European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 11, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes Friday. September 11.1987 fact and fiction on the electronics circuit col. Donald Gilbert vice commander ill cafes Europe is undoubtedly performing a vital function in this nation s defensive Effort and is As a result receiving an appropriate sum of . Dollars from the . Treasury for his service. However i would like to respectfully Point out two statements he made in his reply regarding electronic sales it cafes which i consider to be in error army and air Force mar resale activities to include audio clubs have until recently receive substantial appropriated fund support from con  this is false As far As air Force audio clubs Are concerned. The exact opposite is a fact and can be documented. All expenses for wages materials and support functions have to be borne by the clubs. I addition 2 percent of Gross income from sales is taken by Safe for mar projects. A typical month of income and expenses would read As follows Gross sales j400.000 Safe asses Mcm minus$8,000 equals 2 percent of Gross support function expenditures minus 110,000 equals accounting and civil Ian personnel service Cost of sales minus $348,000 equals Purchase of merchandise income from services plus $20,000 equals video rental photo processing concessionaire income total expenses minus $40,000 equals wages supplies and materials net profit $u,000 for use by the mar division. All net profits generated by audio clubs about $200,000 per year at Ramstein Are used by the base mar division and Are a vital supplement to the usually inadequate  fund allocations. Ergo Safe audio clubs do not consume any appropriated funds except for civil engineering support such As heal and electricity also provided free to cafes instead they produce funds for Headquarters and base mar purposes. Cafes has t asked vendors for  it is True that exclusivity has never been documented because it is illegal but it is in fact practice. Almost every important Vendor has withdrawn popu Lar usually video related merchandise from his Basic ordering agreement a Price list Tor he audio clubs in the form of a contractual agreement negotiated by he Safe. Each Vendor when asked for the reason has responded verbally that cafes has selected those items and that us a result he vendors will not and cannot sell these items to the audio clubs any More. Cafes is a giant and no Vendor dares to lure the stinger of this giant. Therefore they oblige. The vendors failure to oblige however unlikely could result in his bankruptcy and also in a situation where a Patron shopping in a Munich cafes store for example cannot Purchase what she he wants be cause a Safe audio club 400 Miles away features it. Eberhard w. Diet manager ramble in audio photo Center editor s note col. Donald a Gilbert vice commander he cafes Europe replies thanks for the vote of support on Haw 1 am using the taxpayers Money. I think Yon need to re read he response i gave. An remember it was Rispon to questions not a news release from this Headquarters touting How cafes in rope is doing electronic warfare with toe audio clubs. There room for both audio clubs and cafes sound centers in the retail Market place Here in Europe. An audiophile might Tell Yon that neither is serving his needs but in actuality both fulfil the majority Tif Cus Tomer demands for Good Quality Loti to medium or Rcd audio and video  the operating statement you submitted in your letter the return on the investment ramble in a receives h very poor. A return of $14,000 on sates of $400,000 is3.5 percent. It tie profit from service areas Are deducted video rental photo processing and concessionaire in come the club shows a $6,000tom. Adding in personnel costs of 10 percent cafes Europe personnel costs are4.5 percent and with free or Low Cost support received by the clubs from appropriated fund Ink yourself who re turns More Money Loire Community cafes Europe does t ask at exclusivity on equipment in fuel we have stain we will Lake second Choice after i he audio clubs. We str Only feel it is in the Best intercut of the  to offer a Width selection As possible. The cafes policy of not a Plira Tirie the studio club Slock assortment is designed to offer the customer the Best possible  offers a world wide warranty on products it Sells and we service the military member and family throughout the world whether we turn a profit at Ever location or not. Number do not Tell the whole Story. Audio clubs offer no sales support to customers who have returned to the United states because they Don t operate clubs there. Cafes customers have place to turn to world wide. We can attest la this because oar exchanges Are often approached by people who have bought from audio clubs and now need service. Our customer relations Branch has passed on club addresses and phone numbers to customers who Are try ing to get help with warranty problems. Think it s time to drop this Back and Forth Bat Leover whether cafes is taking Over the audio dabs and supposedly running them out of business. That t not in the game plan never was and never will be. We collectively have people to serve and need to gel on with business. Dodds minimum age policies discussed we have a problem 111 at we have never seen addressed in the paper and As in so Many cases we arc writing to you As a last resort. Our boys who Are both five years old have attended a local kindergarten for the last year and we decided to have them begin the first Grade in the Dodds american school on base. When we went to Register them we were told by school officials that they had to go into kindergarten again be cause they would not turn six by dec. 31. At the same Lime a Friend enrolled her son who is now five and was in our Chil Dren s kindergarten class. He will be in the first Grade because he will turn six before dec. 31. Same curriculum same teacher same school even the same passing grades and our children Are going to have to repeat the Grade because they were born in the wrong month. Now Loback up our opinion of Why this plainly stinks. I will quote Dodds is regulation 2000.3, dated sept. 5. 