European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 14, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday August 14, 1988 the stars and stripes Ann Landers dear Ann Landers the following piece appear Din the Miami Herald. It was writ ten by Miriam Rosen who teaches at Coral Gables High school. I believe it is worthy of National exposure and i Hope you will print it. Mrs. . Of Hia Leah lakes Fla. Dear mrs.  so do i. Here is an edited ver Sion. Thanks for sending it  Rosen has a great Deal to say and she says it extremely Well. I wish she would write More often. A key word at parting no the red and White Button i gave you at school to we Rover your heart advises say no to  i Hope you la do just that. "no11 is a valuable word one of the most useful in the language. "no1 is a word that can shape your life so begin today to say no to Speed. Going fast is not the same a doing things carefully or completely. We put Aesop s Tortoise and Hare in your education to give you that message. Maybe your Driver s education teacher made an even better Point with his movie that blended the Laws of physics with footage of fatal car accidents. Say no to hesitancy mindless loitering along the edges of your dreams. Empty hours and years of wishing won t give you the life you envision. Push Forward.  up for it. Apply for it. Go for it say no to stereotypes we May have dropped on you by Accident. Toss out any and All mind sets about women men children and what members of various races can achieve. Travel Light when it comes to packing assumptions and prejudices. The Road will be More Sce Nic and you will be a better companion. Say no to brutality by recognizing that rambo snot a figure of Grace or fitness. He is a Symbol of chaos one single character in a pantheon of celebrity brute that elevates the uncouth to an Art form. Say no to sex. Don t close your eyes to the Evi Dence. Promiscuity can Lead you on a downward path. An ill timed pregnancy can curtail a whole life s  has added a new and terrifying dimension to your lives. Delay the sexual aspect of your relationship. You have More to lose than any generation before. Say no to stopping Short. Vow to read a Book week. Don t lose your Library card in your Rush to acquire a credit card. Fill out your View. There Are other sections in the newspaper to read other magazines on the rack other bins at the record shop other stations on the radio including National Public radio s All things  consider reinventing yourself on a regular basis. Here probably i can pull rank and say look kid Trust me. I m your English teacher. I m old. I cried and laughed and loved and lost and gathered survival skills in decades you did t even get in on. I was Busy this year telling you about punctuation an themes of authors Long gone. But the biggest message is one i want to slip to you now on this folded Sheet of paper. It is this take Hope with you forever and every where. In Mystic tales Wise ones Tell Young adventurers no harm can befall you on the Way to a Good  keep yes in your heart but have no ready  will need it. All you la have to do is figure out which word goes where. Page 11 letters Points involving promotion explained would someone please explain to me Why there Wasa revamp on cutoff Points toward promotions and nothing has Ever changed pertaining to the cutoff scores themselves when this revamp occurred according to the army times and we know they re always right there were plans to change the cutoff scores to compensate for the loss. What happened my husband is an is promotable with almost 14years service seven prior out for 11, and Back in for almost seven. His military occupation specially mos is 71l. The cutoff score has been consistently High 998. He made his e-5 in january 1985. Very soon after that the Point system changed. He went before the e-6 Board As soon As possible and passe with flying colors. But due to the change in the Point system he lost Over 130 Points including maximum time in service Points time in Grade Points and 75 Points because he entered the service the first Tim with a High school diploma. There is something seriously wrong with a system that will take away Point because a person enters the service with a High school education but will award Points for completing High school through ged while in service. If the revamp was necessary Why was it no started with the members who entered service at that time instead of taking away from members who were already in the service and who had worked to get those Points right now my husband is doing his Best to makeup those lost Points but it has not been easy. He takes the military correspondence courses but they Only give him one Point for every five hours credit. He s gone to inc of has passed his physicals has consistently scored High on his ears and has in general been working his butt off to recoup the Points. This is becoming a very frustrating thing for Bothof us and i say both because the effects Are Felt by the entire family. I know there Are a lot of goo soldiers and their families locked into our same Situa Tion becoming disappointed disillusioned and Dis gusted. There really Are people who join the military be cause they believe in their country and want to serve it with Pride and Honor. It would be Nice if the gov gasoline costs i this is in reference to a recent commentary in the German Magazine Bunte. Or. Buddenberg chief executive German by British Petroleum rendered very interesting information. Each liter of gasoline with a retail Price of 1 Mark i broken As follows 65 pfennig for Federal taxes 25 pfennig for Oil producer 10 pfennig for refining pipeline tankers and percentage for Gas station owners. This is All Fine and Good however we Are paying$30.10 for 100 liners or 51.17 Marks at an Exchange rate of 1.70 Marks to $1. The 35 Marks for 100 liners does not equate to $30.10 when removing taxes. What i want to know is what Are we paying for who receives the 16.17 Marks for every 100 liners sold cafes it is up to you to provide an answer. Name withheld Heildelberg West Germany editor s note it. Col. Charlie White Public affairs officer cafes Europe replies you Are Correct