European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 8, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes Friday May 8,19b7 letters changes in use of official phones pending Welt i heard it again on an except this Lime it was t a 30-second and it was a full blown Neucom report Story. We Ere once again being berated for using the 99 lines to make unofficial Calls Calls Home for grocery lists haircut appointments Check on car repairs. What May i  we supposed to do instead uie the extremely efficient and always available Bun despoil system let s took at an example. My husband is a Captain a fairly typical fighter Pilot. He has no Bunde Spost phone in Hii Squadron building. To us the phone to Call Home make a haircut appointment or see if his car it through being serviced be must drive around to the other tide of the base where one it located. That s a minimum of is minutes. He makes about $41,000 a year Hue pay bad has flight pay Oha and cola or s1435 an hour 11 hours a Day five Days a week. That Means his trek costs the government at least $3.60. Plus gasoline Wear and tear on his car and air pollution. If. As is frequently pointed out. The . Govern ment does t gel a break on phone rates the same Call dialled from i he 99 line on his desk would have Cost 20 pfennig and a lot less Lime and hassle. Where s the fraud waste and abuse in this Case keep forgetting the military 3 Job is not to protect us from hassles which is More productive for me to pick up the phone on my desk and make an appointment for a haircut easy to do with the Miracle of ets or to trudge Down five stories and wait in line for the one Bunde Spost phone that serves hundreds of people in this Headquarters How much did that spot on Neucom report Costco produce the commands Are obviously unwilling to install a Bunde Spost phone in every building an impossibility anyway since the German system does t have the capacity. Perhaps the commands should quit lecturing us and instead allot every person working on an installation two five minute local Calls per Day. Charge it to the unit if necessary and id them Bill their personnel. I know what the answer will be regulation such and such says this and Thal and therefore you can l make unofficial Calls on government  so let s redefine unofficial Calls. Would i be getting my hair Cut every month if i weren t in the United slates air Force no. Is my family s peace of mind important to the air Force yes. We could also examine the Issue of whether military people arc allowed to have per Sonal responsibilities generally speaking we arc fairly responsible and not stupid we know not to make Long distance  usually can l Call beyond the local area anyway. So Hammer the people who manage to Call mom in. Arc Mchaven for 45 minutes and leave the rest of us alone. Instead of berating us constantly the com mands could accept the happiness and peace of mind of people living in a foreign inn we re not guests As an and our commanders keep Call ing us but Thal s a different Story As the Price of doing business. Name withheld runs teen a. Germany editor s note col. Thomas e. Canann Deputy director of communications computer sys tems he Safe so replies the writer presents a very practical arg Mienl and Federal policy maker apparently agree. A March 16 air Force times article entitled Feder Al worker gel More phone Access implies bit the general services administration is prepared1loosen restrictions on the use of government Tele phones. While the proposed change will permit Icahn Able loot Calls to family members my Long distance collect or toll free Calls. It will also charge employee for unauthorized Calls. The end result will be More latitude in permitting family Calls to arrange child care transportation of medical requirements while More adequately control Ling Telephone abuse. We Don t presently have sufficient information to precisely describe the new policy however we will provide details Taall Safe phone users when the prescribing directives Are published. Soldier s tour Extension problem resolved i have been trying to extend my Over seas tour in Germany and have had no Success. My first request was denied be cause i was Over the 12-month limit to my permanent change of station. The changed it temporarily to 10 months but again i came up Short. Now i read that one can extend with a months remaining. Again i fall Short. Is there no Chance that remains that will allow me to slay Here the army wants 10 retain soldiers Here in Europe and save a lot of pcs dollars. Save some with me i want los Lay Here. Why mess with those who Are not Happy Here and make them stay 1 do not expect that this letter will change much but 1 feel that there is a Way i can be permitted to remain where Iam. Name and location withheld editor s note see. Heidi Chambers a Cote management actions Branch 1st personnel come re plies 1 have looked into the situation regard ing your attempts to extend your foreign service tour stand in answer to you question yes the possibility does exist for you to remain in the United stole army Europe. Forslof All As you slate there have been recent changes to the Lead times by which foreign service tour Extension must be approved. The Moat recent change slates that routine Extension re quests must be approved six months prior to Date eligible for return from overseas Deros for grades Al