European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 13, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Wednesday july 13, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 3 military s real people get candid Usa today collects views at a town meeting by Deedee Arrington Doke Kaiserslautern Bureau Kaiserslautern about 300 real people in the . Military Community gave Usa today a taste of what it s like to live and work abroad at town Hall meeting sponsored by the internationally circulated newspaper. They were great remarkably candid about some subjects said Karen Jurgen sen a Usa today senior editor. Jurgensen moderated the 1 /2-hour meeting monday night which was attended by air Force army and Navy personnel and family members plus a heavy sampling of Mili tary Public affairs officers. The Kaiserslautern gathering was the last of nine town Hall meetings the Gan Nett newspaper has hosted across the United states and overseas including one at Yokota a Japan. I think this is it Jurgensen said of the town Hall series. It s not something we re going to get into on a regular basis. But we re always trying to figure out ways to get in touch with real people and. When it appropriate Well do it Community profile on aug. 6, the newspaper s weekend edition will feature a profile of the Kaiserslautern military Community As Well As outline the results of the town Hal meeting and spotlight unusual military jobs held by americans Here. The questions posed by the Usa today staff primarily focused on Job satisfaction pay and benefits for the military but other touched on whether women should serve in combat and whether schooling or experience in the military s enlisted corps produced better officers. You generally treat your soldiers bet Ter a lower enlisted Man said of officers who first served As enlisted members. A second lieutenant agreed that sensitivity to problems specific to enlisted sol Diers and airmen was needed by i Don t think prior enlisted service is necessary to have that sensitivity he said. You re going to get duds from every the Issue of women in combat also Drew vigorous debate. One woman rejected the concept of fighting women saying she preferred to act like a lady and i like to be treated like a disagreeing with her were an air Force Security policewoman and a Man Cpl. Olaine Martinez standing facing camera airs some of her views. At right is Karen Jurgensen of Usa today. Is Steve Morrison who shot Back there s a lot of women who can shoot better than half the men in this an air Force enlisted Man said Junior enlisted personnel living in Barracks were subject to invasions of privacy comment ing that it should t matter How i fold my underwear. As Long As i m clean As Long As i m Safe leave me alone a show of hands indicated More army representatives in attendance than air Force but a poll taken late in the meeting showed the majority believed the air Force treats its personnel better than the army. A Soldier s wife told the group the air Force offered better housing benefits and commissary service. And when Yugo in their Hospital she added you re not afraid of the Jurgensen also asked the audience what messages they would like to Send to Congress and to americans in the United states. I think Congress should take a payout responded a Dayton Ohio native. They vote on my pay. Why can i no vote on theirs some audience members had been specifically requested by superiors to at tend the meeting such As army sgt. Leonard Booker 32, of co a 44th Sig Nal in in Kaiserslautern who responded to one of Jurgensen s queries during the meeting and was photographed by the Usa today staff. After the meeting Booker said he thought it offered an Opportunity to pass along information that will help persons in the states see exactly How life operates Over in addition to about 10 editors re porters and photographers who began arriving in Kaiserslautern last week to pre pare for the meeting the Usa today team included Gannett chairman Al h. Neuharth who closed the gathering with Brief remarks. Noting that he had served in German with the 86th inf div in Gen. George Patton s 3rd army in 1945, Neuhart assured the audience that millions Are especially grateful for their service Over seas although it May not always seem that Way to Drivers in Germany facing weekend chaos Munich West Germany a West Ger Many s largest Auto club the adar. On tuesday predicted the longest traffic jams of the year Fortis weekend As hordes of vacationers take to the highways. Be ready for traffic jams or stay Home the automobile club warned West German Drivers in a statement. Adar said the end of the school year and aware of vacationers heading South Are among the causes of what the club predicted would be chaos on the motorways and heavy traffic is expected on Friday and sat urday near Hamburg Cologne and Munich and on routes to Italy and other Points South Saida Dac whose initials stand for Al Gemeiner Deutscher automobile club. The club recommended that motorists Post Pone leaving Home for vacation until sunday monday or tuesday. Last weekend columns of cars clogged the nation s highways As the first wave of West Ger Man vacationers headed for their favorite re sorts. The slow moving traffic created jams up to 24miles Jong in the Southern West German state of Bavaria. Police said Drivers had to wait up to three hours to Cross the austrian yugoslav Border. Shultz Aquino hopeful talks on bases can wind up this month Manila Philippines a Secretary of state George p. Shultz and president Corazon Aquino said tuesday they hoped stalled talks on the future of . Bases in the Philippines would be completed by the end of this month. I m More than Ever convinced that there is a very Strong mutuality of interest in the Security Field and All the reason in the world that somehow Well be Able to work out a continuing partnership Shultz told a news conference. Talks began in april on the 41-year-old lease of Clark a Subic naval base and four smaller installations in this one time american Colony. The review of the base agreement which expires in 1991, stalled last week Over the amount of compensation Washington should pay the Manila government for use of the bases As Well As proposed curbs on american military operations on the facilities sources close to the negotiations said. An apparent breakthrough in the talks came i meetings Shultz held tuesday with Aquino foreign Secretary Raul Mang Lapus and other officials. Shultz declined to give details but a senior philippine official present at the talks with Mang Lapus said the United state seemed amenable to increasing compensation for the bases but probably in non Cash forms such As Trade preferences and increased . Development programs in Rural areas. Shultz said the two sides had perhaps identified some methods that might work in reaching a Compro Mise on compensation. The United states pays the Philippines $ 180 million annually in economic and military Aid in Exchange for use of the bases. Some philippine officials say the amount should be $ 1.2 billion a year. Aquino when asked if her talks with Shutlz would Lead to an agreement on the bases said no because the review is still going on and it willbe up to the review committee to discuss that. Shult is not part of the review Aquino described her talks with Shultz As very warm and Friendly and said she hoped the review of the bases would conclude by the end of july. The two met for lunch at the presidential Palace. I m bullish on the Philippines today and i la be bullish about the Philippines in the future Shultz told Aquino in a Toast. You be got it headed in the right before lunch Shultz met separately with Mang Lapus and defense chief Fidel v. Ramos. I can t really say that any single Issue has already been finally resolved however the talks that we had this morning Are going to be helpful in our achieving the final agreement Mang Lapus later told reporters. While Shultz spoke to the news conference in a Manila hotel about 1,000 demonstrators Loyal to former president Ferdinand Marcos chanted outside we want Marcos Back
