European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 2, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                War s dead end iraqi soldiers surrender to the americans during the Gulf War. Thousands of these soldiers in pow Camps in saudi Arabia do not want to return to  Heartbreak is not knowingly Susan Sachs new Day. For thousands of shattered iraqi families the War May never end. Sorting out the missing the displaced and the dead from the persian Gulf War and subsequent rebellions could take years. Quot we be never sorted out what happened to thousands and thousands of people Here Quot said one red Cross official familiar with iraqis wars Over the past decade. Quot you be had a mass disappearance of  past iraqi conflicts Are a guide the accounting May never be Complete spawning a human tragedy of immense proportions. A at least 15,000 iraqi soldiers in saudi prisoner of War Camps done to want their families informed that they Are even alive because they refuse to return to Iraq. Mass Graves of iraqi soldiers Are still being discovered on the kuwaiti Battlefield. A iraqis killed in the shiite uprising in Southern Iraq when bodies reportedly were bulldozed into pits May never be accounted for because the Baghdad regime does not want the magnitude of the rebellion known. A the whereabouts of some 4,000 kuwaitis arrested by iraqi occupation troops Are still unknown. And a pathetic new class of displaced person has emerged More than 3,500 kuwaitis mostly women and children trapped for a variety of reasons in Iraq during the War Are being held in iraqi military prisons because kuwaiti authorities won t allow them to return Home. A Iraq has not released a count of its military casualties nor Given a reliable tally of civilian War deaths. The Pentagon has a said that up to 100,000 iraqi soldiers May have been killed in the War but admits a margin of error in its estimate of 50 percent. Depending on which iraqi official is consulted the civilian casualty toll ranges from 1,000 up to tens of thousands. Quot this is our internal affair Quot said one government minister in an interview granted on the condition his name would not be disclosed. A when conditions have returned to Normal we will release these  Relief officials said Many iraqi casualties were shipped Back from the front lines before the ground War began although they have been unable to verify How Many. So far Only 457 iraqi soldiers have been found and buried on the kuwaiti Battlefield by . Forces and most of these have not been identified red Cross officials said. The allies also reported recently the location of a mass grave in the kuwaiti desert according to Antonella Notari coordinator of the International committee for the red Cross tracing Agency in Baghdad. A Pentagon spokesman could not say whether it is one of the original 56 Sites cited four months ago or a new discovery. Quot there Are a lot of remains still not identified Notari said Quot we were told that a lot of the iraqi soldiers were not wearing identity disks. And there Are still families who remain without any news whose relatives Are  iraqis already know the Heartbreak of trying to Trace their missing and dead. Some 60,000 to 70,000.of the nation s soldiers Are listed As missing from the 1980-88 War Between Iran and Iraq. Another 20,000 iraqis seen in pow Camps in Iran Over the years have simply dropped from sight red Cross officials said. Their daily suffering is evident in the trembling hands of the old people who Jam the offices of Iraq s permanent committee for War victims searching dog eared lists of dead and captured soldiers for the names of missing loved ones. Families from both wars crowd into a room just big enough for a desk and three chairs to look through wrinkled Blue folders containing lists of found soldiers. A. Painting of iraqi president Saddam Hussein in sunglasses and a White Panama hat towers Over the scene. Quot it s my grandson Quot whispered one old woman As she waited her turn. A the went to Iran in 1985 and we Don t know what happened to him. They Tell us to keep coming Back to look at the lists so we come. But we never have  action Lin complaints about housing office q a i would like to Point out Itiat i have encountered with the local Ramstein housing office. I consider this another rip off that Uncle Sam ignores and allows to happen and has to pay for. Last year my family and i were forced to move from our Economy quarters in order for our previous landlord s family to occupy the housing we were living in. We elected to decline government quarters and search for other Economy quarters. Fortunately the House was located in Weierbach Only a few blocks from where we lived. The House was being renovated and would not be available for about six to eight weeks. We looked at it and discussed monthly rent Cost of utilities Etc. We said we were looking to pay around 1,000-1,200 Marks plus utilities. The owner did not commit to this but seemed to be Well satisfied with the offer. We returned in about four weeks to Check the Progress and again inquired about the rent repeating what we were willing to pay which they confirmed would be satisfactory. There was nothing in writing at this Point by either party. The owner offered to customize parts of the House to suit our needs. This was done prior to a contract or agreement being signed. The owners were super people and very accommodating. We explained that since the House had not been rented to americans previously the local housing office would have to come out and look prior to us signing a contract. They were aware of this. After Ramstein housing office came out they informed the owner that the House should be rented for 1,600 Marks plus utilities. The owner thought this was a bit too expensive and told us they would let us have it for 1,500 plus utilities we were somewhat surprised when the Price jumped but agreed to sign a contract. My complaint is not with our landlord but with the Ramstein housing office. Unknown to the lady from housing but i also speak some German. She told the landlord they they should charge 1,600 rather than 1,500. The housing offices Here in Germany Are managed and operated by local nationals who Are being paid by the . Government to do a Job. You would think they would be conscientious about helping the armed forces personnel and the . Government. Does their Job allow them to Tell the landlords to Quot Jack up the rent the soldiers get overseas housing allowance Quot i might mention that my German neighbor informed me that the previous tenants of my House who were German paid 900 Marks monthly. Sgt. 1 St class Ronald d. Wolf Walls reach Garmany in Ellyn t. Sparrow Deputy chief family housing management Kaiserslautern military Community replies in response to the letter to the stars and stripes about some problems with Ramstein housing office it is unfortunate that we did not hear this complaint As soon As it occurred so we could have corrected our procedure earlier the statement that our housing referral offices Are managed and operated by local nationals is a misunderstanding. The chief Deputy and All three housing managers Are americans who keep watch Over listings contracts and prices. On the other hand we could not find negotiate or receive contracts out in the 305 local cities and villages that House americans were it not for our invaluable German employees. Agents Are trained to include . Standards for adequate housing the age of the unit Square meters condition amenities and the Mie Spiegel average rent when determining the value of a rental. The previous German tenant in the rental in question who paid 900 Marks occupied Only the upstairs apartment. When the renovation was completed the u a a. Quot a i upstairs apartment was made part of the entire House which has 157 Square meters it now has five bedrooms living room dining room two Baths a built in Kitchen garage with a Terrace on top double paned windows and a Large fenced Yard. Contact was made with the owners concerning the allegation that the rent was verbally agreed upon to be Between 1,000-1,200 Marks. They stated the prospective tenants visited them frequently starting in october 1989, but never at any time had they agreed upon a Price because of the expenses of the renovation which Are still being paid for. They wanted the housing office to inspect the renovations and discuss the rental Price. On dec. 5, 1989, the newly renovated House was inspected. You Are Correct that the agent improperly advised the landlord that a charge of 10 Marks per Square meter could be requested. We apologize As this is contrary to housing policy and training. The agent has been counselled and this particular Case has been a training tool for All agents. Based upon the fair rental charges in the Kaiserslautern area the 1,500 Marks that the landlord decided to charge is a very Good Price for that size single House with those amenities and we Are Happy that she did not take the advice of the agent. To write us readers action line is the readers a court of last resort Quot striving to answer some of the questions about life overseas in a military environment or questions about policies and guidelines when other avenues for answers Are not readily available. If you have a question and Don t know where to turn for the answer write to readers action line co the stars and stripes Apo 09211-4211. Alt letters must be signed and preference will be Given to those seeking information of general interest to our readers. Page 16 a the stars and stripes Friday August 2, 1991