European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 21, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday july 21, 1990 the stars and Stripe Sann Landers dear Ann Landers i would like to respond to the letter written by a Mother in Brandywine my. Her son was addicted to drugs. She started out by saying a no one knows the heartache ,., a i would like to Tell her that i know and so do millions of other parents. We experienced All those awful feelings she described a a pain anguish despair hopelessness and a terrible sense of failure. What saved us was an organization called families Anonymous. The people we met there had All been through what we were suffering. They gave us the strength and the emotional support we needed to carry on. It is impossible to describe the benefits we derived from families Anonymous people took us right in and opened their hearts to us. They knew what we were going through because they had experienced the same thing themselves. There Are chapters of families Anonymous All Over the country. You can find them in the Telephone Book. Like alcoholics Anonymous it costs nothing to join. People Call one another by their first names. For those who wish to keep their memberships secret it is easy to do so. Please publish this letter and Pray that the Mother in Brandywine will see it. Best wishes and bless you for getting the word out Ann. A Betty in Ohio dear Betty thanks for another Opportunity to Tell my Reading audience about families Anonymous. I have been recommending this organization for years. For those who would like More information Send a self addressed stamped envelope to families Anonymous. . Box 528, Van Guys Calif. 91408. Dear Ann Landers it has happened a Hundred times before but tonight the Straw broke this camels Back. I am a member of the clergy. Upon arriving at a Public function i was asked if i would offer the invocation. It is disconcerting to be asked at the last moment because i cannot do my Best. I complied with the request even though i was not Happy about it. On several occasions i have been asked without warning to a say something at parties picnics family reunions business dinners and Community gatherings. When this happens i am reasonably certain that the first Choice Clergyman did no to show up or that no one thought about a Blessing until the affair was about to begin. Also Ann i do not appreciate an invitation to invoke gods Blessing on a new Power Plant or a supermarket. Nor do i enjoy being asked to offer a Brief prayer that will fit All denominations. What these people really want is for me to hurry up and get it Over with so they can go Back to what they were talking about before they were so rudely interrupted. To them the Best part of the prayer is  obviously i cannot sign my name to this but i do Hope you will print it. Please Call me a a Clergyman in Harrisburg dear Harrisburg thank you for being so candid. In a sure thousands of your colleagues will bless you for speaking their minds today. Gem of the Day the person who smiles when everything goes wrong has already thought of someone he can blame it on. C creators Syndicate Pago 11 letters a writers decry proposed closure of Agency editor s note a the following letters were being prepared for print when a Story it appeared thursday on the same subject. Regarding the recent stripes news item concerning the study of closure of . Army recreation services support Center. Europe a Sarusce any study of the operational efficiency of a Sarusce should include the millions of dollars saved annually at the customer level . Community mar activities and department of defense activities throughout use com by buying from a Sarusce. The june 30 article on the a Sarusce closure study was based on a a spoon fed news release which trivialized users Scep a Quality of life Mission by the omission of the vast Range of programs supported and All on a reimbursable basis. Sports child care Bowling Auto shop billiards units outdoor recreation youth centers schools photo and recreation centers Are among the programs which will be affected by a Sarusce closure but were not mentioned in the article. Arts and crafts supplies costumes and graphic arts Are indeed important facets of the total mar program but Are far from being Foremost among a Sarusce functions. Consider that in the last 12 months a Sarusce has provided on a reimbursable basis to use com recreation programs 5,000 dozen softballs 3,300 sets of Bowling pins 5,400 boxes of crayons 45,000 Board feet of Hardwood lumber 1,500 Power lifting plates 100 wheel balancers car jacks and tire changers 250 tons of athletic Field non toxic marking Chalk 3,000 Ping Pong paddles 350 refinished Bowling lanes 27,000 sheets of endpaper 2,000 youth Mouth guards 600 easter Bunny and Santa Claus suits 250,000 skeins of embroidery floss All colors and Many More items not mentioned. As the inevitable a build Down Quot in Europe occurs users Scep a role in fulfilling Gen. Crosbie saints express commitment to maintain usage urn a Quality of life will become More important than Ever. Imagine paying considerably More for the above listed supplies and services waiting much longer to get them from nonuser Friendly sources after much More costly and difficult procurement procedures. Then assess the feasibility of a Sarusce closure upon communities ability to provide self sustaining programs to service members