European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 17, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 18 letters to the editor wednesday november 17,1993 thes european edition col set Van 9. Hoffmam Usan Contr Marler Public chef Bernard Zovistoski editor news and editorial bin vef european editor Deborah aether news editor sports editor Georg  editor John Taylor acting special sections editor to write us. Unit 29480 Apo a6 09211 orpostfach111437 64278 Darmstadt Germany. News Tel fax 06t55-601416 to Call us dial 06155-601 plus Extension or Dan 348 8 plus Extension As follows news ext. 237.255. 282,226,326. Sports ext. 225. 269,263,332, 321,221. Features ext. 230. 245,341. Letters to editor ext. 208. Education Jimi Jones ext. 226. Business news ext. 326. News bureaus Heidelberg Germany Joseph Owen. Room 117, Haj Merst. 104. 6912 Heidelberg Ger 419. Box .1318. Apo a 0910? Telephone Dan 370-7010 or civilian 06221-23421 Tel fax 06221-27239.  Germany Kevin Dougherty. John Bonmer Steve scholar Bui Wirtz 2899, up Iasi Barracks Apo a 09227-3717 Telephone dsn.48�6585 or civil Ian 0631-52104 Tel fax 0631-50696. Nurnberg Germany Ron Jensen. Buik fing 21 Wil Liam o. Darby Cavern Apo a 09222 Telephone on 460-7256 or civilian 0911-712563 Tel fax 0911-717130. Wurzburg Germany Cave Mel Neon building 220, room. 109, Faulenburg Cavern  09036 Tele Phon Dan 350-6770 or civilian 0931-286i�56 Tel fax 0931-8896770. Mediterranean Gary Miller sue Palumbo and Marian Hamilton Naples. Italy pig 810, Box 56, Fpo a 09619 Telephone Dan 825-4880 or civilian 0817624049/4547 Tel fax 0039-81-7624049. Northern Italy j. King Cruger Aviano itary Tele phone Dan 632-8176 or civilian 0039-434 66-8176 Tele fax 0039-434-668222. United kingdom Muir with Winder Nancy Tomer and Dav Stdio. Building 464 Cess us. Raf Mildenhall Apo a 09459 Telephone Dan 238-2226 or civilian 0638 542226 Tel fax 0638-718013. Brussels Belgium Rosemary Sawyer to . Pm. 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Vintage unfairness in response to a recent letter we Are among the chosen who Are living in these 1952 Vintage buildings in bad or Cugnach. This building should never be defined As Vintage because unlike wine it does not get better with age. This building should be compared to a Catacomb Roaches rats and major structural deficiencies. We Are sick and tired of being told that we arc being victimized by the draw Down when in reality we Are being victimized by Grade rank and discrimination. How Many senior enlisted Are living like us hardly any because they would have been Given the option to move. Where is our option Why was our Freedom to live in safer quarters denied from us another Point the writer hits on is senior enlisted and officers commuting to Mainz. What about the lower enlisted who have children and no vehicle but live in Mainz and Wiesbaden spending most of their family Quality time hitching rides Back and Forth to work if the writer is so intent on the Point that they re trying their darn Cost then Why is it that his letter sounds like he s vindicating himself Denis eve bad or Cugnach Germany looking for answers your reporting belies the propaganda put out by the various Federal depart ments of misinformation. In View of the figures you revealed can we expect to see considerably larger raises in pay allow ances and pensions in the new year i m referring to your stunning reve lations on the level of inflation. I was under the impression that inflation was Low three to five percent at the Maxi mum. This presumably is Why pay raises Are Low but Vou be done an exemplary piece of whistle blowing. Your front Page article on the Pentagon s new Day care policy states that a person paying $47 a week for child care will see the Cost Rise by the $11 inflation increase Only. So much for three to five percent inflation. An $11. Increase on a $47 charge rep resents a 23.4 percent inflation increase. Can the Treasury and the Pentagon have been misleading us surely not. Maybe there arc two kinds of inflation a High rate used for calculating Price hikes and a lower special Deal used to calculate pay raises. When we arrived in England in Early 1991, Gas at cafes Cost 31. Cents per liter and it Cost about so Pence per liter on the Economy. The Exchange rate was about one Pound 1.87. The Exchange rate is now about one Pound-si.50, rep resenting a gain for the Dollar of about 20 percent. Gas on the Economy has actually fallen in Price it s now about 48 Pence or Lite but cafes has managed to keep the Price at 31 cents per liter. The strengthening Dollar has meant consider Able reductions in Cost of living allow ances but has t caused any apparent drop in cafes prices for items bought through the Economy. Why Are we get Ting such a Good Deal i m also puzzled by the Cavalier treat ment that certain manufacturers and wholesalers mete out to the defense commissary Agency european Region. I note that the message on the Box of Cere Al at breakfast this morning urged me to support the american team in the 1992 olympics. Is there going to be a re play. How cart  get away with dumping time expired Mer Chandise on commissaries overseas i m sure that these manufacturers would t get away with that trick in the United states and they might feel that they would lose customers to their competitors if they tried to do so. Perhaps these companies May be persuaded to re View their marketing policies to prevent future loss of customers and May