through e-6, and 10 months for grades e-7 and e-8. This was a reduction Otei previous Lead times in an Effort by Sarel r to assist soldiers wishing to remain Here. Usa eur does want la retain qualified sold Len. I contacted your higher Headquarters and am Happy to inform you that an Extension request will be supported. They informed me thai your request should reach our Headquarters ills week. We have notified your pc Vonnel service Center that your reassignment processing is to be suspended until an answer i received from department of army on your Extension request. In closing i would like to inform Al enlisted readers that Here is an St Extension hotline at 1st personnel come designed to provide assistance in resolving questions concerning extensions. The Holtine Telephone number is Schwelm Zioges military 2136- or ets 379- 6417. Patterning therapy in t Best Parent says i would like to Lake a moment to Tell a Story an state my opinion on an associated press release you carried on � child named Matthew with brain damage and the Type of therapy this child received. Seven years ago we found out our child had suffered brain damage after birth. We were Here in Ger Many and were sent 10 Washington stale. The insight of the army sent us to the Best location possible for our daughter to receive euro developmental therapy. This Type of therapy teaches another pan of the brain to take Over he functions of the damaged part. My daughter never held her bottle but with seven Yean of euro developmental therapy she attends Reg ular second Grade classes. She docs go to school in a wheelchair and does use a Walker but she has the Delarmi nation to free herself from these Aid As she gains her balance. Had she continued to receive the pal Lerning Lype therapy that was mentioned in your article i feel she would not be the person she is today. Our daughter is Normal child but just happens to be in a wheelchair. For now. Before leaving for the slates we started her therapy program. The therapist told us there was Only one Way she could find in the Library to work with a child with cerebral palsy and that was patterning. The therapist was an adult therapist and was trying to help us Thebes she could. For weeks we worked hours Al a time Wilh this ii month old working her Muscles. The Point i am Mak ing is that we did the work and not our child. Shews not learning to do the movement herself. Pal Lerning Lype therapy places a heavy Burden on the parents. It makes them feel it is their fault their child has a problem and it is up to them to spend every hour and every Dollar to get them normalized. Our daughter receives three hours of the euro  therapy per week. Once at Home we continue to work and encourage her to do her Best 1 thank god the army docs not provide patterning As the physical therapy offered to my child. She de serves the Best and the army has always been Rigl behind us Wilh support from medical needs to ramps on the front door. The next Lim-.1 you want 10 run a Story about a child in therapy Wilh brain damage How about going to your local exceptional family member department and run an informative Story telling those new parents it in t the end of the world once they have heard the diagnosis. 1 know. I be been there. Vickie Polk Frankfurt correction pan of a reply to a letter about the distribution of cafes profits which ran in wednesday s paper had an incorrect attribution. The second part of the reply dealing with the army s share should have been attributed to a spokesman from the . Army Community and family support Center department of the army. The stars and stripes regrets the error. Amex explains foreign currency Exchange i am very concerned about the Over charging of he Federal government by the banking service of the american express system in Europe. On March 20, 1987,1 purchased for $199.40 Exchange rate 6.62 1,320 danish Kroner required for temporary duty toy in Denmark. The try was cancelled and on March 24 i sol the 1,320 danish Kroner Back to the Bank for 1187. This time the buying rate had changed 7.03resulting in loss to the Federal government of i 2.40 in two working Days. This practice taken for example Over a period of one year will make a very Large profit for the Bank Al a very High Cost to the taxpayer. Maj. Alton p. Bailey Sandhofer Germany editor s note Betsy Robin son manager Public affairs american express Community banking replies thank you for your inquiry concerning foreign currency Exchange. We appreciate the Opportunity to explain this often mis understood service. Community Banks Purchase their for eign currency requirements on the local Market. Consequently the Rales quoted at your local Branch Are in accordance with the rates of major German Banks. Regarding a profit Community Banks actually belong to the depart ment of defense Dod. American express operates and manages these Banks and receives a set fee for doing so. Any profits or losses Are therefore absorbed by Dod. It has always been the Bank s policy to advise clients that one to transportation Cost., currency is generally is expensive in the country of Ihler Destina Tion. Therefore Cli Euls should Purchase Only minimum amounts of foreign cur Rency before departure. Additional funds should be carried in Dollar travel ers cheques readily washable and convertible in nearly every country at usually very favourable rates