European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 8, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Be our guest that grounded confined feeling in army s prison Charles bless Mannheim. Translation manhole. Sounds like a Cluster of Cave dwellings on a Mountainside in prehistoric Days. Believe me its much worse. I know. In a serving three months at the army confinement facility in Mannheim Germany by decision of a jury of my Peers. You can to get a Coke Here. The toilets done to have lids. Or seats. You talk at a position of Parade rest. March wherever you go squaring your Comers. You re told when to Wake up Between 0430 and 0530when to eat when to have recreation one hour a Day when to Shower and when to go to sleep. Weekends you can sleep to 0630. You have no rank you re ordered around More than a Basic trainee yes you pull Upland you can to even Wear a watch. Forget about smoking. I was a Captain with 14 years in service 7v5 years in prior enlisted time. I have been a dental Laboratory technician an astronautical Engineer an f-16 Pilot. Now i am a officer  sounds like a flame Duck president or Quot exiled ruler a Only worse. I was a finalist for the 12 outstanding airmen of the year for the air Force. I was a distinguished graduate of officer training school. I was an executive officer. I was a flight Leader flying the f-16 fighting Falcon. Now i sweep and Buff floors in the mornings work the prison Library in the afternoons and get frisked a minimum of 10 times a Day. And i have it easy. Why am i Here 1 combined alcohol with gunplay in Bahrain last july. I scared a few people. Its called Quot conduct unbecoming an  nobody got Hurt and nothing was damaged. In be been diagnosed As a alcohol  it Means when i drink i have a tendency to drink too much and or out of control and act irrationally. Sound like a typical Friday night at the club sure. Think it can to happen to you get smart. It can and in a proof. There Are Over 100 prisoners Here including about five women who Are housed separately. I m the Only officer prisoner. Makes me feel really special. They Call me  they re All so Young. Imagine being 21 years old sentenced to 75 years in prison or better yet plea bargaining for a life sentence to avoid the death Penally. Parole no sooner then Loy cars. You live from meal to meal. So Shower shave clean your cell make your bunk Hospital Comers and straighten up your Footlocker before breakfast. No personal tasks such As writing a letter or Reading a Book Between makeup and 1800 hours. All mail is read and censored if necessary. Every word. This was read by the mail clerk Long before it got Here. Not much in the world is geared toward prisoners. Unless you want to count the violence of television and movies. That a one of your Only privileges Between 1800-2200 weekdays longer on weekends. The guards rent movies for you or bring them from Home. Did you Ever think you a be watching movies with mass murderers and rapists and child molesters All at once and i done to mean on the Sci Jeen. I mean with them a sitting right beside you and All around you. There a not much argument Over what watch. Its either an or rental videos. The More violent the better. During scenes of drug use the drug dealers among you a too ooh and a Baa aah and begin to Swap stories. You la find that everyone in Here is innocent. Just ask them.  Tell you. When you re gathered around the to at night you play games such As monopoly. The White Collar criminals clean up. It s like watching Castro Qadhafi and Hussein playing risk. You get to keep the games for one hour a night. The guards Are firm but fair. They Are the overriding eternal presence in your everyday life. You have to wonder sometimes though when you spy them Reading True detective Magazine. It s like catching Dan rather Reading the National enquirer or president Bush Reading the Wall Street journal. Just kidding sir. I was in Kuwait for a month Early last summer. It was incredibly hot with smoke from the Oil fires watering your eyes and nose. The Camp blew up injuring 57. We went out into the desert every Day braving Sand storms and unexploded ordnance and mines. But i was free. Id go Back in a minute if it meant getting out of Here. I always said if i broke the Law while in the military and they sent me to fort Leavenworth Kan id just be going Home. My Hometown is Weston mo., just across the River from Leavenworth. But ill be doing my three months right Here in Mannheim. I can to even do wrong right. I can to go bad Good. As a Captain fortunately i Wasny to dismissed from service i believe my household goods weight allowance is close to 12,000 pounds. Here i have a Footlocker. Thais All. They provide a bunk mattress and Linen. The mattresses Are bowed in the Middle but Lengthwise. What a the perpendicular of swayback the sink toilet and Mirror Are polished brushed steel. All this in a 6-by-8-foot cell with bars for a door. There is one and Only one saving Grace to this dark episode in my life. My wife and infant daughter can visit me on weekends for three hours. I ask my wife to Wear her Bikini and try to convince her How important it is. Its Winter she reminds me wearing her heavy coat. I hold my daughter for the entire time. I want to hold my wife but i can to. Hand Only. Many prisoners never get a visitor. Or mail. Its not a pretty tale i Tell. Of poor judgment and alcohol abuse of confinement and the pain inside. Be Tough on yourself. Done to Ever believe it can to happen to you. Just remind yourself no Coke no smoke no joke capt. Charles bless who served 75 Days in Mannheim s prison got out on Valentine s Day and is stationed in Fulda. Germany. Send in your column plus a photo of yourself to be our guest sunday Magazine the stars and stripes Apo 09211 or Postrach 11 14 37, d-6100 Darmstadt 11,  laugh Schwadron Usa Quot Peterson i sentence you to be As guilty As you  copyright p 199?, cartoonists 1 a arturs Syndicate contents from the cover.4-5 sportswear All Over on eve of Olaf Kickoff. Sidelights. 7 Andy Rooney pops off on polls. Odds amp ends .8 miss manners with Valentines answer. In tune.9 a direct hit for Arnold Schwarzenegger. This weeks films.10-11 Chuck Vinch a Beauty and the beast looks great. Complete cafes circuit listings. Television listings .12-14 local Cable and satellite schedules. Home entertainment 15 a a dogfight a Good tale. On parade.16 another Kennedy question. Voices.17 Joe Bob Briggs will drink to that. Words and wit .18 traffic drives Tony Konheiser crazy. Books .19 13-year-old s ghetto lacks glory. Classified ads.20-23 last laugh.24 Dave barrys Long distance relationships. Wom a Elroi. Jeremy Irons Here with Glenn close in reversal of Fortune is ready for damage Page 16. Sunday is a weekly supplement of the stars and stripes editor Bucky Fox Art direction Sharon Kilday Tarrant production Susie Stonum. Kelly Quinn editorial assistance Marian Hamilton Louis Pierce Page 2 b sunday March 8, 1902