even be dissuaded from dumping their out of Date merchandise on deca if enough people write to them to complain about the practice. Perhaps you could provide us with an other investigative report which might answer these questions i can t be the Only Reader looking for an answer. -p.d. Winder Oxfordshire England unfitting item the main purpose of any newspaper is to provide its readership with information amusement and editorial opinion. Each of these categories is usually clearly defined and in separate sections. Your cover Story on the cause of the plane crash Call of nature Downs $18 Mil lion Jet oct. 28 fits none of these categories. What was the reason for running such an item and in such a prominent place was it to Embarrass the Pilot it surely was not its timeliness. The incident was Over two years old. Further there was a subtext running through the piece that hinted at some sort of cover up. Printing this article in no Way enhanced my life expanded my knowledge or made me smile. It Only made me a Little upset. This approach is More in keeping with the Jouna Vistic style of the National enquirer than my  Ryan Worms Germany a cheap shot in reference to the article Call of nature Downs $18 million Jet it could have been presented from a More positive perspective. Relating the incident to the fact that the Pilot had to urinate is taking the Trail of events a bit far. Could the article have emphasized the fact that the scat Belt got lodged in the seat rather than the Pilot s actions if any Pilot discovers a great thing relating to flying safely while urinating will the article give credit to the Pilot s expertise and thinking process or credit to the act of urinating the events could have happened even if urination was not a major player. In this time of european status we should try to present the most professional image we can and not even hint at our misfortunes. In most instances More people will remember the bad things or misfortunes rather than the Good and professional. Let s look at things from a team player Point of View rather than what news will get National attention. Master sgt Marc s. Clark Ramstein a Germany Unsung Black heroes a great injustice is being done on an television through the program american military heritage past and present Mili tary heroes Are being profiled for their accomplishments during certain wars or conflicts. My problem with this particular program is the Lack of recognition Given to the african american military heroes there have been Many achievements by soldiers of various ethnic origins who have served and died for the Freedom we now enjoy. During my five years in Europe i can recall Only a few occasions when Black americans have been acknowledged. Blacks participated in the revolution Ary War the War of 1812, the mexican War the civil War the Indian wars and the Spanish american War and were praised for their achievements by great men such As Theodore Roosevelt Abra Ham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson. In the heat of the civil rights and Black nationalist movements Black soldiers were accounted for More than 23 percent of american fatalities in Vietnam even though Blacks made up Only 10 percent Orsoff America s population. African americans not Only accepted the nation s goals As their own but Nave simultaneously sought to improve their social economic and political status de spite Many setbacks and adversities. If we can pay tribute to Max the air borne dog let s not wait until Black his tory month to recognize the role of Blacks and other ethnic groups. Spec. Terry m. Allen Miessau Germany remarkable marketing while i am not one who routinely com Plains about cafes a recent incident at the Schinnen Netherlands Exchange left me with no alternative. I found a computer hard drive on the clearance shelf which was marked from $387 to $350, the Box had been opened an there were notes scribbled on the Back of the instruction Book which indicated that someone had returned it after having had  of curiosity i checked out the new hard drives to compare. The exact same on sold for $255. I spoke with an indifferent employee who in the absence of a supervisor referred me to the store manager who failed to return my Call. Finally i did see the supervisor who condescendingly defended this As a logical practice because the Price was that for which the particular item originally  moral of the Story is cafes is obviously Basing its Market principles off those that were abandoned by the soviet Union in 1991. Their regulations Are so centralized and rigid that they often defy logic and engender indifference toward their customer who Are already taken for granted. -johna.yelkulisschinnen, Netherlands editor s note we encourage our readers especially those who have never submitted a Tetter to War tetons. Letters expressing readers viewpoints or opinions Are published daily on this Page. Ail letters must be signed and in clude address and Telephone number. Preference is Given to Shorter letters so that More can be published in a timely manner. We Reserve the right to edit letters for clarity length and taste. Send to let ters to the editor the stars and stripes unit 29480, Apo a 09211. 17, but i pin t know Tima 5 going on. 6otit? to5how you what i Man u?t5 Jak a xxx at 6om& of. Is my. 7owy1 or. A Woop last fat a Yoi a account 0alahc& a to 54o. Was the. Market at $17, 79o. How do you the prama7io okay.6ocp, fk3mmy spa cum. Youtkj&7&?