European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 31, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes Friday january 31, 1986 american express explains policies on checks this it scr concerns the Check cashing policies at the Bromer Hiven american of press banking facility. Being Al n Remote she in nor Hern Ger Many makes it very difficult fur the service Mcm bar to obtain needed currency it s no like we can hop into our cars and drive to the other Side of Post la Cash u Check. Be cause our resources arc limited the Only any slut we have to eel Money other than on the Economy is through the weekly runs to . In the it nil. We could Send our personal checks alone i i our id cards. With the individuals who were slated to make the weekly runs Lului this is no longer True. Unless you have an account with american in spruks. The Only Way you can Cash a per Sonal Cheek is logo there in person for some of us this is Nec shifts every eight Days and that makes it a Little unrealistic for us to drive to  every week so that we can utilise their limited services another policy of theirs is not to Cash third party checks. Bui i hair definition of a third party Check is a personal Check that might be made out to me by someone else according to any other Bank i hat i be Ever dealt with this Type of Check was consid ered to be a second party Check. So How am i or anyone else supposed to Cash a Check Ihal might have been sent to us from i he Stales or Given to us by another scr inc member currently the services Are pushing far direct Deposit 10 become mandatory. This Means Ihal the personal Check will become the Only Way Tor a service member overseas to make transactions. Now How arc they to do this if the Bank thai has been contracted to serve them is making ii next to impossible Why this Means thai the Servic Mcm bar might be More or less persuaded to open an Alc uni with this firm. Otherwise they la have no Way of getting Money required to live an the Economy or to carry out Normal transactions. With the Check Cash no policies Al the Bremerhaven american express in makes it next to impossible for members at Remote Sites to live on the Economy. We might As Well go Down to the local German Bank and open an account. Many of us have taken this step and we be found that we gel bet Ter service from them than we a from the Bank which is contracted to serve us. A German Bank is More than willing to Cash a personal Check for us. Al docs l mat Ter if it s a firs second or third part Check All we have to do u pal the Check into our accounts and we can Hen draw on it As soon As we please. In i it amazing Ihal they la do his with checks that Aren t even in i hair monetary system and come from another country sure they might charge us a 1 a Mark fee but it s Worth in. It saves us the hassle of having local with american express. Another question on hand is Why inc $500 limit an Check cashing at the Bremer Haven Branch All the members of this detachment Are required to live on the econ omy. Therefore we need National currency to pay our expenses. Very rarely do we have the Opportunity to use the american Dollar. One would think thai if anything the Bremerhaven Branch would have extended services 10 Aid the Many outlying detachments in Northern Germany. From what i be heard these banking facilities arc supposed to be full service but does t in make you wonder if they really Are maybe it s an a i tempi by inc monopolizing firm to gel service members in the isolated areas to join their organization then my next question is arc they really serving us. Or ate they using us merely for i hair own gains .1" i know thai nil Banks arc out to Moke Money off their customers. But most arc l out to Lake advantage of them. If this is True Don t you think that in s time for he military to Start looking far a banking a i tiny that is willing to serve the service members instead of making the service members serve ill maybe the answers to these problems Are a Little Competition in the banking Market. That s just what it might Lake to raise some eyebrows and get service members what they deserve Tyroe Winner Schluz wifi Germany editor s note Martha e. Hill manager. Public affairs american express military bonking facilities replies Liutik and working in a Remote site such As you and your fellow military members a mate Hanking a difficult task. And we understand the need for Only limited number of persons