European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 6, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Ann Landers saturday August 6,1988 the stars and stripes Page 11 letter dear Ann Landers i know this piece by Conrad s. Jensen is Long but i Hope you think it s Worth printing. I came across it awhile Back and thought it was something a lot of people should see. My husband recently retired after 34 years on the police Force. I feel very fortunate that he re tired in one piece but now my son is on the Force More Gray hairs. Mrs. W.g., East Northport . Dear mrs. A this heartwarming essay paints a truly realistic Pic Ture of some genuine heroes. It s sure to be clipped by thousands of readers who love a policeman. Here it is what is a cop cops Are human believe it or no just like the rest of us. They come in both sexes and in All sizes. Cops Are found everywhere. On land on the sea in the air on horses in cars sometimes in your hair. In spite of the fact that you can t find one when you want one they Are usually there when it counts most. The Best Way to get one is to pick up the phone. Cops deliver lectures babies and bad news. They Are required to have the Wisdom of Solomon the Dis position of a Lamb and Muscles of steel. They Are the ones who ring the Doorbell Swallow hard and Tell you that a loved one is dead. They then spend the rest of the night wondering Why they took such a Crummy Job. On to a cop is an oaf who could t find a Bull fiddle in a phone Booth. In real life he is expected to find a Blond boy about so High in a crowd of half a million people. In fiction he gets help from private eyes reporters and whodunit  in real life most of what he gets from the Public is i did t see nut married life is. Living in the Barracks tin if he serves a summons he s a monster. If he lets you go he s a doll. To Little kids he s either a Friend or a bogeyman depending on How their parents feel about it. He works around the clock split shifts Sun Days and holidays. When a cop is Good he s getting paid for  when he makes a mistake he s a Jerk and that goes for the rest of them  when he shoots a stick up Man he s a hero except when the stick up Man is Only a kid anybody could seen  Many of them have Homes. Some of them Are Cov ered with Ivy but most of them Are covered with Mort gages. If he drives a big car he s on the take. If he drives a Little car who s he kidding a cop sees More misery bloodshed and grief than almost anyone else. His uniform changes with the weather but his Outlook on life remains about the same mostly upbeat and optimistic hoping for a bet Ter world. Cops like Days off vacations and Coffee. They Don t like Auto horns family fights and Anonymous letters. They have unions but they can t strike. They must be impartial and courteous and remember the slogan at your  this is sometimes hard especially when a character reminds him i m a taxpayer i pay your  cops get medals for saving lives stopping runaway horses and shooting it out with bandits. Sometimes his widow gets the medal but the most rewarding moment comes when after some Small kindness to an older person he feels a warm hand clasp looks into grateful eyes and hears thank you and god bless you  i am writing in response to a letter you published about How single soldiers deserve the same rights As married soldiers. First let me say the author of the letter has devel oped a hypothetical Story about single is. Married life strictly from an unmarried Point of View. He is like Achild who cries about not having Access to the c9okie Jar when All the adults do. What he does t realize is that the adult knows he needs nutrition and Only use the cookies As a treat not a meal. The adult has taken on the responsibility of maintaining himself. The child would live on the cookies and soon become ill. If this Soldier believes the grass is so Green on theother Side of the Fence i invite him to hop the Fence and get married. What his letter really sounds like is he wants All the privileges of marriage but none of the responsibilities. Marriage is not easy there Are All sorts of compromises and responsibilities that a single per son never encounters. The military lifestyle has several factors built into i that make a marriage even harder. There Are times when separation occurs because of school permanent change of station temporary duty Etc. Also the military is not a 9-to-5 Job. There Are alerts Field duty charge of quarters and shift work that prevent you from meeting your spouse for Days even though you live  what this boils Down to is if you want to stay married your free time misspent with your family. People need to spend time with their families to have successful marriages otherwise they Drift apart. Because of these separations the military marriage can often develop a variety of problems and More than a few end up in divorce. The military realizes that the single person s free time is often spent in bars clubs fights and not usually in his room adding ingredients to his Crock pot. The single person does not usually take responsibilities that use up All of his free time. That author wants no inspections so he can avoid al responsibilities. He Points out he can t Cook in his room. Does he have a family