European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 26, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The stars and stripes Page 11 Ann Landers letters dear Ann Landers recently i answered a Knock at my door and was greeted by gentleman about 60 to 65 years old. He had his Arm around the Waist of a Beautiful Young girl who appeared to be about 12 or the Man introduced himself Asa member of a Church i d never heard of. He handed me a pamphlet and asked for a donation. He carried no Bible nor did Heoffer to share the word As most door to door Church witnesses inthe Community do. I looked at the girl and smiled. She looked away. He squeezed her tightly and said this is my grand daughter. In t she Beautiful suddenly i could see Alook of despair in her eyes As if pleading with me to help her. The Man went on talking for about 10 minutes firs about the girl How they had a very special relationship and did everything together. Then he said to her in that right Honey she glanced at me a couple of times but mostly cast her eyes downward. She did not say word. He never took his hands off her As he kept talking stroking her hair rubbing her Back and patting her Little arms. When he loosened his grip she moved away from him but he pulled her closer. I m not the Type to jump to conclusions but i sense with every fiber of my being that something was wrong. I had a Strong urge to ask is this Man really your Grandfather do you want him to Stop touching you but i froze. After a bit the Man casually bid me Good Day an strolled off with his Arm around the Young girl s Waist. I have thought about her dozens of times since and Felt terribly guilty for not saying something. I will never forget the look in that child s eyes. I haunts me. Will you please Tell me Ann what you would have done had you been in my place. Regretful in  regretful i would have asked the Man for identification taken note of the literature of his so called Church and asked the police to Check into the Man and his relationship to the child. As i read your letter i Felt the same  for a letter that May do some Good. Dear Ann Landers a few weeks ago i went to Tennessee to visit my Fiance. We had planned to be married in August. The first night i was there he told me that he had met a girl he wanted to Date and it was All Over Between us. He asked if i would do him a favor and stay for the rest of the week and act As if everything was of. I agreed. Ann those were the worst five Days of my life. All heard was How Beautiful his new Girlfriend was and what a terrific figure she had. I was humiliated in front of his parents and they were embarrassed by his Lack of judgment. At the end of that miserable week remade no offer to reimburse my father for the Money he had put out for the wedding arrangements. He did Tel me however that i could keep the engagement ring. This morning i received a letter demanding the ring because he wants to give it to his new love. They plan to marry in september. Should i Send the ring Back my friends say i a entitled to it. Please advise. Delaware dear Del the ring belongs to you. You Are under no obligation to give it Back. Congratulate yourself for escaping marriage to that world class state of the Art Jerk. Los Angeles times Syndicate columnist Landers welcomes your letters. You can write to her in care of the stars and stripes Apo 09211, . Forces parents Are grateful to Hospital staff there is no easy Way to learn that your beloved 10-year-old daughter has diabetes. It is a cruel unfair Shock. Recently our family underwent this painful  Are adjusting to it better than we originally could have hoped thanks to the skill and compassion of the professionals at the . Air Force regional medical Center Wiesbaden. We took our sick Little girl to the Hospital one recent afternoon never dreaming the diagnosis would be so serious. She was immediately admitted. A senior  Tor carried her upstairs in his arms because she was too weak to walk. The first almost sleepless night in the intensive care unit was hell. Endless blood tests and intravenous feeding Hurt her but she bravely cooperated with the medical people with tears Welling from her eyes. We Felt so helpless and so grateful for these experts who knew exactly what to do. Two Days later we could take our Little girl for walk around the Hospital. She looked so Beautiful to us in too Large pyjamas and Little Blue slippers pointed for some unknown reason at both ends. She still asked Why me we did not have and will never have an answer but now she could smile and laugh again. During the next week Hospital staff members spent Many hours with us teaching us about diabetes and How to live with it. They taught Well. A week to the Day after she was admitted our daughter came Home Able to test her own blood mix her own insulin give her own shots. She will walk a balance beam Over a pit of potential health problems for the rest of her life but we know she will be Able to keep her balance because their teaching got her off to such a Good Start. It was not