European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 4, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse The stars and stripes a Page 11 l i Vav 1 v7/ 1 v adear Ann Landers part of what you do is give people an Opportunity to let off steam. May i have my turn the subject is relatives. My husband and i just bought a Nice big House. We thought it would be fun to invite the whole tribe Over for a potluck supper. Like most families All my relatives Arentt exactly crazy about each other but i figured what the Heck the place is big and the Back Yard is the size of a Small Park a it la work. So i made the Calls and everyone said they would love to come. Great not really. Two Days later i had several phone conversations that went like this a about your party who Are you inviting a a a done to Tell me you invited aunt Ellen and aunt Lucille. They done to speak and their husbands hate each other. There a sure to be a a sorry 1 can to worry about stuff like next Call a a we a love to bring the grandchildren but they Are allergic to smoke. Cousin Lottie and her husband smoke like chimneys. If we bring the kids will you ask the smokers to please go outside a a no but you can ask them. Or you can take the kids a Well if you re going to be difficult we just wont a suit next Call from Cousin Joanne a Are you serving Beer a a i Hadnot thought about it but we usually have a six pack in the a ooh my heavens Robert just got out of rehabilitation and he really be tempted. You know problem drinkers like to fool themselves into thinking Beer is of and the next thing you know they Are off on a toot. Wed better not a sorry Well miss next Call a did you by any Chance invite Cousin Veronica a a yes i invited a Well you a better lock up your jewelry. She a a Lepto you know. Last year at a party at aunt Nellie a House several pieces of silverware fell out of her As of this writing Ann the party has not come off. I done to know who will be Here or How Many More phone Calls in a going to get. I do know however that i will never invite the whole clan to a potluck supper again. A everyone Usa dear Usa if misery loves company you be cheered up a lot of people today. Dear Ann Landers the letter from . Really hit Home. Since my husband died i too have been rereading the letters he wrote to me during world War ii As Well As the ones i wrote to him. How wonderful that we both saved them .�?Ts suggestion that couples read their old love letters together is a very Good one. My husband passed away after 45 years of marriage and i can to Tell you what these letters mean to me. If a marriage is going sour Reading old letters together could remind both partners what they once had and it might help them recapture it. In a sure if my husband and i had done this we would have fallen in love All Over again. A a too late in Mich. Dear Mich it is a splendid idea. Thanks for seconding the motion. C creators Syndicate a army a circumcision policy explained i recently read an article entitled a Hospital notes policy on circumcisions in the stars and stripes. I would like a Usa eur wide clarification on this policy. It seems that at land stud army regional medical Center Laro circumcision is entirely elective surgery. Thus it Falls under champs which pays a civilian doctor Only 80% of the fees incurred in the first Day of hospitalization the remainder is paid by the service member. Now in Frankfurt people can still have this elective surgery performed a before the infant is discharged from the what does a military member have to do to have a surgical procedure done in a military Hospital in the ., this procedure is also elective. However it is done on an outpatient basis and is cheaper. Is the Army guilty of fraud waste and abuse in this matter it seems that one Day of outpatient care which is Standard american practice for circumcisions is a whole lot cheaper than three Days of inpatient care in a German Hospital. Is it too much to ask of the Army medical services to provide routine elective surgery does no to the Ucma apply to everyone or is it a one time Good Deal for the Lucky few who happen to be there when the army flip flops its regulations also in reference to the Laroc policy change effective on april 1, 1989 we were told that circumcision was elective surgery and that it was no longer performed in Military hospitals. We were not told that this policy change had anything to do with a a shortage of paediatricians and a senior airman Christopher j. Harrison Sembach West Germany editors note it. Col. William r. Smith jr., surgical consultant he 7th medical command replies the writer is Correct in stating that circumcision is an entirely elective procedure. The american College of paediatrics and the american urological society have published their conclusions of no medical indication for such a potentially harmful procedure. As a result in part Many american physician programs no longer offer training in this procedure. In the 7th medical come medical treatment facilities elective procedures such As circumcision Are performed based on the available resources and physicians. In one locale there May be physicians capable of performing the procedure while this expertise May be lacking in another location. Furthermore As a matter of hard fact the number of american physicians willing to perform routine Newborn circumcisions is rapidly declining. This is True for a number of reasons to include Lack of training and medical indications for a potentially troublesome and harmful procedure. There Are two alternatives using Economy physicians which can help reduce the Cost and inconvenience to patients who desire the procedure. If local physicians can be recruited to perform the procedure in a Hospital As part of the champs partnership program then the procedure could be either As an inpatient or outpatient. The inpatient stay would be minimal one Day. If performed As an outpatient the costs would also be minimized. Secondly if local physicians who Only perform it As an inpatient will accept the champs outpatient fee then the Cost would he minimized. For obvious reasons the second alternative would be More difficult to Institute. The Army is not guilty of fraud waste and abuse on this matter. The above Are recognized and implemented efforts to address the Issue soundly in both a medical and Cost saving manner if there were sound medical indications for this elective procedure then More serious efforts would be invested in offering it universally. I am not certain How the Ucma would be applied in this circumstance. However forcing anyone to perform a procedure for which they Are not trained under threat of Legal action would be unfair to the physician and certainly unsafe and risky for the patient. The writers frustration is understandable and our empathy is genuine. However this important Issue has been studied intensively and the alternatives have been reached with patient and physician consultation and input. The indications and appropriateness of providing this procedure Are constantly being monitored and re examined at the highest Levels of the medical profession. A Baum older recycling program a it works so much has been said in the stars and stripes in both letters and articles about How americans Don t or wont Recycle that i feel compelled to Tell you about an army Community with a voluntary recycling program that works. It started a few years ago when the units in the Community began turning in scrap Metal through the defense re utilization and marketing office to be sold for recycling. This year it expanded to include paper soda and Beer cans and Glass bottles. Some of the complaints about recycling Are True. We can to give Money on the spot to people turning in cans. We done to make Money on paper or Glass or steel cans. But we can sell the aluminium cans which covers the Cost of the rest of the Community program. The Community benefits from recycling because after the Cost of the program the proceeds from the entire program including scrap Metal sales go to the morale welfare and recreation fund. Also the Community is helping prolong the life of our Landfill saving Energy helping to protect the environment and All the other wonderful Side benefits to recycling. The response from the Community has been wonderful. Units Are bringing paper in to be recycled. Families Are putting their cans out to be picked up for recycling. Our school system. Directorate of engineering and housing civilian organizations some of our local German firms and the a top brass have All been very supportive. We re not perfect yet but Wco re darn Good. And we plan to get better. So please done to say that the army does no to care. Our army Community does and we Arentt the Only ones. And done to say americans wont Recycle. Baum older military Community is proof that they will. A Teresa Cleghorn recycling coordinator Baum older West Germany european edition col. Gene e. Townsend Usan commander editor in chief it. Col. Suzanne l. Phillips Usan Deputy commander editor in chief Marie Komi Nicki Mert Proctor Deane b. Mcdermott production manager managing editor circulation manager them a newspaper is an authorized unofficial publication for members of nne z s0rv c0s overseas. 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