to perform inc meekly Check cashing task fur their Fri folds remaining Al Post. This is one of inc reasons that can Mil put restrictions on he encasement of second parly checks. However the Deport Mcnol of defense banking contract Joes prohibit the cashing of third party checks. There appears to be a misunderstanding of our policy on i is subject not Only As it applies to our Bremerhaven Branch but to All of our branches let s clarify what to Community Hank As Well As stateside Banks consider second and third parly checks. These checks arc determined by Hou Many individuals Actu ally sign the Check. For example grandma sends Jim a Check and Jim cashes the Check this is a two party Check. On the other hand in n Friend cashes that same Check for Jim. Then ii is considered n third parly Check. In other words we will Cash military wife sees potential for a repeat of Vietnam i am a military wife. During 1963-67, i was a High school student in Corvallis Ore. Oregon stale University is to cried there and during he 1960s, there were Many anti War protests i was recently Reading the stars Anil stripes letters about the weeping veterans of Vietnam. I recall weeping for those sol Diers Way Back then. We wept for Many people during the  we wept for the Nap Almed babies and the Mother in Che news photo holding her child the child had inc Back of his head blown off. We cried for the women and children. There were children in Vietnam who were displaced homeless and alone they cried for their missing parents and we wept for them All. We wept for inc soldiers of All sides. No one who went to Vietnam resumed whale. Our soldiers saw the horror and came Home. The vietnamese soldiers shared the horror and lived As a part of it. Maybe our government foresaw a North and South Vietnam that would parallel a North and South Korea. The american pen pals i would Leta in pall from a air it world t 4m 1? Vinct at and o Cal Otic. My Hoobler include stinging  Pelota and going a Thuron. Milan p. Sanli Ilyf cat Beng Par Dan. Antiqua Mio Panei i would Ilka pen Pell ram All War in world. I am 3s Vatri Aid and a Camolli. My Hobb Toi include stinging full Frei Bowling and cycling and Golno la Chur Eji Gin d.  co Fri. Re Frt a Isaul Lllan no Taia a Tunny Pavo by Bacolod City  i am 37 a fort old and would Ilka 10 have Tome Dan fall. I am stare glad in Nutting Orlondi from Europe and the in Lam Swei a Linda Tjw of no Boa 1m5jdnahran 31111 saudi Arasia t would Lua 10 Corro Pond Wilt Ohari from poll Over the world. I am 17 vean c d my Hobbie include cooking  to Moi Reading Masai Lei. Our ing Romic Anco planting mowers. People eventually saw thai we were not in Vietnam to resolve the situation. We were not there to win. We were trying la stabilize the conflict and establish a line Between communism and democracy 11 look a Long time for us to recognize the ongoing instability of thai Region of South East Asia. We Are having to learn thai there arc no Quick fix solutions we americans have started to come of age in the world. Hopefully we will open our eyes to the instability of Central Ameri Ca and the Middle East in a similar fashion. When 1 read about terrorists and foam mar khad Afy or the Good Guys and bad Guys we like to define in Central America these Days 1 see the potential far a repeal of Vietnam. Economic sanctions Are belter solutions than nuke pm or make my Dayl this is a world that contains a lot of crazies and much political instability. It is Beller for Llic United Stales to maintain stability and balance rather than tipping the balance. Please no Mare Vienna is. We can t Force peace. Mast of our wan Are fought to achieve peace. In Wii we had peace after the War. In Wei we fought the War to end War. Then we fought the korean War. In Vietnam we avoided War by refusing to Call it War. Vietnam was a  americans have had a Hollywood version of War. We saw War a an overgrown foot Ball game. We saw ourselves As the winning team. Then Vietnam came along. Vietnam was our coming of age and fac ing reality Era. Don t wave flags Over it. That cold Black memorial Wall is a Symbol of the reality we Hail to face. It is a Stark Symbol of death. Every name on the Wall is a Symbol of a Soldier who died. Vietnam brought the Saber reality of War Home to americans. We Don t want to win one for the Ginger. We want the Ripper to value human life. We want the Gipper to know that we Are prepared to die for Amer Ica but we a not want