European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 12, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 a the stars and stripes letters a differences in mail categories explained not too Long ago i was informed by an Apo postal employee that a package sent by pal from Europe to the Continental United states went by air Only if the destinations zip code began with a 1 or 2 otherwise it went by ship. Not quite believing this i asked another employee who stated that both Sam and pal parcels go by truck to a plane and that potentially both could be placed on the same plane and arrive Here in Europe at the same time. What is the difference Between the modes of transportation of a Sam pal and priority package once it is mailed from a conus Post office and once it is received Here i know that militai7 mail trucks transport the mail from a receiving Point to the various Apo Post offices but Are priority packages really Given priority at that Point or Are they sent along with Sam and pal Why Are there different size and weight limitations for each method Why should pal Cost More than Sam if packages sent both ways arrive Here simultaneously i mailed several packages from Albany n.y., by pal that took five weeks to get Here. Assuming that Apo n.y., is in new York Why would a pal package sent from new Hampshire take Only six Days faster than priority do planes carrying first class and priority mail leave More frequently than planes carrying Sam and pal. Or does All mail go on the same planes is there a difference Between priority and first class in the Holiday mailing deadlines what is meant by the category a a surface from conus to Europe is any category of mail sent by ship thank you for demystifying what i am sure is a Gray area for Many of us. A priya Butani Macdonald by Bingen West Germany editors note a Bill Tyler postal service analyst . Army postal group Europe replies thanks for the Opportunity to explain the various types of mail to stars and stapes readers. I will define each class of mail and its Mode of transportation. A express mail express mail military service is the fastest Means possible to Send something to a conus address. Two and three Day service is available. There is a two Day guarantee for select zip codes and a three Day guarantee for All other zip codes. A first class first class mail is required for letters postcards postal cards and personal notes also you May Send any mailable matter at the first class rate of postage. First class mail Over 11 ounces is priority mail. All first class and priority mail receive expeditious handling and transportation. The maximum size is 108 inches length and Girth combined. A second class second class mail generally consists of newspapers magazines and other publications that meet certain requirements of the postal service. A third class third class mail is circulars books Cata logs and other printed matter or merchandise weighing 16 ounces or less. A fourth class fourth class mail is merchandise weighing Over 16 ounces. Surface rates of postage Are paid with two kinds of services available. 1 space available mail Sam Apo to conus. Parcels weighing up to 70 pounds and measuring up to 100 inches in length and Girth combined. Sam is the least expensive Means of mailing parcels to conus receiving space available Airlift from european air Gateway to . Air Gateway. For example a 35-Pound priority parcel to California costs $36.93. The same parcel sent by Sam costs $20.50. Sam conus to Apo is limited to 15 pounds and 60 inches. 2 parcel Airlift pal. Parcel Airlift service is available for mail sent either third or fourth class and provides air transportation on a space available basis to and from air Gateway plus within conus. Any parcel not exceeding 30 pounds in weight or 60 inches in length and Girth combined May be sent pal. There is a fee in addition to the regular surface rate of postage for this service. A surface mail from conus to Europe is third and fourth class mail too heavy or too Large to qualify for Sam 15 pounds and 60 inches or pal 30 pounds and 60 inches. There is no personal surface mail from Europe to conus. The Standard for delivery of priority mail is 80 percent in seven Days from conus to Europe. All categories of mail could under some circumstances be accepted on a specific Day and possibly be on the same air plane. However when that mail arrives in the new York Gateway the express mail would be delivered within one or two Days the pal first class and priority mail would continue on air transportation and Sam would go by rail or truck. If we can be of further assistance please Contact us at ets 379-6291/7811 or write to commander . Army postal group Europe attn Teupe Page Ops Apo 09186. Some thoughts about stars and stripes a writers discuss raises in be Only been Here a few months but that a plenty of time to catch on to your scheme. You have invented people and told those creations to write absurd letters. The result of your fictional folks and their paltry prose is a deluge of letters from us your innocent wide eyed audience. We respond with vigor and vehemence to such themes As Quot eliminate the crossword Puzzle and Quot kill  people so apathetic they have never written to their congressperson or even voted Are coming out of the proverbial Woodwork to Fly in the face of these Earth shattering topics. Well i like it Chatta great game just to show my gratitude in a going to give you a break from your weary task of invention. Here a a list of gripes i am sure Are vitally important subjects for the suckers to take pen in hand and react to 1. Stop printing editorials. These Ivory Tower armchair politicians done to do anything except spout self important opinions and get paid handsomely for causing the rest of us to be opinionated beyond measure. There is no place in the military for opinions. 