European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 23, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 a the stars and stripes letters a correcting uniform violations a hot Issue editor s note a we be received a flood of responses to a recent letter about correcting uniform violations. Although we Felt the letter was Tongue in Cheek we Haven t been Able to confirm this with the writer yet. Several respondents Felt the letter was meant humorously but most did t. Here Are their views. In too have tried to Correct people for violations of various air Force regulations. I am concerned about the new philosophy of correction used by a recent writer. I was taught in my professional military education courses to Praise in Public and Correct in private. This new philosophy of raising your voice to a More senior person in a Public place is contrary to what in be been taught and tend to teach those around me. The Good news from name withheld a letter is the example this individual provides for the rest of us. If you want to be shunned by your fellow service Mem ers and have your pay messed up go out into a Public place and criticize someone who outranks you. If that approach to life in the military is not to your liking i suggest that when you see someone in violation of a regulation approach them very pleasantly and quietly remind them. Most folks will say a thank you a and then you can both smile and go on your Way. That works for me but in be Only been at it for 25 years a maybe this new system will work better in the 90s. I done to think so though. I do wonder what school is teaching this new method. Might be enlightening for an old Guy Tike me to attend some of their classes. A chief master sgt. David e. Smith Ramstein a West Germany the Tongue in Cheek letter from name withheld about his her confrontation with a senior no Over hat etiquette made me smile and remember my own a a confrontation Over the Issue of military dress and regulation As a Brand new army physician at fort Campbell ky., in 1966. I was carrying my tray to a table in the Hospital mess Hall when an no approached me and said very quietly a sir i know you Haven to been in the army very Long but you be got your Lapel insignias  i must have looked at him with a puzzled expression because he quickly added a there let me show you if i  when i nodded he detached my captains bars and Caduceus and reattached them correctly. With a slight Wink and a smile he said a now you re regulation sir. Its Good for our  what that no did no to know was that As a a a lefty i have always been somewhat right left confused. That had been brought Home to me forcefully when i was trying to learn How to March at the army medical Field service school fort Sam Houston. Right there i decided to be very careful about How i wore my uniform in the future and furthermore i was going to make a conscious Effort to never return a Salute with my left hand again. A David Barber . Giessen West Germany i must admit though i agree with him on one Point some people never learn. The other Day i saw an air Force technical sergeant wearing sunglasses with mirrored lenses. I quietly told him that i had a problem with his glasses because afr 35-10 prohibits the wearing of glasses with mirrored lenses when in uniform. He told me that he did no to consider his glasses  i explained there a often a certain amount of subjectivity involved but the lenses had a shiny Silver finish and i could see myself Well enough to shave in them. He took the glasses off and put them in his coat pocket. End of Story right wrong i was about to walk away when he said a you know we had this conversation two years ago at Tyndall fab. I was a student at the Academy and you told me the same thing when you were an instructor  i asked if they were the same sunglasses. He said yes. At that Point i had to get away from him before i did something foolish a like strangle him. Some people never learn. But let me wrap this up. If you can to properly carry out your responsibilities like the Academy graduate or you wont carry out your responsibilities like the no with the glasses i invite you to seek employment elsewhere. The military profession involves standards and the no is Chaimea with enforcing those standards. If you done to like the Job leave. Those of us doing our Best to be Good cos and maintain a professional no corps done to need you around and done to appreciate your unprofessional conduct. A tech. Sgt. Curt Boorse Ramstein a West Germany. Well in a in the army and i agree 100 percent with the fact that he made this correction. But i have one criticism. When i went to the no Academy Loci was also dispelled of those dumb notions about being reluctant to Correct superiors. I was also taught tact. In pm 22-100, tact is defined As a a sensitive perception of people their values feelings and views which allows positive  a More understandable definition is a keen sense of what to do or say in order to maintain Good relations with others and to avoid offence. If this person had used tact in a sure that the senior no would not have been on the defensive and would have Given a compliment on the correction. A sgt. Preston Sellers Worms West Germany. As a service member you have the right to make on the spot corrections regardless of rank or Grade and Are encouraged to do so because this is part of policing our own and helps maintain discipline. But a a you do not have the right to Embarrass humiliate make fun of and most of All disrespect anyone. A name and location withheld i done to know what no Academy this person went to but he must have been sleeping. The proper Way to Correct any uniform errors would be to walk up to the person state your rank and bring the discrepancy to that persons attention without drawing outside attention toward yourself or the person being corrected. I can practically guarantee any no or officer would thank you for the correction if its done tactfully. A sgt. Heidi Webber Baum older West Germany. The whole Point of the writers letter should have been that if a Soldier sees something that needs to be corrected then he should not be intimidated by rank or position to make that correction. That Point unfortunately was lost in the writers ranting and raving Over How he did such a professional Job of publicly embarrassing a fellow Soldier. I Hope that the Day you make a mistake someone will be just As