European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 18, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Ann  i As John f. Kennedy once cd a your country a most value we natural resources Are our Chils then we had better take a sose look at what is happening to adolescents in America. The american medical association published a Survey on America s adolescents entitled healthy Are they Quot this revealing and a a Quot settling body of Lurk was produced by Junco e. A is . Dale a. Blyth . Arthur Elster . And Lena Lundgren Gaveras. Here Are some excerpts violence and injury account for three out of four adolescent deaths. More than three out of 10 adolescents who die Are killed in motor vehicle accidents. Half of these involve alcohol. The homicide rate has doubled among 10 to 14-year-Aihc during the past 20 years. Homicide is the leading cause of death among Black 15 to 19-year-Olds. Most 10 to 19-year-old homicide victims Are killed with guns. In 1987, firearms accounted for 68 percent of the 1744 adolescent murders. Eighteen percent of those adolescents were killed with knives and other cutting instruments. Fourteen percent were killed with clubs beaten to death or strangled. Child abuse and child neglect increased 74 percent in the past 10 years. Over the past 20 years suicide tripled among 10 to 14-year-Olds and doubled among 15 to 19-year-Olds. Whites Are three times More Likely than Blacks to kill themselves. J j there Are important sex differences in attempted and completed suicide. Adolescent girls Are four times to five times More Likely than boys to attempt suicide while boys Are More Likely to succeed mainly because they choose More lethal methods. Girls generally use pills. Boys tend to hang themselves or use guns. Approximately 92 percent of High school seniors have consumed alcohol at least , 50 percent have tried marijuana and 15 percent have tried cocaine. Adolescents who currently drink alcohol Are 10 times More Likely than non drinkers to use marijuana and 11 times More Likely to use cocaine. By the time they Are 18 years old 65 percent of boys and 51 percent of girls Are sexually Active. Approximately 50 percent of american adolescents do not use contraceptives the first time they have Intercourse. Half of premarital pregnancies occur within the first six months of sexual activity. One in four sexually Active High school students will get a sexually transmitted disease before graduating. Mental disorders account for 32 percent of the disabilities among 10 to 18-year-Olds. It is estimated that 5 million children and adolescents need mental health services but do not receive them. Approximately 5 percent of adolescents Are clinically obese and Between 5 percent and 25 percent Are overweight. Pain during menstruation affects almost half of All female adolescents and is a leading cause of school absenteeism. About one in four High school seniors approves of heavy cigarette smoking and one or two drinks a Day. One in five approves of trying cocaine. Meanwhile 80 percent of the parents of 8 to 17-year-Olds think drugs Are not a problem. Conclusion parents need to Wake up and pay More attention to their children. Closer cooperation is needed Between the Home the school health professionals and organizations that care for our youth. Government funding should be supported to the Hilt. After All what is More important than our kids creators Syndicate a. St Pes european Edmon circulation 190,000 col Gene e. Townsend Usan commander editor in chief it. Col Gayle w. Fix Usa Deputy commander editor in chief Marie Kominicki Bob Wicker Deane b. Mcdermott production manager managing editor circulation manager this newspaper is an authorized unofficial publication for members of the services overseas. Contents of the stars and stripes Are not Nec a tsar ii the official views of or endorsed by the . Government the department of defense or the . European command. �?i1? Apps France of advertising in this publication including inserts or supplements does not constitute endorsement by the department of de letters she s looking Forward to going Home i m going Home after four years in Germany 1 will soon set foot in America. I sit and dream of the land in be longed for continuously. _ America to me Means utter and Complete convenience and entertainment. I really done to care How old this sounds we read these same things Over and Over again in the letters Section but to wander palatial Halls of air conditioned malls filled with stores of every imaginable size and shape offering whatever the buyer wants whenever he or she wants to buy it at a Price they can afford is a tiny bit of heaven on Earth. To go at Midnight and browse through the 7-eleven there a one on every Corner and come out with a gallon of milk in a plastic Jug for less than the commissary charges is convenience. I look Forward to family size meat bundles reduced because the consumer is buying More. I want someone to sell me something with simpering gratitude because i chose to shop at their store. I even miss junk