2. Cancel  nobody As ugly and Lazy and stupid As Dagwood could land a voluptuous babe like that. Demeaning to women. While you re at it take Quot Dennis the menace out too. That sorry Little brat has never grown up and is a bad influence on my children. Send him to juvenile Hall and be done with him. 3. Up to seven pages of sports arc you mad just print the scores. Half a Page will do. 4. Stop the Rotten no Good practice of printing an entire Story on the first Page except for the last few sentences. That a a pain in the a. 5. In a tired of your conservatively Liberal slant. You arc deciding what a the most important news item because of your Bias. Just put the stories in As you get them off the wire. In a glad i got All this off my Chest. Yall write in Nowyk hear on second thought. Done to print this letter the people in the employ of the armed forces will waste valuable government time Reading the enraged responses and talking about other than official business. Now \ we we can to have that can tech. Sgt. Dennis Center Ramstein a West Germany pen pals i would Liko pen pals. I am 22 years old. A Lacinia Radones Purok Camla 2279, Call Dagan do Magtoto City 6200, Philippines i am a 22-year-old army Wyllo. My hobbies Are biking weigh slitting hiking aerobics and Reading. I currently tvo in West Germany and would like to have pen pals a tip Hame Walters co sgt. Rob Walters a try 5 in 44 Ada pc to 2064 Apon y 09123 i would like Pon pals i am 25 years old. A Elena Dagoy co Lindy a la caftan Melrose Road. Alindogan Ouma Guolo City 6200, Philippines i am 22 Vars old. A Arlene Alcala Talon Talon Sla Catalina Rojo compound Zamboanga City Philippines i am a 15-Yoar-old girl who enjoys los toning to All kinds of music watching Good movies travelling. Writing and Reading. I also like to bowl. A Jessica Alberl Viale Sto Colma 57 47045 Miramare i Rimini of Italy i like Reading books and playing Ball games. I am 20 years old. A Gina Elamparo Libacao. A Ulsan he Makaylan Negros Occidental Philippines galleries and Church. A Marble Fowler 90 Cremone hey Stockbridge Village Liverpool 28 7rb lands. England i think through pen pal writing i can expand my horizon in finding friends and practice my Way of clerk for the government. I am roman Catholic. A Shirley d. Yanson i am a 24-Vear-old Man and my hobbies Are writing pen pals collecting pictures going on outings singing dancing and listening to All kinds of music. A Michael Sld Ayon 03 everlasting re. Mans Lingan. Bacolod City Negros Occidental 6001, Philippines i enjoy watching All kinds of sports even american football though i can t understand it. I would like to write to people in their late 30s or 40s. I like Reading crime and War books music of any kind and visiting places of interest like museums Art writing More. I am 26 years old and work As a i Foi a a. By c pc in prove has Bacolod City. Philippines i am 16 years old. My hobbies Are Reading books and swimming. A Lorna Tan 18 Mont Marie St. Merville Village Paranaque 1700, Philippines i am 21 years old. My hobbies include drawing walking and meeting people. A Lois Jamieson 5. Stake Ford tee. Stake Ford Choppington Northumberland England ne62 5jx the Federal worker has seen a steady decline in income since 1972. Many very talented workers have flown the Coop seeking higher wages. This year we got a 3.6 percent Cost of living adjustment not a raise and the True Cost of living inflation rate is 7 percent. This has been going on since 1972. My Best guess is we Are 28 percent behind the civilian sector in Cost of living increases. Even at the 3.6 percent increase i lose Money Over 1988 wages because All my deductions increased More than 3.6 percent . Health insurance taxes retirement medicaid and Cost of living such As food heat Etc. Here san interesting observation. Some years ago they started taking medicaid out of our paycheck. At first it did t amount to much $12.75 a pay period or so. Now its up to $33.50 per pay period. My regular health insurance for full High family option for four people is Only $31.42 per pay period. 1 am paying More and More Money with a dwindling paycheck for a Benefit i will probably never use. If our country a founders came Back to life today they a look around and Start the revolution All Over again. A Howard Futch Wiesbaden West Germany i know that it sounds strange to complain about a pay raise but the recent action by Congress to adjust salaries for the Cost of living is costing me too much Money. I received my leave and earnings statement Les Only to discover that instead of gaining Money 1 actually lost some. By most accounts i make a fairly decent salary. I am a gs-12 with Over 20 years of Federal service. The recent pay raise gave me a Gross increase of $56 in my biweekly paycheck. That a the Good news. Then i read the deductions. Increase in health insurance increase in Federal tax 1 it a ? increase in state tax increase in retirement tax Inis increase in life insurance f total $62.21 in Short every two weeks Congress gives me $56 More and takes away $62.21. If we return to the nov pay Scales Congress can take Back my yearly increase of $1,450 and i can save $161.46. In these times of tight budgets that sounds like a Good Deal for All concerned. At this rate i can to afford another pay raise a Paul c. Hickey Munich West Germany All letters to the editor must contain the full pro a name and address of the writer and must be signed. Do not read unsigned letters but we will withhold it name on request and protect your privacy. All letters a subject to editing