European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 17, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 the stars and stripes readers react to attack on it is really amazing that someone wants to eliminate family support programs to maintain a Strong military and reduce the National debt. In the Fetter Cut family support programs writer urges i was Given the impression that family members Are not Only a major cause of budget deficit but also Are depriving single military members of what should be theirs. To begin with family support programs have devel oped Over the years As useful retention incentives. After All we have an All Volunteer military to defend the United states to keep the. Military s strength at required Levels soldiers must feel that their families Are being cared for properly before they will re enlist. The writer makes it appear As though no Money is being spent on single military members i Csc me Cost effective single military members. In fact Many construction projects Are under Way to renovate old Barracks and recreation facilities or build new ones. Perhaps the writer is unaware of unit funds and morale. Welfare and recreation support. A percentage of the profits earned by the exchanges shop Pettes and Burger King restaurants is designated for Soldier sup port programs. Family members spend Money in these businesses just As single military members do. Since our Money is used right along with that of the single military members to support installation facilities t certainly would not cat this prejudice against those personnel without families especially since my family spends More than one Soldier for Basic necessities. What about All of the family members who Volunteer to work in Soldier support organizations the red Cross army Community service and the recreation Center Are Only three facilities that could not operate at their full capacities without volunteers. You certainly cannot get More Cost effective than a Volunteer. Susin a Vise wild Tuetken. West Germany eliminating these programs probably would help our Nal Ion s debt but exactly who do you think would be defending our country if this were the Case. A person lakes care of his or her family first like it or not and without family benefits no one is going to sign dolled line. No Money or no manpower Lake your pick wands g. Penrell Raf upper Heyford England. And the free airline travel my husband extended his tour Tor the privilege of bringing his family Over. A Deal is a Deal. Maureen Lvov Trmal Bumberry West Germany it makes perfect logical sense to close sary Exchange schools and medical facilities to de i think we should tighten the Belt even further and Cut out the gym theater Library and All clubs and restaurants other than the dining facility. The military is in the defense business and need no provide entertainment for its members their spouses or children. I wan the family members not dependents throughout the military Community to understand that the role they play and the sacrifices they make to the military arc Well Worth the costs incurred through these services and that they Are a necessity that can nil by eliminated. I am a single unaccompanied Mili tary irn Mytr who unlike name withheld feels that there is room in the military budget for family Mem Bers i Paul Martin Ramsten a. West Germany. You complain that you Don t have your own bathroom Kitchen or bedroom 1 agree i have Al ways fell that grown men and women should like adults. You should be Able to keep your room the Way you want and have privacy. However i m not in a position where 1 can Chance that please Don t come Down on famil is because of your Lack of privacy you also ask inc question what other company or organisation gives its workers a pay raise and extra thousands of dollars per employee in family support programs for being married 1 Don t know of any civilian company in the slates that does t pay All moving expenses for the whole family not just the employee when the employee is expected to relocate. Many companies give trips As bonuses thai includes the spouse Mosi employ tvs who must go on business trips also have the privilege of taking their spouses along. I would also like you to think about one other thing. Who sends homemade cookies doughnuts and cakes to the single people who invites them to dinner for the holidays 1 do just like Many other military wives do. You should be thanking us not condemn Ingull Donna Neu Ulra West Germany. The writer was right about the medical and Den Tal. Yes we have free surgery and Medicine also appointments. It takes weeks upon end to gel an appointment and also takes hours to be seen in acute care if you choose to go that route. It is much easier and quicker if you arc Active duty. Patricia l. Baylis Spant Dahlem a West Germany this person left out Many helpful programs which contain counselling marital abuse Etc As Well As acs Are and american red Cross. If it weren t for some of these programs hundreds of families would be in very desperate situations Dawn Victoriano kerch Gons West Germany a family in t such a bad thing As you suggest. We provide warmth smiles laughs care and lots of love on holidays we Are together with usually some single service member who does t have a family. Kelly Fontair Tom Stern a West Germany. General motors which has employed my father for 1s years certainly does spend thousands on family support programs ii has always Given us free dental and As Well As thousands to relocate in the event it is necessary. While nobody forced my husband or myself to gel married nobody forced us to join the military either. We and i stress the we joined because we wished to serve our great country. I do not believe marital status should be a basis for Entrance into our military system. We Are righting a daily Battle against prejudice on the basis of race color and religion. Must we now add marital status to the list Cynthia Engel Ascham Enburg West Germany. Tell me when was the last time you paid your Babysitter j3qo a month and then at the end of the year were Only allowed to claim $2,400 As a deduction for child care. We Are defending our country just As you arc. In is a Small Price to ask that we continue to receive these much needed benefits. Little m. Lewi Mainz West Germany Active duty personnel have these extras Given