European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 7, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Stephen Clemente Hee had a lifelong Tow affair with tha water. S4s Jotch own pm a 4 floating  Stephen Clemente Heads Home it s to his Wahoo on the Rhine by Joseph Owen staff writer the word Quot landlocked apparently in t in Navy Veteran Stephen d. Clements vocabulary. He s hundreds of Miles from the nearest Ocean in a part of Germany devoid of even medium sized lakes. But his Home floats. Quot just about every place i be spent More than two years in be bought a boat Quot Clements said perched on a sofa in the living room of his British built 35-foot canal boat. Quot i ust feel comfortable around  Clements 59, is the director of science application for technology services co., a contract firm providing the army engineering and technical support in automation and communication he works in a second floor office on Takkunen Barracks in Worms about 15 Miles North of Mannheim. When the workday ends he crosses the Rhine and Heads a few Miles upriver to Lamper theim. His boat the Wahoo a Pacific sport fishes moored there at a Marina on the Bank of a Rhine Inlet across from an Island wildlife preserve. Clement bought the boat in july 1991 in France and customized it. He figures his total Cash outlay was about $30,000. That and the $160 he pay apr electricity water propane and mooring fees constitute surprisingly cheap living in one of Europe s most expensive regions. It also offers cheap and pleasant transportation for outings in the summer when his Wile Penny and 13-year-old daughter Robin come from san Diego to live with him. When he retires Clements said he and his wife plan to spend a lot of time cruising the Rivers of Europe. Clement s life has been a constant shuttle from ship to Shore and Back. The son of a career Sailor he lived on a Houseboat in Panama Between the Ages of 3 and 5. He joined the Navy in 1950, and saw action in the korean War almost immediately after Boot Camp. Quot i did no to even get Boot leave. I was stuck on a ship a he said. Quot we graduated one Day and the next Day we were going out to the destroyer nest in a whale  discharged three years later Clements earned an engineering degree at the University of Idaho and rejoined the Navy As an officer. He served on a Supply Mission to research stations in Antarctica participated in the 1965 . Invasion of the dominican Republic and pulled two Tours of duty in Vietnam winning a Bronze Star. The biggest Hazard of his current Quot sea duty Quot he said is Drunken German boaters. In the fall when the pleasure boaters have taken up other pursuits the Marina is fairly quiet. Only one of the several other boats there is occupied. Clements other year round neighbor is Hans Kern 72, the Marina owner who was a gunner on a German Battle Cruiser in world War ii. Besides Hans and occasional visitors Clements is in the company of otters swans Coots crested egrets and three varieties of geese. Boat life has its drawbacks of course. There s not much space for example. Clements solves that by limiting his accumulation of belongings. Quot i travel Light Quot he said. Quot its All in organization. This is where my Navy training comes  but he does t travel very fast. The wahoos 52-horsepower diesel engine permits a maximum Speed of less than nine Miles an hour. Heading upstream its even slower. Quot people walking dogs along the Riverbank move faster than i do Quot Clements said. After he bought the boat in Central France it took him 12 Days to cruise to Lamper theim. In the fall and Winter when the water level on the Rhine drops he does t take the Wahoo out at All. Finally there a the isolation. The boat can accommodate four people overnight. That s three places too Many in the off season even though Clements has a propane  this kind of life is not for everybody Quot he said. Quot living alone on a boat there Are moments of Solitude that you have to Cope with and in be Learned to do  Stephen claimant readers action line commissary bagging Job rules can vary do Why Are commissary rules different in a a 16-year-old Nurnberg High school student trying to find part time work i recently went to the Nurnberg commissary and questioned them about becoming a Bagger. I was told i had to be Over 14 years old and that my name would go on a waiting list. This i understand. The next Day i checked with the Erlanger commissary because it is closer to where i live. I was told to be a Bagger in Erlanger i had to be at least 10 years old. Why the big age difference my impression was that Erlanger has three to four adult baggers and they just did t want anyone else moving in on their tips. So who is not telling the truth Erlanger or Nurnberg Russell d. Brumleyjr. Erlanger. Germany aka Charlesm Wiker director defense commissary Agency europen Region replies please excuse the delay in responding to your letter. Baggers Are not commissary employees and the defense commissary Agency has to part in determining who May work As a Bagger at one of our commissaries. Baggers Are self employed Independent workers who Are permitted to bag groceries for tips under pecans License statement of understanding for Bagger carryout services. Head baggers who Are elected by the baggers at a commissary location in an annual election Are responsible for issuing the guidelines to new baggers but commanders of installations or their designated appointee have the authority to Grant revoke or suspend a Bagger License As part of their authority and responsibility to maintain Good order. Apparently the head Bagger in Erlanger has established 18 As the minimum age for issuing licenses to baggers. We suggest that you bring this matter to the attention of the local command if the command agrees that the minimum age should be lowered then they could discuss this with the head Bagger and see if they could come to some agreement. We Hope that this provides an adequate answer to your question. To write us readers act in line is the readers Quot 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 Tor answers Are not readily available. If you have a question and Don t know where to turn for the answer write to headers action Fine co the stars and stripes unit 29480, apr As 09211. All letters must be signed. Please include address and Telephone number. Preference who be Given to those seeking information of general interest to our readers. Page 16 a the stars and stripes saturday november 7,1992