1985. Under the heading do c proce dures in Stales students entering a Dodds elementary school through Grade eight from a non american or Host nation school will be placed in the Grade level corresponding to their Ages is Iii in yearly progression from grades one through  British schools do not Progress in that fashion so this is unfair and should not apply. In Section 2, item a under other than routine  in Stales recommendations to consider a Stu Dent s Grade level placement program or course adjustment May be made to the principal or do signed by the teacher Counselor or other concerned person including the student and  when we mentioned this we were told of Tenil applies to students already attending a Dodds  no wherein the regulation does in stipulate thai. Section a item i slates "11 is the policy of Dodds that each student will by provided an appropriate program of studies designed to Foster academic an personal Success. Placement of students will be consigned on an individual basis decisions will reflect the Best interests of the  to sum up 1. Our children have successfully completed a full Day 9 . To 3 15 . At school for a full school year in a local school. 2. Dodds representatives at our has say that  arc five they have logo to kindergarten. 3. They refused to even isl them for placement until they attend the dopes kindergarten for a minimum of six weeks. Then we have to request testing and wait for their response. 4. Our children Are currently doing above Dodds kindergarten level work and we have the workbooks and papers to prove this. 5. School officials said this request has been made in the past but because of the Burca uralic Bull parents give up and their children repeat the Grade 6. If we accept this ridiculous excuse then we arc telling our children logo from a full Active Day of school to a 2 i hour Day at kindergarten where according to the school s own handbook the highlight of their Day will be Story  our children Are currently read ing their own stories we arc also Tell ing them they have wasted a year of hard work at their other school. Why should another child be put ahead and ours held Back because of heir Ages when they All did the same school work this must be resolved for All potential Dodds students. These arc the future leaders of our country. They should not he clumped into groups by virtue of their Ages. Age should be used As a guideline and not an absolute. This is not a routine placement. Our children have a right to be in Slid before they arc placed considering their pre Vious educational background. Ellsa Bales Klaire Mandy Raf Alconbury England editor s note John l. Is Remote director department of de sense dependent schools replies All students entering first Grade must be six years of age by dec. 31 of he entering school year. Waivers on no made for the eligibility requirement of Entrance  May be promoted retained or placed in transition classes depending upon their educational needs however i Hose youngsters will hate met the Ellaj Btl ily requirements for nary into school. By definition Dodds placement regulation can Only apply to Hose Young sters who first meet Dodds eligibility requirements and Are enrolled in ado dds school. These same regulations cannot be used As a basis for waiving eligibility  speaking the nation s schools Are enrolling Ait older population of Kinder partners and first graders. This is a result of research which concludes that inappropriate formal educational experience Are being provided Loo Early in the development of our very Young people Dodds u now examining its Entrance age policies in View of these findings. Thank you for the Opportunity to re Spond to this query. Reader encourages German american relations i would like to respond to something 1 read in the stars and stripes recently. It had to do with the subject of the German License plate Issue. Ii Hurt me thai the German people were Only judged after what the ministers decided. We As German nationals did not say that you As americans will not receive German License plates rather the ministers who smoke their big cigars behind the desk did. We had no influence whatsoever. The majority of we Ger mans love you americans for what you have done for this country sacrificed so Many Brave soldiers family members and even broken up a once Beautiful marriage. Just to help you be convinced that we need you in order to preserve our Freedom Well had you not been Here in i9so, 1 might not have enjoyed living in your country for Over eight years receiving an excellent education in your country since my father and Mother Are americans. I was bom Here had to leave the coun try since my father s tour of duly was Over and he preferred to live in he states. I As a German went through your education sys tem with much appreciation joined your army in 1967 and served 3vi years in your army As a proud Soldier including 1 / years in Vietnam for your Ameri can Flag because in is in my heart also my Flag. I have gotten Hurt three limn serving for the red while and Blue. All i am trying to say is my american Friend that you arc More loved than you will Ever realize. Maybe you refuse to make Contact with germans Over Here. Had you done that you would have fell that we trea sure you in our hearts because without you and your never ending sacrifices we would not even be Here to be Able to say Whai i m trying to gel through to you. Have you Ever asked a German Friend if he disagrees with you i guess not. Otherwise you would have found out a Long Lime ago thai we As German nationals sympathize Wilh you. What they do in the parliament is not every German s opinion. It s Only a few that spoil our trying to harmonize with you. They Are Only the minority so try to Wake up and have j heart. Chase not what is bad Over Here much rather appreciate the Friendship we Are trying to bring towards you. To end this Short reminder forget not that everybody has a heart and for most of us our heart it beating along Wilh yours for you i will not be a name withheld. 1 have nothing to be ashamed of. Robert Charles Bauer Frankfort