kick Anatomy purge the system clean out the cobwebs and get some doers in the grocery store business Well All be happier and Well have better service and belter groceries. For example iceberg lettuce. We Are so very attached to it it s hard for us to eat that other stuff. But we rarely gel Good iceberg and in Cost j85 a head. Why Don l we find a Way to grow in ourselves because in s too hard too complicated illegal Etc baloney All we need is a Little new blood. Maybe there Are some sex Stock boys Oul there who could lend a hand after duty hours. Do we really expect Loo much Why Don t we just shop on the Economy we can buy most of what we arc accustomed to. And the few things we can l get we should be Able to do without for three years. Right but some folks Are braver than others. Some people resist some Are Lazy. Who knows i know one thing you can t buy a bag of ice on inc Economy at any hour at any Price. And what s worse you can t usually get any after 11 . On Post either.  t keep our grocery stores stocked does anyone really believe that we can sustain combat operations Over this same logistical abyss while people Are attacking the Supply ships Pul Eleeze yours for a stronger healthier Ameri maj. C Anfield w. Nuque Heidelberg editor s note la. Jen. . Chavarris. Deputy assistant Secretary military manpower and personnel policy office of the assistant Secretary of de sense replies thank you for your feedback on the commissaries in Europe. First and fore most i would like to set the record straight. Someone does care everyone better care. The Congress has demonstrated it cares on numerous occasions during the recent past. When faced with recommendations to close or privatize military commissaries the House armed services readiness  held hearings in March 1984 to review the continued need and Overall efficiency of military commissaries. Again in hearings in August 1984, the subcommittee issued its report on overseas commissary operations. The offices of the secretaries of defense and each of the military departments care. Each element of the military Chain of command has repeatedly defended the Mil itary commissary system As an essential element of military life. As Public servants and As leaders each member of the Chain of command must be committed to the efficient and effective operation of govern ment. This includes commissaries. Time and again the commissary system has been supported As an integral element of the military pay and benefits package and an important morale Factor and Cru Cial to the military Community. I mention the importance of the Mili tary Chain of command because the commissary system is not unlike any other element of the military Community. Com Mand involvement and feedback from the Community Are critical to the Success of the operation. The commissary system belongs to the people who use it. The Success of the commissary management is measured by the satisfaction of the people supported. That is the Mission. If that Mission is not met the same command alternatives Are employed As in a maintenance function administrative office flying unit or any other military organization. In my dual capacity As Deputy assistant Secretary of defense military manpower and personnel policy and As chairman of the Dod commissary executive Board i assure you the leadership of the depart ment of the defense cares. The military pay and benefits package is critical to recruiting and retaining a professional ready military Force. As an integral of that incentive package i assure you we repeatedly measure the effective Ness and efficiencies of the commissary system worldwide in meeting the Mission. Overall the commissary system does that Job and does it very Well. When there Are weaknesses or problems identified in that effectiveness / care. I disagree that there has been no change to the system in the last 30  allow me to state a few examples. Iceberg lettuce one of the commodities you cited is now procured from european sources primarily grown in Spain and is in plentiful Supply of excellent Quantity. You Are Correct in that this has been a historic problem due to the Long pipeline and the perishable state of lettuce. But through innovative management the problem has been solved. Another example was when several years ago the commissary system leadership identified a problem in the pricing policy of pro Duce and fresh meat items posed by the inclusion of the Cost of transportation. Dod received congressional approval and funding to pay offshore transportation Cost and not pass the Cost to the customer. In Early 1984, we discovered that an administrative procedure was interfering with the ability to get the Best possible prices passed through the Supply system. In october 1984, a system of lot pricing was introduced that passed the Best Possi ble Price through the system. Additionally we have implemented a Market Basket Survey which compares european commissary Price to prices in the United Stales whereby we can measure the Success of the pricing policy. Addition ally vie have implemented procedures to reduce the Lime it takes to order and ship commissary products to Europe. We in lend to continue innovations such As Icse. While i would like to say there Are no differences in running a grocery store in Europe and running a grocery store in the United Stales unfortunately there is a difference there is a big difference. When the european commissary officer runs Oul of canned Corn he cannot pick up the phone and Call the local distributor and have that can two hours later. In takes 90 Days that is if there is no strike at the port or no bad weather on the North Atlantic. As i said we Are trying to reduce the 90 Days Lead time and if we re Lucky and Good managers we will get to 45 Days not two hours. This is not to say you should not expect the same level of service and Courtesy thai you would receive in any grocery store in the United s ates. My Point is no matter How Good our management there Are outside influences which will pose problems in an Over seas environment. It s How management fore sees and solves these problems that count. Most of our commissary managers do that very Welt the above Are Only a few examples. We Are continually looking for ways to improve sen ice and increase efficiency. There have been significant changes to improve the system All and All i have seen a lot of dedicated people working diligently to serve the military family. By no Means should you cease to Tell someone when things Aren t right Lead ers tip cares. The St european edition capt Dale k. Patterson. Us editor in Chuh pm Dot Jeffrey s. Zakem us Deputy editor in Chloel . Blackwell m. Procto . Mcdermott production manager a wowing de. Clr Coulton manager tin newspaper it in author lib unofficial pub Callon Tor member o the  Terv ten Overman. Con Enli to the Start and Stripe re not Nece Turry it official a text of or endorsed by. The .  i he Dew Lenl of defend or the . European commend. The a0peranca of advertising in that publication. Kwh Jef no Incerti or to Polemeni does not Conil Lault endow Rnell by me department o defend or the Slart and Strum of it product or Ter Vloet . 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