to them the Day they enter into the service. Dependents have these extras Given the Day we marry and have additional dependents. But As a dependent they Are the ones who Are both Mother and lather to the Chil Dren Are Cooks plumbers doctors housekeepers accountants etc., when our Active duty goes on Tempo Rary duty toy or to the Field. Tammy l. Collins we Brocken a West Germany. Realistically if this writer really wanted to Cut the family support programs he d have to Cut the number of families Geoffrey s. Thomas kilns teen a West Germany Don t try to make married people fee guilty for joining the military. It s not the greatest life even for married people. Trie medical benefits and family sup port programs Are part of the lure to join in the first place. Single people make choices Loo nobody forced you to join As a single Soldier to live in a dorm. If you Don t like showering with 20 other people of the same sex Don t blame in on us married folks Dawn m. Franklin Pitburg West Germany. In the military Community in which i reside families Are offered Many chances to put Back into the Community what they got out of it i m certain this is the same almost everywhere. If family support programs arc eliminated from inc military either the families go Wilh them or a com plete restructuring of the armed services is required. Of these two choices 1 believe that the first will never happen and thai if our military. Structure is Ever changed in such a Way we arc looking at an even higher National debt than we have today. T will agree that problems with our National deficit will not disappear due to so called Quick fix legislative decisions the National debt took years to reach its outrageous amount so will it take years to be re Duce. Pointing the Finger at one special category of people whether Large or Small will not bring us any closer to a solution. Up Cuiry Smith and family i Kilbron West Germany. The Wriler says Well nobody forced you to have this statement is not True. Birth control is not 100 percent. He is also insulting Catholic soldiers whose religious beliefs prevent the use of cant acc Tion. Docs he want soldiers to be celibate the army is not a Priesthood. Mary Vui Lambrook Breme Tuven West Germany. Regarding your comments on the irs yes True programs we oct taxed at a lower Rale. When i work my husband and i also pay a lot More Lay than you because we have twice the income also the earned income cred is not Only offered 10 married taxpayers. Single yes i said single parents also claim in. The services have no monopoly on married pm Plo Yecs. And they do a fair Job of providing torus t for one appreciate their efforts. Laurie Mercer Schwett Ngun West Germany i would t give my name either if i whole a letter telling the military to Cut family support programs look around you the majority of Jour career Mili tary people Are family people not singles. The mar ried people slay in parity because their families encourage them to so Why should t the families gel something out of it Janice Bennett Torrejon a Spain ocl s take a look at the single personnel first. My husband s duty station is at a Remote site where there arc no Barracks for the single soldiers to live in there fore they must All live on the Economy. The majority of them have at least one some have two and the acc roommates. I think that s what the government had in mind when they set up inc single rate bad. Now Lei s look at the married personnel. Since this is a Remote area there arc not Many Job opportunities for the spouses of the military members Here. Hence most of i desc families arc Only one income families. These military members arc having to Jay All thei r Bills on Only what the government gives them. They Don t have roommates they can split the Bills with when the Little ones need clothes or shoes the government docs not give them anything More than what the single Soldier gets. Mal Dakay Donnersberge West Germany. I have served a few Holiday dinners 10 single Active duty members because i wanted them lobe Able to enjoy he people and not alone with nowhere to go Sharon b. Cubes Pang Dahlum a was Germany when arc people going to understand that because a person joins the military that does not mean he does not want or deserve the privilege of marriage and having a family no civilian in any Job would be expected to live by these standards. Carol Griffin Christina Graham Caln Hauson went Germany. Who s going to do All the work that the military spouses Volunteer for the key word is Volunteer ? i guess if you did t have volunteers then oops the military has to pay someone to do it Christina m. Kane Stuttgart West Germany. Do you think we should pay for our children s schooling and Riding on the bus in t education k 12 supposed to be free do Yob. Think dependents should be charged to use the Exchange commissary gym Library and twice As much As the sponsor to Sec a movie or maybe you think we should sit at Home Allie time and Only allow the to do Icv things. _ i m curious As to Why you re so prejudiced against the married Scricc Mcwher i was in the army for four years and 1 was near envious of the fad that married got More than 1 did. I was mature enough to realize thai they needed More to gel by. Teresa l. Going Siriski Vail Inocen West Germund 1 would love to have 30 percent pay raise and be Able to choose my own health insurance doctor and dentist it s very frustrating to Deal with Large Hospi tals where you and your family Are treated As a num Ber in a cattle Herd no one Nas Lime to ailments properly until it s finally become an Emer gency of course if we Cut All the family support pro Grams acs Are red Cross in would t really matter because Iacre would be no one with the time or inclination to Volunteer the Many hours to keep them going we the spoiled pampered family Mem Bers would be too Busy trying to make ends meet on the 3 percent pay raises and the minimum wage jobs we find if we arc Lucky because we be had to move again " of course we would t be Able to move when our spouses arc reassigned because the Cost of moving us to such luxury housing in All the colourful exciting areas our . Troops Are assigned to even with ail the Fri cries it s exp Nisie to set up a new House hold every three or four years. The Hookup ices Lonc put you into debt a Sharon or Eslic a Vest Germany
