European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 7, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday july 7, 1990 the stars and stripes a Page 11arin Landers dear Ann Landers i recently lost my wife a warm Loving companion for nearly 60 years. I am now sorting through her belongings and came across a scrapbook of clippings she especially liked. Among them was a column of yours. I have no  when it was published. She read you Ever Day but i did not. Now i wish had when i finished Reading  when i ii mined. Reading that column i was pretty choked up because i realized that the reason she clipped it was because she saw me As the Man in the column. I now know what it is to be loved. Please Ann print that column again for other husbands who Are still Lucky enough to have a Loving woman at their Side. Like so Many others i did no to appreciate what i had until i lost her. A. �?., Boston mass. Dear . Thank you for asking. Here it is dear Ann Landers a please come Home  this was the most unreasonable request Ever made by my wife of almost 40 years. She did no to make this request often. It came mostly on saturdays sundays and holidays but i seemed that i always had so Many things to do that in spite of a Quot ily Cameno the impression that i was never her gentle urging i rarely came Home Early. I done to want to gift at Home. I was at Home a Loti we rarely did anything out of the Ordinary. We enjoyed the kids and the grandchildren. We listened to music read the paper and had meals together. Sometimes we would just talk about How the Day had gone. It now i know any she asked me to a please come Home  she Wasny to just lonely. She was lonely for me. When she passed away a Short time ago i Learned firsthand what loneliness is All about. I have a supportive family and Many Good friends. In a free now to go places and do things but in a lonesome. Lonesome for her. Now that she a gone in be found that time to a come Home Early a but there is nobody to come Home to. There is nobody to do those simple Little things with such As watching the evening news listening to music and Reading the paper. And nobody cares How my Day went if i should get a Call from the Good lord to a please come Home Early a i wont fight it. A lonesome in . Dear lonesome. How sad that so Many of life sle amp on Are Learned after it is too late to put them into practice. Ill bet thousands of husbands who Are asked to a please come Home Early Quot will look upon that request in a different Light after Reading your poignant letter and they May even do it i Hope it will be a Comfort to know that you be helped a lot of people today by sharing a real love Story. Dear Ann Landers your Lovely mothers Day column brought to mind a favorite Story i read in an ancient copy of readers digest. Here it is a Mother of the year was being interviewed and was asked about her sizable Brood. A do you have a favorite a the interviewer asked. A of course i do a was the answer. A every Mother  the interviewer was surprised at this mothers Candor and asked a would you mind telling us which is yours a Quot not at All a came the soft reply. A it is the one who is sick a until he or she gets Well and the one who is gone a until he or she gets  a from Irving Texas c creators Syndicate a cuts should be in weapons writers feel i am writing this in response to a recent interview with Gen. John t. Chain or. Which appeared in your paper. In that article Gen. Chain called critics of the by bomber  i wrote a letter to you before that criticized this air plane so therefore i must qualify As a  this is my reply to Gen. Chain i read with some amusement and considerable anger your comments concerning the b-2 bomber and what you think of its critics. Let me set the record straight when i criticize this so called a weapons system Quot i do not feel that i am either being arrogant or ignorant what i feel i am being is an american taxpayer who is absolutely and completely fed up with the american military establishment believing that every single plane ship tank or whatever they dream up is essential to the Freedom . I do not think i am being ignorant when i express my feeling that $530,000,000 is too much Money for a single air plane. I done to really care what the darn thing will do you state that you need 7 5 of these planes. Well my Little a a twit calculator figures that to be $3,750,000,000 or almost $40 billion general How Many a a ignorant americans who Are not getting a decent education could you help with that amount of Money you state that we Are a a vocal minority shooting our Mouths off without putting the nations Security As no. 1.�?