European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 13, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Stration ii cd Wees Fiad and sol so is iks id. 6, Avo. A .5 " and -. Day 7san entire tour they ate afraid to go out Ann. The Wile of an Aimy sergeant said she finds the europeans unfriendly and does not like to go Down Crown people stare i Don t think they like  her first two months overseas were spent isolated in a Gorman hotel it was a terrible experience she said admitting that it probably soured her on the whole tour. Two floors had been assigned to american families. At one Point there were 23 children under the age of live in the rooms. We were All jammed together and there was no place Lor the children to play except in the Halls and i would not let mine do that. The hotel food covered by the room and Board was the same Day in and Day out. The prices on the regular menu were Loo expensive Lor us to afford " things did t go much belter she said when the family was finally Able to move into government quarters. The Day we moved in. Ron was sent to the yield recalled Ann. I was left alone with the children in an apartment with practically no furniture nothing to Cook with and no food our car finally had arrived. I did t have a Driver s License but i got behind the wheel anyway i had to gel to a store. We had to have something to eat. The children and i made pols and pans out of aluminium toil when the furniture did arrive my husband was out in the Field again. I had to Lake care of everything by Mysell once More " what disturbed her most Ann said was the Lack of military support. The sponsor that had been assigned to us did nothing to help nobody above my husband s rank look an interest finally after my husband told them that his Wile was going to leave him if he did t find housing soon the men in his platoon drove us around to look at rentals fortunately temporary government quarters finally became  other wives interviewed also had complaints about the sponsorship program through the program a military person overseas is supposed to sponsor incoming service members and their families. This includes providing information about the conditions at the new Post by Teller and helping them gelling settled on arrival . However Many women said they received Little or no information or help they interpreted the haphazard treatment they received on arrival overseas As jus another indication that the military looks upon wives As being superfluous not really important to the Mission you get the idea that the army command is continually taken by Surprise that their men have wives and kids said Jean who is married to a Corporal you get the feeling that someone forgot to Tell the unit commanders the brigade commanders and division commanders that we exist Many communities Are aware of the problems facing the wives of the lower enlisted and Are trying to improve the situation rav Nicholson program specialist for the family support program at Rhein main a West Germany said the Center has established a program that it Hopes will open doors to these Young women. Called neighbourhood Cluster the program Aims to link newly arrived americans on an area basis. Participants also will be encouraged to get to know what is going on in their local German communities in Heidelberg. West Germany the enlisted wives secs Mha Labrak Mary Wengrowsky left Terri Brewer and Sharon u Ren of the Heidelberg enlisted wives club with diapers and baby formula the club has purchased Tor needy military families. Club is trying to help through ils adopt a family program Sharon u Ren. President of the club said thai most wives married to soldiers e-3 and below Are not command sponsored. They find they can t make it on a private s  she said to help these needy families the club buys diapers formula and food supplies the goods Are distributed through acs ii hurls ii touches  u Ren said aloof us were there at one time yet not overseas u Ren said she and other club members also Volunteer to help these women in other ways such As offering transportation or baby silting or just listening to their troubles. The Wiesbaden acs now oilers a Community activity financial program to Alert spouses to the expenses of living overseas and How to budget for them Alvesteffer said the program is being Well attended and that some military sponsors arc even signing up their spouses before arrival from the United slates. Alv Stelter also said she was told that in one Community the wives club Drew up a letter with a list of things the wives would need to know when the husbands were in the Field information on what Bills would be coming m. Where to Send payments How to pay the rent Etc and a Contact in the Chain of command it there were pay or other problems. The letters were then distributed by the commander to each Soldier Alv Esteller wishes that every commander would take the time to distribute such information. I eel it is the commander s responsibility to see that the families Are taken care of in the end. The commander will have More problems if families receive no help " unfortunately even where help is available the wives of the lower enlisted Don t always Benefit. Alves Leller said wives in her area rarely attend newcomers briefings in Niernberg. West Germany Mary Salzarulo Vandenberk outreach coordinator for acs has had similar experiences. Enlisted wives Are the hardest group to see they Are the ones most reluctant to seek assistance they Are quite Young and Don t know about the programs we Olter. They rely on what their husbands Tell  Alves Elfer has found that All Loo often husbands Don t relay the information to their wives or that what they pass on is incorrect. Some husbands also fail to leave their wives with the resources they will need when they go Oil on duty assignments again adding to the Wile s feeling that she is alone and helpless. So now we have a Wile with toddlers stuck at Home with no Way of paying the rent he has not loll the rent payment Book and in some instances no Access to the Bank or to a Telephone Alves Lilter said some husbands have told Alves Elfer this was necessary to prevent their wives from running up Bills or making expensive Telephone Calls to the United Stales few husbands she said allow their wives to have a Power of attorney. One Young woman told the stars and stripes that her husband an enlisted Man wanted to give her a Power of attorney but the local military Legal officer refused his request. He told him we had not been married Long enough just two years he said that if we had been married 20 years it would be different i Don t understand the logic she said. Jerry Shiles an Al Gorncy advisor Lor the 21sl support come Headquarters in Kaiserslautern West Germany said that Many Legal officers advise the Soldier against letting the Wile have a Power of attorney they Are afraid she will wipe him out rim up All sorts of debts and go Back to the states " the lawyers will Tell the Soldier to arrange a limited Power of attorney instead of a full one said Alves Leller the problem is that there is really no Way to know everything that the wife May need to sign " the result she said is that the wives who have the Lime to Lake care of needed paperwork Are not allowed to do so. The husbands must take Lime off from work i can understand that there must be some controls. The service member must be the one responsible for military privileges Alvesteffer said but spouses could be allowed More  Dawnita Douglas who is married to a staff sergeant stationed in Nurnberg agrees i bought traveler s checks with my Money but i could t Cash them without my husband s social Security number. That s kind of degrading said the military wife who also complained about being labelled a  suit Mailer pm Batty Al Contrail a to this report enlistedw1ves of gust 13,1989 the stars and stripes Page 15