mail filling my Box to overflowing with too Good to miss opportunities addressed to  for a minimal monthly charge i can obtain every television Channel under the Sun. Ill receive Telephone Bills i can understand which state in bold red letters that a Courtesy is our Middle  i can again talk to people Over the phone and comprehend what a being said to me while i make myself equally understood. No More Long Long lines where i stand far longer than i Ever shopped. Clinics with Plush waiting rooms Jain age marital status physical Handicap i non Merit Factor of the purchaser user or Patron. Main office switchboard 06155-6010. Ets 348-5741 or 5823. Equipped with television and magazines await me for appointments that wont take months to obtain. Repairmen who speak English. Pizza Parlours that have at least a video game room for the children if they done to have robots singing wonderfully Silty songs. Putt putt Golf for the family cinemas with six different movies always playing a first run mind you not last years movies now out on video. Movie rentals for 79 cents and used Fum iture stores Roadside fruit stands that sell Small cucumbers and huge watermelons. Fast food restaurants with playgrounds for the kids steakhouses with stuffed baked potato bars Denny a open 24 hours where breakfast feasts Are always served. The never empty Coffee cup which a pleasant waitress refills again and again. Freedom the Freedom to do whatever i want because its All there just waiting for me. The whole world is planned around my every whim. Me a the master consumer. Its corny its selfish but its my world and i love it ill be Home for Christmas As Bing Crosby said and ill be there in time to see House after House lit up with colourful decorations store displays with 50-foot animated Santa clauses and a Jingle Bells playing on every radio station. There la be a heart to this Christmas Day. T i thank god i was born an american and in a going Home. A Bonita Sheffield Giessen Germany a Parachute for Dugan questioned i read with a great Deal of disdain a recent article claiming that president Bush is seeking a a Golden Parachute from the Senate armed services committee for fired air Force Gen. Michael j. Dugan a to ease the pain of his abrupt  this article further states that a if the committee approves the White House request the 53-year-old Dugan would receive an annual pension of $75,900 instead of the $58,650 which he ordinarily would be  i find it incomprehensible that such an action would even be considered especially in Light of the severe budget and economic crisis not to mention the Gulf crisis for which his unfortunate comments got him fired facing our nation. That Gen. Dugan is still on Active duty is scandal enough. He made a big mistake he was fired and he should have or should have been gracefully retired to end the entire affair on a Good note. But now unfortunately that does not appear to be the Case. Now despite All the Money problems we have somehow someone thinks that Gen. Dugan should be entitled to this retirement raise at taxpayer expense. I ask Why Why should Gen. Dugan receive special consideration where were the a Golden parachutes for All those Good officers who were just As suddenly and unceremoniously involuntarily separated from Active duty earlier this year no one came Forward for them and Many of them could certainly have used a a Golden Parachute to help ease the pain of their sudden and unplanned for separation. This whole affair is Rotten and unjust it is a big slap in the face to every officer who has been involuntarily separated and must now get by with much less than the $58,650 annually that Gen. Dugan ordinarily should be entitled to. I can Only Hope that the Senate armed services committee will have the courage to do the right thing. The right thing is to deny this request from the president and avoid a very scandalous action which would Send a wrong signal to the officer clips and set a very bad precedent for the future. The other half of this right thing is for Gen. Dugan to face up to his mistake disavow this action on his behalf and honorable retire now. A maj. Robert b. East Bremen Germany pen pals i am a 16-year-old turkish girl. I am interested in swimming skating listening to music and painting. A Dery Sarikaya  Burak Apt. No. 22120 a Kirkby Istanbul Turkey i am 18 years old and wish to correspond with people from saudi Arabia. I like singing dancing and listening to music. A Nicole Logan 18 Hope View Avenue Unstead ., St. Catherine Jamaica West indies my friends and i Are ready and waiting to write to service members overseas who. Want some mail. My name appeared recently but the wrong zip code was listed. Even though the Post office is delivering the letters now it would be better if my Correct zip were  a mrs.  . Armed forces mall lady  Box 125 Winchester Calif. 92396 i enjoy Reading dancing and cooking. I am 35 years old and wish to correspond with pen pals from the United states Germany saudi Arabia and Africa. 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