to die tightly. Be fore we commit troops or endanger civilian lives we need to know that the sacrifice was required. Linda Jackson Baum older Germany Marilyn e. Balagon 3s-4-a Gingele Al. La Ciofi Cervan Lel . Ortro a no pm ran philippine i would hot pan Pelt from ail Oer the world t am30 Vetari old. I Entov Reading. Smart e. Gal Nap Lumapas to Alpan Ganalon Cut Caroi or Enlal hat  am a 31-Vaar-old sri lankan. I Sou Dilka to have we pen pals. My Hobai i Are a  it writing Peak a a he a r nut la and clan Long Batka Ibbil and weal. Ria ii j. Barth Alamiri fir. Trill Long school . Box m7dnahran Airo Orl Dhahran aim saudi Aradia i would Nike pan cals hem Olar count Rte. I am la Yvan old. Gamma ens to o Lungpao Ganalon Cadlaon cily Rialina Al olo 3rd sir aet. Cadlaon Cliv negro Oriental 6324  i an a wait Indian lady 31 Vaart of age Boung Lor pan oils. I annoy Banc lab Nad no n in and Coon Wii Norma Chr tilt 1s1 Claranus cry icon Cut Nam London svy 1lnengland checks Only fur inc drava or or the named in acc. So Giuld inc Check be returned  Cicil funds the last person signing the chock must reimburse the Bank for my associated charges Well is the full amount of the cd ctr. In banking terms Dill is culled Holder in due  thus the individual making your weekly runs May be reluctant to ukr on this financial respond Hilly. We would Tike to add Ihal Many stateside Banks will nol Cash second or third parly checks they arc accepted in most cases Only for Deposit to an account Al loll Bank. When cashing such checks ii is ibo imperative thai the signatures be verifiable. This c in Only be done cipher upon present Tallan of an id card at by comparison with an account signature card an file with the Community Bank we would also like la Point out that the Community bunk docs l limit Check Cash Illk to $500 except in the Case of non to count holders. All policies relating in the operation of the Community Bank and the fees charged Are set Forth in the Dod banking contract and Urc binding on All military banking contractors. American express As the banking con tractor operates the Community bulk for Dod for a fixed fee plus Cost. In other wards any Roenne generated or losses incurred by lie Community Bank arc absorbed by the Dod. Specifically hex Reie nut is used by Dod to help offset the Cost of operating the Community Banks which might otherwise be considered too costly to continue operating the following excerpt from the a Irineu conditions As outlined in the revised Dod contract of oct. 1, 1984, subjects non a count holders to certain charges and poli cies checks for More than 1500 will nor Mally be accepted far collection. Then is charge of s2 plus any out of pocket expense for collection. As an exception la policy n Check that exceeds Sago May be cashed with inc approval of the manager. If cashed the charge is is. Any Check whether deposited or cashed which is returned unpaid wit result in a $15 charge in addition to the Amatril of the unpaid Check. The following conditions which apply to account holders Are provided for further clarification if the proceeds Are deposited to checking savings or mow account and ant Vilh Dravyn for Fite business Days from us Date of Deposit there shall be no charge if the Check exceeds s500 and sex. Needs the checking now and or Turp account balance by not Mare than s500, there is a $2 charge. A Check Ibal exceed the combined balance by More than $500 May be cashed with the approval of to Branch manager or May be deposited m stated above. If cashed the charge is is. A poster More fully specifying the terms and policies of services authorized by Dod is displayed in every Community Bank. In addition the Branch manager can clarify any questions an individual May have re Garding these policies. The Community Bank is nol alone in Lac european banking marketplace. Other choices Are available for your ban Klaf needs not Only the German Banks As pm mentioned but also credit unions it Alesko financial institutions and the military finance offices. In Teeter the Community Bank is the Only Bank specifically Tab Tishch to provide  with Convent no Way to perform Complete. And ,1k. To Urr Pond with  from Over Len � a Fonn " in we we Rikhi to text i a Hil T Botne own banking while overseas. Is Nino Sud. Praio Iii per i Mev cub an Bulawin Pilip Panei if you have further questions or com ments please do not hesitate to Contact your Community Hank manager or Bank Liaison officer