he wants to eat with people have stoves in government quarters to prepare meals for their family. They Don t have a meal card for everyone to go to the Chow Hall. Cos who Are single usually have cleaner room than lower ranking soldiers because they have taken on some responsibilities of leadership. They Are not out with the boys. Very few e-6s would have their heal locked for room violation because they have demonstrated that they Are responsible people. I have lived in the Barracks As a single person also married separated due to permanent change of station and in government quarters. Frankly cleanliness is a must. When living with four or five Guys in the Saleroom there Are always some who Are slobs. If not for inspections and enforcement of the standards the bar Racks would deteriorate quickly. If that author believes that married people Are using quarters to party every night and avoid inspections he has t a clue As to what marriage is like plus living with neighbors whose kids will Wake you up with loud music. Drive by government quarters and then drive by the Barracks and Tell me who is partying sgt. Mark s. Kenna Augsburg West Germany i would like to respond to the recent influx of letters be been Reading regarding Barracks inspections and the Lack of inspections of soldiers families living off Post or in government quarters. Living in the Barracks will never be a bed of  sergeants never seem to have the need to inspect family quarters. In most cases however they do Havethe need to ensure that the soldiers living in the bar Racks Are not living with too Many dust  not every Soldier living in the Barracks deserves Mohave his her area inspected frequently because most know How to maintain their area and live like respect Able people. On the other hand some soldiers and their families living in quarters or on the Economy deserve an inspection by their first sergeant. Generally they Are not inspected nor Are we Likely to see the Day when these inspections become a Way of life in the military. How Ever the first sergeant will continue his schedule of Barracks inspections unless he can be coerced to be Lieve they Are not necessary. How could he believe that merely by making sure your area is maintained every single Day i be been on both sides and know that roses will distract anyone from dust bunnies even the first sergeant. Staff sgt. Gene Clare Worms West Germany a recent writer made a statement to the effect hews being harassed by his supervisors and How he did not understand Why he or his unit was being inspected. I question this individual on his leadership knowledge. In All leadership schools there Are blocks of instruction on inspections covering what Type and for what purposes. This is All covered in pm 22-100 military leadership and pm 22-5 Drill and ceremonies. If there Are complaints from subordinates other than the usual griping and complaining that occur when there is an inspection i would suggest that the Chain of command be followed in order to learn what the standards Are for inspections. Many times when there is a change of command there is a change of expected standards to be maintained. As for wanting the first sergeant or platoon ser Geant to open their doors for you to inspect this shows very weak character. It is a Benefit gained through promotions and time in service that allows cos to live in housing which is monitored by housing coordinators. It is not anyone s place inmost cases to question a Superior. I Hope that All s9ldiers read this letter or Are Givena class on inspections so that they May be kept in formed As one of the leadership principles states. Staff sgt. Jeff Rennaker Nurnberg West Germany pen pals i would like to correspond for Friendship and to experience others triumphs and trials. I am inter ested in discussing All topics. I am 23 years old and stationed in England. Wesley k. Miller pcs Box 2266 Apo ., . 09755-5367 please include my name in your pen pal column. I am a 24-year-old female. Llella s. Vill Sanda 171 Anda st., Davao City 8000 Philippines please publish my name in your pen pal column. I am a 24-year-old female. Mercy Dahl nuking . Store Public Market Dolo Molok South cot Abato 9705 Philippines i am 24 years old and interested in correspond ing with anyone who wants a Friend stateside. Karen Sorrell 900 near top , term. 37205 i would like to write to people. I am 26 years old. Annie Laurie Trinidad 37 Istanbul st., of Homes que metro Manila Philippines i am a 48-year-old widow who would like to have pen pals. My hobbies Are singing going to Church Catholic and bathing in the sea. Filomena y. Fau Torilla Matiaco marketing inc. Sta. Catalina Street Dumaguet City Philippines i am an 18-year-old boy who would like to have pen pals from All countries. My hobbies Are listening to music and collecting Stamps cassettes and stickers. I also like to play basketball. Zeki Tapa Yigit Gazi Pasa Bulgari Kisack Apt. Daire 20 01120 Adana Turkey please put my name in your pen pal column. I am a 13-year-old american girl who would like to write to people All Over Europe. Kelly Farrell Box 723apon.y..09127 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 . European command. 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