European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 11, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 a a the stars and stripes monday february 11,1991education teen takes Gulf concerns to top a and gets reply r. A amps. Dave Didio Lanau High student Mut Thov Tomczyk displays the letter and photo he received irom president Bush. By Gary Pomeroy and Ciuck Vinch Staft writers Matthew Tomczyk did no to think writing to service members in the persian Gulf was a bad idea. He just Felt that More could be accomplished if he wrote to the president. A so in late october while his classmates in English at Hanau High school wrote a any  letters to saudi Arabia Tomczyk fired off a letter to president Bush. A i did no to care if i got a response a the 17-year-old said. But on Jan. 18, the Day after operation desert storm began Tomczyk received a letter from the president Thal assured him a i will do my Best to bring about a peaceful solution of this  Tomczyk said he had always agreed with the buildup in the persian Gulf but not with All of the presidents tactics. He wrote the president that a we should have bombed Early  he also told Bush of his apprehension because the buildup could hit Home. Ica ultimately did his dad Klaus Tomczyk a civilian troubleshooter for Apache and cobra helicopters spent a month in saudi Arabia before Christmas and when he returned spec. Randy Underwood a Soldier Tomczyk looks on As his a brother a deployed with a Hanau based unit. Tomczyk a letter Wasny to the Only correspondence to Bush in the past few weeks from students in Europe. Hindi cd if not thousands of letters have been sent. Many voice support. Others mention fears about what might happen to parents on the front lines. Teacher Diane Lusters third Grade classes at Pitburg elementary school also had a mail Campaign normally the class sends Christmas cards to the Whitehouse every year but this time that did no to seem appropriate. A basically each child wrote a letter about the persian Gulf a Luster said. The letters mailed in late november asked the president a variety of questions. Mainly a a Why d i is Adda m Hussein invade. Kuwait a v Why is the 075. Upset a and a what was the importance of Kuwait a pushes lengthy response dated dec. 17, stressed that the a world Community cannot allow a ruthless dictator to absorb another Sovereign  �?o1 kind of like them to be aware of government a said Luster whose classes have received five letters from presidents Reagan and Bush Over the years. A they love it. And it helps their handwriting too a she said. A whether to improve handwriting or voice opinions the amount of mail sent to Bush since the Gulf War began is a off the charts and out of sight a said Shirley Green director of presidential correspondence at the White House. A before the War began greens office received an average of 40,000 to 50,000 pieces of mail each week but in the last two weeks the mail Load has been three to four times heavier Green said. Among students the average before the War was about 12,000 to 15,000 pieces of mail per week she said. Ecu a the student mail Load actually had been slowing Down in the first few months of the . Deployment to the Middle East Green said. A the word we were getting from teachers around the country was that a lot of school classes were concentrating on writing to the serv Icet Riemers in the Gulf instead of to the  but since the War began the mail Load from youngsters has been climbing again. For the first week of the War the Load from Young people totalled More than 20,000 pieces of mail Green said Bush does see and personally sign some of the mail he gets Green said although obviously its a fraction of the total that the White House receives. Among the mail sent to the White House since operation desert storm began was a Batch from third and fourth graders at Spang Dahlum elementary school in Germany. A Counselor Lovely Thornton said students realize that the decision about when their parents can come Home rests solely with the president. She said Many of the children Are frustrated with the War. One student wrote a dear or. Bush i think we should talk. I want my daddy of come Home now Lam just As important As those other people who talk to you. Find time to talk to me Tyty dudes life is on Kedine a another urged Bush to a do Ever the Rejto Stop the  a a a a a v a a a a a Quot. A a 9-year-old girl told Bush of a a very important problem. My support group has to take it double hard because we Are in Germany and our dads Are gone. We request to come into Washington to speak with  contributing to this report education writer Jimi Jones support group gives children an outlet by Deedee Arrington Dok Kaiserslautern Bureau Pitburg a Germany Trudi 11, had a Success Story to Tell her adolescent support group. Her father had come Home Early from his deployment to operation desert storm. A i was Happy 1 guess a the curly haired girl said wiggling in her chair. For Trudi a new phase of coping with the persian Gull crisis had begun reintegrating her father into the. Household. \. Its one of a myriad of issues youngsters in the Pitburg Community Are beginning to Deal with in a program designed to give youngsters a Chance to talk about their feelings. A Trudi is one of As Many As 1,5 youngsters ranging in age trom 9 to 14, who attend the weekly meetings. Victoria shatter the groups Facilitator is a social services assistant at bit urge a air Force Community services which sponsors the adolescent group. 7 i he youth meetings Quot began when Quot mothers who be longed to an operation desert shield storm spouse support group suggested that their children also needed to express Elf air a clings and anxieties about the War with Iraq. A a fall o us Are involved with this a said Jan,.a spouse group Partick print w Hose 11-year-old daughter Brandy joined the edit Drevs group. A a this is a place where she can find. Some Domfort some friends and a release of her  a. Base of Licals  the last names of those interviewed Tor this article be withheld because they have Tan ply members in the Gulf Region. Shatter credits local schools with doing a tremendous Job in providing stability and help for children of deployed service members. But she said standing out at school As children of deployed parents makes some youngsters uncomfortable. A kids done to want to be labelled a said Shaffer who was a child abuse prevention specialist for the state of new Mexico before her family  Germany. The children a support group gives the youngsters the Opportunity to talk about their feelings with Peers away from school and in a supportive atmosphere. At a meeting last week the Young people talked about the upturn in unruly behaviour at school fears that the american Public will turn on returning Gulf War vet Erans and their own reactions to seemingly capricious and unjust twists of Fate. The youngsters elected to hold an open meeting for the stars and stripes but stipulated that certain information had to remain confidential. A a in a pretty much obsessed with it a 14-year-old Michael said of the War. Brandy acknowledged that she is sometimes jealous when i Friend s father returns Home Early while t must stay in the Middle East. A. Kyle 13, is frustrated because he Hasni to talked to father since he dcployedr�?o�?o-�?1. A the tries. I know he cares about us a lot a Kyle said. A but my dad he does no to like to wait in lines. If the line was Long he   x the War eventually will end but Shaffer sees the a minute Sessums As an environment in which the youngsters can,iearn0"basic skills they Tan use at any time in their  includes communicating with families identifying their feelings developing self esteem and learning to r eco Gnu Jug i risks options and the Conse Quence Sof , she said. A this is not therapy a Shaffer emphasized. A support groups Are founded in people and neighbors sharing common experiences. I love working w Ith  several youngsters said that they want the group to continue when the War ends. Community Agency officials will decide at that time if an adolescent group is needed. F k a i think its fun a said Brandon 10. A we can say stuff i  be Able to say at Home and you be got other people to talk to. Jts just a place i like to be and i feel  7 hers o is second Grade teacher Chris Chmelar wrote to the stars and stripes with a slice of classroom life from her rending class at Grilc Skirchen elementary school. Chmelar said that while developing one of the Many skills covered in Reading �?1 predicting outcomes a the following Sory was read to the pupils and they were asked to Tell what would happen next Ltd a Leo and Emily decided they wanted to paint their shed. I hey went to the store and found out a c in Pant Cost 55. Then they asked their mothers it there were any jobs they could do to earn the Money. When Thev had the 55, they went Back to the  / after careful thought one second grader predicted a a the pm would be out of the paint a and another child reflected a the Mark rate would be Down and the paint would Cost More a so Lalk tvhv�fitc.ea0,h cfssr00m lie ,0 share p ease Send it to talk the a Are and stripes attn Jimi Jones Apo 09211.