European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 16, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 letters the stars and Stripe Friday november 16,1990�?� resentment bubbles Over canned Coke a recent article a Carrier duty goes better with a can of Coke sailors say a infuriated Many soldiers of my infantry scout platoon. We  believe that the men of the aircraft Carrier Kennedy were raising such a fuss Over a can of Coke. These Are the same men who have 10 soda dispensers which they can freely use at no Cost. Furthermore we  believe such a minute problem is being brought to the attention of senators and the first lady Barbara Bush. We could Only wish that not getting a can of Coke were the worst of our problems. If getting a can of Coke Means that much to the men of the aircraft Carrier Kennedy the men of the 2/7 inf scout platoon have an offer for them. We would gladly Trade a our Fly infested straddle Trench latrine for your clean Flushing porcelain seat latrine. A our tasteless res and warm bottled water for your recently cooked mess Hall meals with fresh vegetables and 10 soda dispensing machines. A our Man portable 23-Pound, pc 77 for your phone privileges. A our Washtub and tide for your laundry service. A our 10-hour sandstorms for your Cool Ocean Breeze. A our 8-Day-old stars and stripes for your Chance to take College courses. A our heavy uncomfortable Kevlar for your Light Garrison Caps. A our sponge Baths for your showers with running water. Amp a our bottles of warm drinking water for your ice machines. A our scorpion infested ground for your bed with clean sheets and a Pillow. And we will even throw in our hot can of coca cola. A spec. , Brasfield and the 2/7 inf scouts operation desert shield i agree with Navy it. Cmdr. Steve Honda in his decision to deny the canned cokes aboard aircraft carriers being a helicopter Crew chief on oh-58c scout of the army it 1 understand the dangers of Rod foreign object damage. The Laub. A Coke can May cause serious damage or r i?18 could Cost an enormous amount and the loss of Hie. That Price is too High to pay for a can of Coke. Here a the Bottom line the commander is looking out for everyone a safety and preventable damage to aircraft. 6 in response to the complaint about discrimination for ground troops remember the next time that you eat Steak or eggs in your Galley the ground troops Are eating res and to rations. If you Ever had to eat res is a i a Quot a i period of time you might have a different Way of thinking. I know Many gis who would love to have one of those Fountain drink machines. If you think that a bad leave your air conditioner and Telephone and come join us on the hot desert floor. What i am saying to you personnel on those carriers is suck it up and drive on. My Girlfriend or parents would love to get a phone Call from me Over Here. A spec. Troy h. Mccann operation desert shield this has raised a lot turmoil among those i am presently serving with. If the Lack of a a can of cokes is the ?ul5sl lue4ai�?~�rs a a end Are then thl 1 presently serving with the 101st airborne air to 3s an Soldier. The hardships we endure easily outweigh the cans of Coke we get Helenm a a we sleep on the around we sleep in an sap a tent we drink Bot water in the daytime have no phones to Call our wives and get sporadic mail service. We eat res instead of hot meals All Day and we get one Shower every four Days. Up a i Wou id gladly give my can of Coke to a Sailor if he would endure All that and Hump my m-60 machine gun and 100-Pound-plus Rucksack through 120-plus-de-Gree heat when the firing starts. A spec. Jason l. Bailey operation desert shield i am on Board the Carrier Independence and proud to of operation desert shield. I can understand or minimizing trash and keeping Roaches off the ship. Foreign object damage hazards Are also hard to fight on an aircraft Carrier.1 have deployed on three different aircraft carriers All smaller than the Juk and we have always managed instead of Coke its bottled water to quench that desert thirst. A amps Vince Crawley to work out any problems. Good housekeeping goes a Long Way. A cold can of soda can really improve a Sailor s Day at sea. Any Sailor on an aircraft Carrier can Tell that a soda from the mess decks is not the a real  to the Carrier John f. Kennedy i ask that you give our shipmates their canned soda Back. A Petty officer 1st class Leroy e. Mumford operation desert shield id be Happy for