European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 9, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Family separation blues staying in touch does wonders for morale by William h. Mcmichaels of a to j Rio you loved Rirs a a tool no or it iry Halo and a or vhf a you be Curie Lar 30on a we prob pm in Germany or 12 months on 3 Lour of Korea. The Leeling cart tie much tile -.ame, loneliness emptiness or Lor those Wilh cd Karen. The sense that you re missing key si3qc5 in their development for single soldiers especially the younger ones being away from Home for to first time can prompt those feelings and it s alien no Tun for the Young spouse who arrives in Germany to spend 30 Days alone in a foreign country either. But planning ahead for those times of separation using the support resources Al hand and keeping Iho lines of communication open works wonders. That s How Many 1st amid div Sowers have Learned to Cope Wilh being apart for extended periods. Keeping in touch is probably More important than anything i try to Call Home every Tew Days and jus stay said sgt. James Hopkins of cob test in 35th Armor a senior gunner who is married and has an 8 year old son. If i Call Belore 8 30 Al night 1 gel to talk to him he said i miss him growing up he s learning a lot of Stull. And i m not experiencing thai sometimes " How much to stay in Ciuch varies irom person to person so Lone Pearson a gunner with co b. Tries to Call every Day. If i Don to she Calls me said the lather of two. But like Hopkins Pearson said that phone Calls Are no Way to keep up with the development of his kids especially one who s 7 months old now he s rolling Over and he s Starling to notice his hands and my older boy. He cries himself to sleep saying he misses his daddy i just put it out of my for soldiers in the Field slaying Busy is important. While on duty that s usually nol a problem. But during Down time most soldiers seem to favor recreational activities that Range from a strenuous workout to toying cards ii they re nol sleeping that is. A unit s leadership can make a big difference in easing the stress of Licud duly. During Irons Lar 88-a, the division s combined arms combat Man Euver evaluation. Cab 47lh support in s stay Al Hohe Lols was cased with a visit by the soldiers wives and children the commander Cape George Cro re also managed to rotate his personnel one or two Al a Lime to to Soo Ifica Ami ties or simply to Lake a break ii someone has logo Back to a pail Bulut Ihm slay overnight unless it s critical to said. Crowed whoop a Jill was expelling to give Hilli any nay of then third child sail it to pcs a lol of Carull Niiori Gomon i want my lieutenants and platoon sergeants to know the families so Hoy can spot problems Hon they Rich Cap " crowd raid his Section in ii this Tust in the of concern Pat song Dowie Tymn in of Field Etnan Martinez Tot Miguel riven Pablo Torres angst Tomu ind Victor Monell. Keeping morale High during periods of separation is a two Way Street said Cape. Paul Smith commander of co b. 1 sign 35lh Armor and his unit is one of Many with a support group for the wives. They have meeting to keep things going and gel logo hers to keep the wives he said. They also hold meeting before we go so thai everyone knows Foi some the support group is one s own family. That s Iha Case Lor Stafl sol. James Woods of cob whose wife and kids Are Back in the slates while he Waits Loi quarters in Furth. His wife he said swaps out babysit Ling Wilh other spouses. Ii helps her get out from Iho stress said Woods who s been separated Lor two months with Al Lossl Anol Hor our to go. I cd Tiomno about every to weeks. I think the kids write too i get Little drawings in Iho his Germany assignment. Hough pales the 12 months to spent in Korea it Lough he said. There was a lol of poor pressure to Rio downtown Rind have a Good time " f3gi will am 111 Avind Pilj Erma Bombeck do you suppose while we re Gol Ling rid of All the social ills of the world we could abolish the traditional Dois or head Lable this slap ool dinners and banquets Ovey where is the ultimate horror of everyone who has Ever had to sit at one. Tor those at you who have never had the . Try to imagine being assigned to a table the si2e of a football Licud with nothing to do bul stare out into a crowd and Chew to begin Wilh there Are no Good seals and no rules on a dais it s not like sitting in Economy class on on airline where everyone uncrossed and crosses his legs in the same direction. Some think it is deadly to have the end Seal nol necessarily. It the end diner gets there first and grabs the attention of the person sitting next to him. Kiriat forces the third from the end to turn to his right or Iclet. By the time you get to the Center it could leave the person next to the local can in a Siberia theg Ioup on inc other Cido of Iho lace a has Page 16 the stars and stripes turned to Ira right however. Iho person could Gol Lucky and carry on a conversation Wilh fhe Peison on the other Side of the microphone three feel away Al Hoy to real Lucky the microphone could be open sitting on the dais carries with in a huge res Ponsini i to begin , you Are Ter cd Liitt and everyone looks Al you Lor your reaction to the food. Throwing your Napkin Over the Good on your plate and summoning a waiter to remove in immediately could Sway an entire room ii also gives you More time to kit while the rest of the room is being served i be spent a lol of time alone on these i broncs and i would advise you to keep Busy. I once sat through Art entire meal while Parl cars on my left and on my Rig til Ujcic engaged in conversations on the older Side of them. Alter i had drawn a Chain of Flowers around my place card read the program and made margin notes in in rearranged the Lood on my plate in alphabetical older clockwise cleaned my glasses lightened Tho lids on the sail and Pepper set my Walch asked Ino waiter monday May 9, Sibb about his family kept Alert mentally by trying to remember my old phone numbers and License plates and a cod like i was looking for someone in Iha audience i began to Chew and Claro at the people staring at me. When you Aro eating in front of a roomful of people count on the food to inflate White in is in your Mouth. Crackers that normally snap will crumble Down your Chin. Clear consomme will become stingy. And no Mailer How Many Days the ice Cream has been silting there it will turn to Stone when you dip your spoon Inlo it. A couple of months ago i was on a dais when i saw a Man Down Tho Lable from to who had been abandoned by Nis dinner companion. He had been chewing and staring Al Iho crowd for a Long period of Lime. Finally i ventured. Or. President was it something you bbjd7" president Jimmy Carter shrugged and smiled i think it s lonelier at the lop than you can imagine Copf Allbut is81ehma to mock