in that cafes Europe Purchase gasoline tax free from Esso but unfortunately that is not where the costs Stop. Many of these additional costs Are unique to the requirements of purchasing tax free gasoline and Are not borne by commercial stations i Germany or the United states in order to provide this much needed service. Ern ment and the Powers that be would reciprocate and treat these people with Pride and Honor instead of throwing up stumbling blocks at every turn an slowly demoralizing them. Violet Moergen Stuttgart West Germany editor s note sgt. 1st class . Kisr Coic military personnel operations Branch 1st personnel come he Usa eur replies it is True that a Soldier obtaining a High school ged while on Active duty can be awarded 10 Points while a. High school graduate receives none. Self improvements the key Here. A Soldier with the High school education can obtain these same 10 Points by improving a it score or completing one College course. Regarding correspondence courses the current system does Grant one Point for five credit hours. We Are not aware of any planned changes. The writer is Correct when she states that promotion Points for time in service and time in Grade Maxi mums were 100 each were eliminated. All soldiers on promotion lists at that time lost Points. The system was changed to place greater emphasis on training an self improvement. At the same time Points were eliminated Point were added for new areas such As physical training and weapons qualification 100 Points. In addition the maximum Points for military and civilian education were increased by 50 Points. The potential Points for skill qualification test set also increased by 50 Points. Promotion cutoff scores Are based on the strength fan mos throughout the army. If an mos is under strength within the army cutoff scores will be , if an mos is Over strength cutoff scores will be High As in the Case with mos 71l. Reclassification is an alternative for soldiers in an mos where cutoff scores Are consistently High. In fact soldiers in Over strength Moss Are encouraged to seek reclassification and help the army balance its Force. If inter ested your husband should Contact his Punco for assistance. Many factors the Coupon program which permits authorized custom ers to Purchase gasoline at commercial stations requires special handling to include registered mail in to Esso program control by Esso customs review Billing and so Forth. These Are All expenses. Each month commercial stations usually redeem 1.2 million cafes coupons not liners and 650,000 coupons Are redeemed at cafes  factors which increase costs Are agreements we have with stations such As by which accept Ess coupons where no Esso or cafes station is located. When you add the liability of the German Mark  Exchange plus personnel costs maintenance and inventory investment of operating the cafes stations you can figure Why there Are final Purchase Price in creases above the Basic Cost of the  feel fortunate to have a tax free gasoline program Here in Germany. This program saves our customer approximately 48 percent or about $1 per gallon Over local Economy prices. Pen pals i m a 16-year-old female Sophomore at West Morgan High school. I like Reading music modelling Art horseback Riding sports but i really enjoy sending and receiving Long letters. I d love a pen pal so please write to me. Kim Philips . Box 94 Trinity. Ala. 35673 the St a Lpes 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. The appearance of advertising in this publication including inserts or supplements does not constitute endorsement by the department of de sense or the stars and stripes of the products or services advertised. Available for. Religion sex. Political affiliation Orang other non Merit Factor of the purchaser user or Patron. Military address the stars and stripes. Apo 09211. International mail the stars and stripes Postrach 1114 37,0-6100 Darmstadt 11, Germany. Tel military Darmstadt Airstrip 2376 741 Griesheim civilian 06155 6010 ets 348-5741 or 348-5823. Telex 0419-332. Tel fax 06155-601376. New York office room 401, 252 seventh ave., new York 10001, Tel area code 212 620-3333. News bureaus bit Burn Germany Mark Walsh building 102, room 21oa, Pitburg a Box 2994, Apo 09132 Telephone ets 453-7052 or Pitburg Civ. 06561 6779. Bremerhaven Germany building 103. Carl Schurz Cavern Apo 09069 Telephone ets 346-5741 or civilian 06155-601237. Kaiserslautern Germany Daryl Green Deedee Arrington joke. Building 2899, Pulaski Barracks Apo 09227 Telephone ets 489-6585 or Kaiserslautern Civ. 0631-52104. Munich Germany Charlie Bowden building 16, b stairwell 2nd floor Mcgraw Cavern soured Apo 09407 Telephone ets 440-7320 or Munich Civ. 089-690-1800. Nornberg Germany building 21, William 0. Darby Cavern Apo 09696 Telephone ets 348-5741 or civilian 06155-601237. Stuttgart Germany Joseph Owen building 2302, room 223. Patch Barracks Box 171, Apo 09128 Telephone ets 430-8449 or Stutt Gart Civ. 0711-6877826. Mediterranean j. King Croger and Alba Bragoli Naples Italy Asa Box 56, Fpo by 09521 Telephone Auto on 625-1110 ext. 4880 or Naples Civ. 0039-81-7624049. United kingdom Dave Diehl building 436 Cess us. Raf Mildenhall Apo 09127 Telephone Auto on 238-2226 or Mildenhall Civ. 0638 512226. Washington . Chuck Vinch William Bartman Oast a the Pentagon room 2e756, . Box 46095, Washington . 20050-6095 Tele phone 202-697-6695. Wurzburg Germany Janet Howells Tierney Telephone ets 348 5741 or civilian 06155-601237. Circulation offices Germany Berlin Civ. 8331846, Mil. 6187, ets 332-4412 Bremerhaven Civ. 85168, Mil. 8119, ets 342-8119 Rhein main Frankfurt Civ 069 692050 or 692565, Mil. 6025 or 7103, ets 330-6025 or 7103. Telex 412712 Kaiserslautern. Civ. 57070 or 57079, Mil. Vogel Weh 7100, ets 489 7100 Munich Civ. 6901503 or 6901504, Mil. 6556, ets 440-6556 Nuernberg Civ. 712558, Mil. 7001. Ets 460-7001 Stuttgart Civ. 0711-8701496, Mil. 7175, ets 420-7175. Greece Athens Civ. 9923390. Italy Teenza Civ. 515358. Spain Madrid Mil. 00341 205-6600 or Civ. 00341 6561465 Turkey Istanbul Civ. 664372, telex 26174 sans to. United kingdom Greenham common Civ. Newbury 0635 44768 Mil. Newbury 0635 46263 ext. 209