� nothing could be farther from the truth. You see 1 work for the same defense department you do a the same one which is having trouble with its budget the same one which put on a civilian hiring freeze because of Lack of Money. The same one which has my commander requesting permission from higher Headquarters to spend $ 1,000 yes that a Correct a not a million or a billion but a thousand. The same one which begged Les Aspin to be Able to Transfer $800 million that someone screwed up that a less than two of your toys. The same one which is letting Day to Day training and schooling go Down the Drain because of Lack of funds. Of yes Gen. Chain when i criticize your air plane believe me 1 am putting our nations Security no i i think even More so i am putting our nations future no. 1 last but not least let me dose with this comment to you and others like you who believe there is no Bottom to the Well a i resent the Way you spend my tax Money a Mike Causey Worms West Germany the current state of world affairs in terms of communist rebellions would seem to suggest two lines of argument. One is that the sometimes excessive military buildup under the Reagan administration has finally proved itself. Another is that it is now time for the United states to once again take the initiative and scale Back the same forces deployed in the 80$ to promote world peace and recognize the changes they ave brought about. Because the first Point is so blatantly obvious at least to the generals and Dod administrators who Are Quick to Pat themselves on the Back during congressional testimony the second less enthusiastically approached  must be acted upon. So today the All powerful . Military is being called upon to Cut Back spending. Note the key word is spending. And it is the Pentagon Given definition of that word which is plaguing military families throughout the world. Conversely the congressional definition of spending. Which is highly detested by our generals a to include Gen. Chain commander in chief strategic air command a is a restructuring of Pentagon procurement i.e., Stop purchasing futuristic untested bombers missile guidance systems and super tanks which show Only marginal improvement if any Over today a already sophisticated weaponry. It is All Loo Clear who is the soldiers real Friend. Not one congressman has requested that the military Transfer 54,000 members from the front line to the unemployment line. The Mere attempt by the Pentagon to portray our country a True leaders As vindictive democrats Bent on finally getting their own for their outdated social policies at the expense of thousands of Loyal american families around the world is a ridiculous ploy to win our respect and acceptance with complacency of our new place in american life a our Job being Complete. We watch and listen with anger when a High ranking official visits our flight lines with the sad news of a Slimmer military. But our anger subsides when the grading visitor convincingly Points his Finger at Washington d.c., and promptly places the blame. This Man being our Leader and therefore deserving of our Trust and respect assures us that he is innocent and we feel helpless and sympathetic. The realities seem to Point that fatally forecasting Finger a few degrees North toward Virginia and the Pentagon. It was not a congressman who refused to support the currently considered conventional forces talks in Vienna if he was not allocated a number of thus far unproven b-2 bombers. That Man was Gen. Chain. Furthermore during the same testimony he did absolutely nothing to show concern As to the disposition of thousands of military members should he receive these bombers. The Cost will undoubtedly be counted in terms of personnel cutbacks rather than dollars. Regardless of who should be held accountable for the personnel problems posed to the military today solutions have been slow to present . But consider for a moment the following which should be wholly embraceable to the overseas military Community first give those projected to separate within the next 18-z4 months a Choice. Either separate now and return to the Continental United states conus As a civilian or be allowed to return to the conus for 12 months and then be forced to separate. The current policy of drop Mem where they stand demolishes everything the military has promised to these Loyal recruits a Security. The purpose of giving the member a Choice in his her own future with the same Cost cutting eventual outcome Fosters Security in that the member has better Job prospects outside the Gate of his newly assigned Post in the United states versus his current Post in West Germany. Furthermore he she has 12. Months to discover those prospects and can do so already having set up a residence in the . Granted this solution would Lead to Over Manning in the conus but this is Only a temporary condition. Manning Levels would decrease to their Normal Levels in about 18 months. This program would work on a Volunteer basis. Those who chose to separate tomorrow and arrive in the conus without a Home or meaningful occupation could never say Uncle Sam deserted them. This plan seems too simple to the trained by to help both the Rea cratic Eye and it May have its own systematic errors but it is a plan designed military and its Loyal employees. If any plan is enacted by Congress it should be one which cannot be misinterpreted by or military leaders in their conversations with us portraying a con firss unconcerned with military personnel and their a ally. Est of military families in the forefront of our leaders tidally and sensibly slowed with the expressed inter families. Until Pentagon procurement Levels Are dras pc a pc get n a senior airman e.f., Cunigan minds we should not accept their weak explanation that the fault lies on Capitol 1  Hll. Raf Mildenhall England european edition col. Gene e. Townsend Usan commander editor in chief it. Col. Suzanne i. 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