civilians and their families. Additional savings in the millions of dollars can be realized by recycling serviceable mar supplies and equipment both appropriated fund and non appropriated fund As base closures occur. This is already part of the a Sarusce Mission a to act As a Central turn in and re Issue Point for non Standard recreational commodities. A system to do this is already in place. No need for any More Complex and costly staff studies a some of which Are based upon false premises at the outset and fortified with selected data a to arrive at a preconceived conclusion. A James p. Ehrenreich Aschaffenbur West Germany. Fact a Sarusce has four operating divisions each with a unique role in support of the troops and communities of All . Forces in Europe a army air Force and Navy. The total net operating budget is $ 1.8 million not the $3 million reported. The preponderance of the operations Are non appropriated fund activities which do not rely on taxpayer dollars. Fact the Bowling and billiards division is tasked with providing non appropriated fund support of the Bowling and billiards centers located in each Community Ana troop unit. These services Are performed under competitive bid bids which consistently Are 20 percent lower than equivalent services performed by civilian firms. The reduction in maintenance and installation of new equip ment results in lower user fees for these activities. The division is self supported from the revenues generated and results in no Cost to the government. Fact Supply division provides a Quick response Low Cost inventory of supplies supporting Neucom sports youth ports outdoor recreation recreation on tors child care enters automotive Craft shops and entertainment arts and crafts programs. The use of bulk purchasing reduces costs incurred by the communities in the acquisition of such Materia and reduces the need of the Community to invest Laige sums of Naf dollars in maintaining inventories adequate to support those programs. Appropriated fund acquired supplies Are passed to communities and troops at Cost a nominal service charge is attached to Naf material to defray administrative costs of procurement and warehousing. The Naf savings Are passed to the communities and troops supported and Are largely self sustaining. It appears that the analysis of this program is not taking into account the needs of the communities nor of the troops and their families. In 1988 a similar proposal was fielded and input received from Field elements indicated Strong support for the a Sarusce program As being essential to the Usa eur Quality of Fife program. If indeed an open and fair analysis would reveal that cessation of a Sarusce activities would result in reduced costs at the same level of support to the communities and not shift increased costs to the communities where it could not be scrutinized As openly then i say by All Means go ahead. However the analysis is be in performed with apparently no input from users so nor from the customer base. A name withheld a Schaffenburg West Germany. A Sarusce has Over 42 years of experience in providing support to eurom in areas of sports youth sports outdoor recreation entertainment programs recreation centers child care centers automotive Craft shops and unit Day rooms. The list goes on and on. Last years turnover was $12 million in items that were purchased at Low bulk prices. The savings were passed on to the most important people we have a a our soldiers airmen sailors and their families in Europe. The alternatives Are that each of the communities procure locally or from the United states All appropriated and non appropriated fund stocks and equipment. There would be no in country stocks available from a Central distribution Point for programs. Communities would have to forecast and Stock their own mar supplies. This would require added personnel in the communities. The control Over safety Quality and specifications would become a Community responsibility since smaller quantities would be ordered there would be no bulk discounts. Savings realized from closure would be offset by higher procurement costs. This Means higher Cost to the taxpayers. The second alternative would be for cafes to assume the Mission of a Sarusce. While cafes docs a commendable Job in providing service members with consumer goods they operate at a Mark up in order to provide funds to mar. There would be no savings just the opposite increased Costa to our service members. Many Exchange customers have had great difficulty finding what they want on the shelf when they want it. What happens when 5,000 dozen softballs and 15,000 youth baseballs Are added to the Stock flow a Sarusce is a vital sometimes unseen supporter of every Quality of life activity in Neucom. It would be a shame to lose it. A name withheld Asch Tetenburg West German the is and ipes european edition col Oene e. Townsend Lisa commander editor in chief it. Col Suzanne l Phillips u8af Deputy co Mindar editor in chief Marie Kominicki meat Proctor Deane b. Mcdermott production manager managing editor circulation manager this newspaper is in authorized not tidal publication Tor members of the military services overseas. Contents of tha stars and stripes or not necessarily the official views of. Or endorsed by. The . Government the department of defense or the . European command. 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