a free Fountain soda. During a sailors tour of duty on a ship he regularly spends Long cruises at sea. Now in the midst of a crisis everybody fusses about luxury items. What difference is this cruise compared to others really we have a Mission a real world Mission then they want to complain Bush congressmen and even first lady Barbara when i and everyone else signed on the dotted line i a exp what a Nate Benjamin did. In a in the desert in saudi Arabia and in a glad to have tra tons and cots. I could complain about dozens of things drivera15 cd Nofu ctr we have t0 suck in up and i hear people Gripe about the inconveniences All the time and it makes me sick. Be glad you have the com you Gandalf Othra get something you done to be Happy for them. As an infantryman i find that the Only Way to survive and not be a miserable person�o"4 2s 5ss3 a Wihr Coke when i get Home?16 Mission a a a Quot do Dri Quot a spec. Todd c. Bollinger operation desert shield Tnie that a Large number of Indi Uduak a a a a with the commanding officers decision to keep Juk ��?��mo8t Chines �414�?T"�?Tit a t no properly of not stocked axas the y w0lk Lem that lies within our own Ahkii it a prob those who maintain and Stock soft drink Ftp is upon while it is True that the Lack of Cane k reduce the pest problem that every ship fares the important Factor is the trash tapes the most Hoard All . Navy shins the is problem As a a Posable waste program hat Allowe the a s a it biodegradable a Otto a Apia titans ofhr0111�?T Renals Are bagged and stored no a j a other a port of Call or a Supply ship that has thu a reachin8 a Fer this waste to ume of cans Woulff create �lo4 add and xp1 deployment. Colossal Nightmare during i for one do not accept the concern pose a Fod foreign object dams Loans oui the daily vigilance paced on Fod. Pro Blem due to i suggest that the main concerns Are ctn. And added Large volume of trash stoc sides inability to use trash containers and yes an increased pest control problem. Of course lets not forget the extra Man hours of maintaining equipment and replacement parts stocking of equipment and merchandise plus financial and administrative support. Fond of Petty i agree. Complaining about whether we have canned soft drinks on Board does seem Petty compared to the comforts that the other services enjoy. We who serve on naval ships put in Long and hard Days far from Home and our duty is unique from others i submit that a Large percentage of us have chosen not to be with the ground troops by enlisting in the Navy to serve our country based on an idea that life aboard ship is More comfortable than in the Jungle or desert with ground forces. With that thought in mind canned soda seems a Small Price to pay for a clean dry Cool warm place to serve and live far from Home. Petty officer 1st class . Luse operation desert shield first let me say that All of us in the armed forces close what Branch to enter and naturally some branches live better than others. Please let me enlighten you on How most All soldiers and i will not forget the marines live in the Field a we Wash from a 5-gallon can of water. A we Wash clothes in a 3-gallon bucket. A our dining facility is our Lap a eating res. A we sleep on the hoods of vehicles the ground or anywhere that it is Safe to lie. A our air conditioner is the desert Breeze. A the Only College courses my men receive is survival training. They do not receive credit for it. A water is rationed daily to All my men. A most of us Are so far away from civilization that we do not receive any radio signal. A the stars and stripes is always seven Days behind Hay no to. We have no recreational equipment except for playing cards. A we dig holes to perform our daily Constitution a we have no Exchange to Purchase goods. Not or morale boosters Are our mail and our one can of soda a Day. N Inot c01"plain about what they do no instead they make the Best of what they do have. On a a fat time you walk by the soda Fountain and take Cia Tjit cup 3 11 up to cold and Sweet apprent ill be Ause when we get ours its sometimes warm. ?,3? because its a soda we Are non complainers of the Carrier Ion Ion a Navy. You Are All doing a fantastic us we a five in e great work 011 guarding the Gulf. As for us we will hold ground for As Long As it takes. Moonlight a in used to write w3s staff sgt. John p. A invite operation desert shield pfc pc a Tephen Worth sgt. Jack Smith Sec spec. Nathaniel Copeland sol Christopher Maes