European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 22, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday september 22, 1989 the stars and stripes Ann Landers Page 11 letters dear Ann Landers i be been going with a 29-year-old woman i la Call her Lorraine for five years. She is highly intelligent computer science expert and has managed her life Well even though she is High Strung and emotional at limes. Eleven months ago Lorraine told me she was preg Nant. She always wanted a child and was thrilled. I was t Happy about it but i accepted the fact and suggested that we gel married. She said it s not important to me. I d rather  three months ago Lorraine told me that she was due in three weeks. The time came and went and no baby. She had gained 27 pounds and had been wearing maternity dresses for nearly six months. When i asked what docs the doctor say she told me that she had not been to a doctor. I was shocked. According to Lorraine birth is not an illness but rather the most natural occurrence known to Mankind. She has lined up a competent midwife and insists that this is All she needs. I am worried sick. Lorraine s pregnancy will soon be going into the 12th month. She says she s certain that everything is All right because she feels the baby mov ing around and that the delay is due to a miscalculation of dates. Please Tell me what of think. Worried in Provo dear Provo i think i Orraine s pregnancy is ill in her head. The scientific term for this condition it pseudo vests. It occurs in women who want desperately to become preg Nant or when they Are terrified of pregnancy. False pregnancy can sometimes be missed because these women exhibit Many physical symptoms of an actual pregnancy. They have morning sickness gain weight and some even experience what they Are sure Are labor pains. 1 Hope Lorraine will see an obstetrician at once for a physical examination. When she teams that she is not pregnant and never was the poor woman will probably need counselling. See that she gets it. Dear Ann Landers i m writing this letter in the Hope that it can help other girls Between i5 and 17. When i was 16, i got married. I had a baby two weeks before my 18th birthday. I be been married six years and now i have three kids that 1 love very much but 1 am no longer in love with my husband. He is not the Man i want to spend the rest of my life with. I m trapped in a sour marriage and carrying around a lot of guilt for what i did to my parents. They begged me not to get married and tic myself Down before i had a Chance to live. I be had very Little happiness. My message to Young women everywhere is this there is nothing wonderful about getting married at 16. If you think it is hard at Home. Id me Tell you it will be a lot harder when you have a place of your own. I d give anything if i could turn Back the clock and do it All Over again. Most teen agers think their parents Don t know any thing. I now realize How right mine were and what a fool i was for not listening. Trapped in Ohio dear trapped you did t ask for advice so 1 won t give any but i do want to thank you for being so honest. This is not the first time i be heard your Story and unfortunately it won t be the last. Please Young readers listen to what trapped is saying. Soldier says thanks has question on Gas 1 recently returned from my european  i encountered Many things during my travel but my biggest headache was Lack of information. Since this is my first year in Europe my family and i had planned this vacation for about six months. We searched for information talked to travellers who had been around and even bought those books they sell in the stars and stripes Bookstore on How to Sec Europe cheaply. All this was used to plan our vacation. But some serious arts much needed information was Lack ing. After finally arriving at Garmisch at the end of my journey i came across a Usa eur publication aft 215-20. This publication gives the Scricc member valuable information on travelling tolls Speed limits License requirements and even that we Are entitled to use army air Force or centers in West Germany. Is this publication still published if so How can each member of the european Community receive this valuable asset i As an air Force member have not seen such a publication. Why another question Why can t service members buy Gas coupons for Italy prior to crossing the Border it s a Long jump from Southern Germany to Pisa Camp Darby 19 try and make it on a tank of Gas. With Gas at$1 per liter in Italy your monies can be expended rapidly.  