understanding and professional As you were a spec. Amanda m. Rossi Bremerhaven West Germany. As far As the Young airmen giggling did you Stop to think that they were giggling because you looked and sounded ridiculous and not because of the discomfort you were causing the senior no maybe the senior a co a face turned red a was the russian Flag because he was getting  at the Way you were treating him and he was holding his temper Back. And since when was being dressed Down for an afr 35-10 violation More important than a meeting for office management and finance offices did you Stop to think that maybe there were a few officers that he had to Brief i think not. Did word of your Diligence get Back to your commander and did he Praise you or dress you Down for the Way you acted i Hope the latter because if he did no the should have. You were in violation of the Ucma for showing disrespect to an no. Snow for the final topic. Those a Wyo Yosu at finance have to Deal with people like you on a daily basis. Did you even Stop to think that the reason your paycheck is screwed up is because you started an allotment or forgot to claim an Advance on your try voucher or pcs voucher usually when an individuals Check is a a screwed up it is the individual a fault. When finance makes a mistake and a messes up an individuals paycheck they have it corrected before the next payday. A tech. Sgt. Dennis a. Nay Sembach a West Germany. What really upset me was his attack on the finance office. I have spent Over 19 years in the accounting and finance career Field. Throughout my career in be had the Honor and privilege of working with a collective group of Loyal and dedicated professionals. In a sure the accounting and finance officer and his staff at Hahn Are proud of their people. We constantly hear How finance screwed up someone a paycheck this comes with the Job. However those same individuals fail to Tell the truth in the matter. Most times its the individual who creates the problem. A master sgt. Ray Glasco Iraklion Crete. I began talking about it with other people at my shop and before Long we were All laughing. Not because it was a funny Story about a senior no who had gotten hollered at rather because the person thought so highly of himself to write about his knowledge of leadership. There Isnit anything wrong with correcting undesirable behaviour but there is with the Young a Anco Academy graduate so approach. Cos Are leaders and a leaders traits include integrity a sense of responsibility professional competence and humanness. These Are qualities we All need some have and others seem to be unaware of. Remember the people on the receiving end Are classes but they May need to take a close look to see if this information is getting through because this is certainly a Case where it Hasni to. A senior airman Lonnie g. Schick Hahn a Germany. Your purpose As an no is not to ridicule anyone it is to simply let them know that something is out of order. If someone had overlooked something on the Job would you ridicule them for it or would you Point it out to them so that they could fix it no one Ever gave you the authority to counsel a senior no. You re Lucky that he did no to pull rank on you and Nail you for disrespect to a Superior. It is never Wise to kiss and Tell. Its no one else a business that you corrected a violation on a senior no or anyone else for that matter. This in itself is a violation of our no code of ethics which states that we will not demean our superiors in front of subordinates. The Usan wants its people to look Good be self disciplined and pay attention to detail. It certainly does no to want or need arrogance in maintaining this. Do you realize the message you Are sending to your subordinates in a sure that i will hear about you or at least the kind of no you represent when your airmen come through the no preparatory course. This is an unfortunate comment about our promotion system because our airmen need positive and mature role models to look up to and sometimes All they get is an no with an attitude like yours. A staff sgt. Karen Mills Span Dahlem a West Germany _ in addition to some people who asked to have their names withheld the following writers agreed wholeheartedly with Many of the comments above senior airman David Bartley Raf Greenham common England staff sgt. . Nelson Raf Woodbridge England staff sgt. Dwayne a. Cooper Ramstein a West Germany tech. Sgt. David e. Plante Ghedi a Italy staff sgt. Barry Cammarata Heron Gen West Germany senior airman Robert c. Favarato jr., Oesterberg a the Netherlands and airman 1st class Vallery d. Hammonds Raf Mildenhall England a writers share some thoughts on obscenity i read with great interest Brig. Gen. Lawrence e Boeset a comments on obscenity in a recent answer to a letter to the editor. While the general a position is quite reasonable the quotation he attributed to Justice Black is in error. This particular statement came from Justice stewarts majority opinion reversing the conviction of an individual accused of distributing obscene material. Justice Black was always an absolutist with respect to Freedom of the press. He believed that since the first amendment states Congress shall pass a no Law restricting a free press it follows that no Laws including those pertaining to libel and obscenity Are capable of withstanding court Challenge. In Short according to Black no Law Means no Law. Justice Black also believed that allowing governmental officials to determine what can be printed including ideas and expressions that Many May find offensive is a far greater evil than the Brief discomfort persons experience by being offended. We would do Well to keep this idea in mind before engaging in any form of censorship no matter How Well intended. A Robert Willich Frankfurt West Germany i was appalled at Brig. Gen. Boeset a total disregard of the first amendment of the Constitution. When i enlisted i swore to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United  do not condone the use of obscenity but i cant accept restrictions on Freedom of speech when what is being said does not endanger fellow citizens or National Security. F i understand the general a concern for the welfare of the children but if you were to eliminate every Tang you find offensive what would we have left i Tina. Many things offensive and one is the suppression of free expression. A name withheld Raf Alconbury England