what the professionals Call heroic medi Cine. There was nothing dramatic about it no flashy forays to the outer limits of technology. It was jus Standard medical procedure calmly and methodically executed. Yet we Are not deceived. These people saved our precious child s life and they Are heroic figures in our eyes. The array of skill and knowledge that went into this Little girl s treatment was mind boggling. And this was Only one Case one disease out of hundreds they must master. The amount of sheer brain Power of mind numbing study at work Here was a some. We re ashamed to admit we cannot name them  were so Many doctors nurses medical technicians aides and clerks and Laboratory experts whenever even met. We Hope these Miracle people appreciate the wonder of their work. May they fall asleep each night with the Beautiful thought i helped save a life today and Al the Joy that merits. That must be their Reward for our pathetic efforts to express our gratitude will never match the magnificence of their gift to us. There is an epilogue. Since our daughter became ill we have continued to see with new eyes parents allowing their children to engage in dangerous behaviour such As standing or sitting unbuckled in Auto mobiles. It is a bitter experience to witness people recklessly jeopardizing a precious fragile Blessing that our family would give anything to have again a child s Carefree Healthfulness. Parents unlike us you have a Choice. Please do no throw away your child s health for Short term convenience. If a few parents will heed this plea perhaps those compassionate medics will enjoy a fitting Reward fewer Beautiful Little children suffering in intensive care. We Are sure there is no Reward they would treasure More. Harry and Heidi Noyes Wiesbaden West Germany editor s note people sometimes ask us Why we Don t run thank you letters. It is because we receive so Many we would not have room for any other letters. But we be decided to share one or two of the More interesting letters once a week. Questions on permissive toy answered my letter questions the use of permissive try. Who is Given it Why is it Given and Why in t i automatic in cases such As with single parents who have to leave their under age children behind but have elected to serve a with dependent tour also Why does t the army pay for the single sol Dier to go Back and pick up the family members when housing becomes available name withheld Heilbronn West Germany editor s note Michael Briceland Force management and modernization Branch military personnel and plans division office of the Deputy chief of staff personnel he Usa eur replies permissive temporary duty is available to All soldiers. It is duty performed at no expense to the government which must be Semi official in nature and which is mutually beneficial to the service and the Soldier. Permissive try is not automatic in any Circum stance and it is specifically forbidden to be used for the performance of Public business such As executing a permanent change of station move. Funded travel for sole parents to escort dependent children is not a permissive try item. Since May 1, 1987, Normal try has been authorized As an entitle ment to an escort when deferred concurrent travel was granted and the dependent cannot travel alone. Only the single Parent can be the escort and the command must approve the trip. Usa eur usually Grants concurrent travel to sole parents to avoid a family separation. Pen pals i am 16 years old and would like pen pals. My hobbles Are swimming skating listening to the radio and boys. Christine James . Box 193,Trinity, Ala. 35673 i am a 27-year-old roman Catholic. My hobbies Are singing playing guitar swimming and Reading. Lolita Ore a Opo Yale camb Agui Sevilla Bohol Philippines i would like to have pen pals. I am 29 years old. My hobbies Are Bowling movies playing darts and listening to music. Pla Canega Elcris sales Davao City 9501, Philippines i m a 16-year-old German boy who would like to improve my English. I like music singing cooking playing Tennis swimming playing the piano dancing and history. Markus Stutzenberge Garte str. 21 6756 Otterbach 1, West Germany please publish my name in your pen pal column. I am 25 years old and interested in cooking baking playing Ball hiking and writing essays.  #3 Amarillo apartment North Road Daro Dumaguet City 6501 Negros Oriental Philippines i would like to have pen pals. I am 19 years old Sonia r. Sag Daguil 65-2 Garcia Heights Bajada Davao City Philippines the St is  xxx to a european edition col Jeffrey m. Cook Usa commander editor in chief it col Suzanne l. Phillips Usan Deputy commander editor in chief Marie Kominicki Mert Proctor Deane b. Mcdermott production manager managing editor circulation manager this newspaper is an authorized unofficial publication for members of the military services overseas. Contents of the stars and stripes Are not necessarily the official views of or endorsed by the . Government the department of defense or the . 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