in Italy can buy our Gas Cou Pons before coming Here. If the answer is to go through Munich to Vincnza that is still not much of an option. I would be forced to travel Way out of my Way. Besides that my car pulling a trailer would not make it either Way. It would be so much less of a Burden on the traveler if they did t have to worry about if they had enough Gas or not. My family and i did enjoy our trip. We plan on doing More travelling during our tour Here. It would have been a lot better had i known in Advance about All the tolls especially in Italy i would be required to pay and the other helpful information i found in the above mentioned Usa eur publication. We Are con stantly being told to see Europe during our stay Here but the information on How to do it and to do it within most of out limited budgets has to be in the hands of every Soldier Sailor airman and Marine stationed Here. Tech. Sol. Terry l. Swift i Lahn a West Germany editor s note Diana Fawcett chief. Market ing and advertising division Usa eur Community and family support Agency replies thank you for writing. It is always pleasant to receive confirmation that the los. Forces travel and vacation guide is a helpful travel tool. A new edition of the travel guide will be published in the Spring of 1990. Individuals will be Able to pick up copies at various morale welfare and recreation facilities throughout Usa eur Safe and Una Veur. Regarding your questions on Gas coupons. Yes it would be convenient to Purchase coupons before travel ing to Italy. The status of forces agreement however prohibits Selling Dalian coupons anywhere outside the country. We Hope the above addresses your main concerns. I you have any other questions or comments on the is. Forces travel and vacation guide just give us a Call at ets 379-6225. Army promotion requirements clarified i m thoroughly confused and you re my last resort so please it you can clarify this problem for me. I m an e-4. I recently went to the promotion Board for e-5. Now Here it is a month later and i just got told that i was no. I on the Ploc standing list. 1 Don twant to go. I be heard about 10 different stories about How 1 will lose my promotable status and get barred from re enlistment. Then there arc the stories about How on sept. I everyone will be required to be a Ploc graduate before they get their e-5. I m sitting Here staring at another letter that say that any specialist p that has not been to Ploc will be placed on a waiting list. If they make the Cut off score then the Day they graduate from Ploc they Willet their e-5 pinned on. This does t make any sense to me at All seeing How the number of e-4s in the army far exceeds the allocations for Ploc. Not every e-4 p will be Able to graduate or even get on the waiting list by this Lime. As you can Sec 1 am thoroughly confused and tired of All the stories. I would appreciate any reply that you can give me. Name and location withheld editor s note sgt. 1st class Christopher w. Waters Coic military personnel operations Branch Field sen ices division personnel service support directorate 1st personnel come ii usar eur replies in september 1988, he department of the army announced that effective oct. 1, 1989, soldiers must Grad uate from Ploc prior to being promoted to sergeant. It is recognized that insufficient training seals exist to train the backlog of e-4s p and soldiers entering the zone to compete for sergeant prior to oct. 1. Therefore commanders should prioritize the e-4 p sent to Ploc. Soldiers with High scores and or promotion mos military occupational specially which routinely exhaust the promotion standing list should be give priority for attendance. Also effective oct. 1, soldiers on a promotion stand ing list to sergeant e-5 who meet a Cut off score but Are not graduates of Ploc will have their promotions held in abeyance until they graduate from Ploc they will be promoted effective the first Day of the month following graduation. The e-5 pay and allowances will Start at that Lime. Soldiers who fail Ploc will not be eligible for pro motion based on meeting a Cut off score announced prior to failure they must successfully Complete Ploc to be promoted. However depending on the reason for Ploc failure commanders May consider the Soldier for remo Val from the sergeant promotion standing list. Pen pals i am 8 years old and i would like to have a pen pal. I like to swim and ride my Bike Shannon Wright co Robert w tight 260th trans Dot. Apo new York 09166 i would m e to have pen pals. I am 14 years old i Lika going to school to Tocong Stamps and watching to. Jult3, Beltran Calinagan. Dumaguet City Philippin Oft 6200 Hirm a 22-Yoar-Otd insane philosopher into new age. Please drop me a line. Douglas m Hinz ohcs thenor in. Box 232 Apo new Yock 09162 please place my name i the pen pal column am 32 years old and my hobbies Are watching to Reading music and going to Church. Lorna Acero 0279 Purok camia co mrs. Leonia Ramos Calt Dagan Dumaguet City 6200 Philippines european edition col Oene c. Townsend.  in chief it col Suzanne 1_ Phillips Usan Deputy commander editor in cruet Marie Kominicki Mert Proctor Deane b. Mcdermott production manager managing editor emulation manager trus newspaper it an Mauiri oried unofficial publication Lor members of us military services overseas. Contents 01 the stars and St ipes Are not necessarily the official vows of. Or endorsed by. The . Government Trie 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. Everything advertised in this publication Shan be nude available Lor Purchase. Use or patronage without regard to race color religion sex. Nal Ionel origin age. 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