European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 19, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 18 letters to the editor Friday August 19,1994 thes european edition col. Steven s. Hoffman Usan commander publisher Bernard a. Zovistoski editor news and editorial Deborah Abib a news editor Bill Walker european. Editor Bob Wicker sports editor George Manet City editor to write us unit 29480 Apo a 09211 orpostfach11 1437 642.78 Darmstadt Germany news Tele fax 06155-601416 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. 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Advertising Tel fax 06155-601412 please Recycle this newspaper is an authorized unofficial publication for members Zilha military services overseas. Contents of the stars and stripes do not necessarily reflect the official views of or endorsement by the . Government the department o defense or the . European command. The appearance of advertising in this publication including inserts or supplements does not constitute endorse ment by the department of defense or the stars and stripes of the products or services advertised. Destroy the guns the latest i have heard now on an radio news is that the United nations wants to remove heavy weapons from the control zone around Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is of course after the bosnian serbs commandeered five assorted weapons from  control a Dafter the . Retaliated with . And French planes destroying an anti aircraft weapon. I won t bring up the matter of How these weapons were secure that s not what this letter is about. This letter is about saving lives. That Why the . Took control of the weapons in the control zone or the weapons were moved out of the control zone. If the . Really wants to reduce the deaths now and in the future All weapons should be destroyed. Not just stored where they could be taken again or worse yet returned when a peace treaty is signed. If the . Is going to Send soldiers to Bosnia and Herzegovina when a peace treaty is signed we should insist on reducing the weapons count now. The fact that treaty has been signed does not Stop a country from continuing to use weapons. If the bosnian serbs complain that their property is being destroyed then they could be compensated in food or other humanitarian Aid after there is peace. Frank j. Kopyta Iii Grafe Wohr Germany editor s note we encourage our readers especially those who have never submitted a letter to write to us. Letters expressing readers opinions Are published Dally on this Page. All let ters must be signed and include address and Telephone number. Prefer ence is Given to Shorter letters so that More can be published in a timely Man Ner. We Reserve the right to edit letters for clarity length and taste. Send to letters to the editor the stars and stripes unit 29480, Apo a 09211. Or fax country code 49 06195-601-463, Dan 348-8463. The no Cost military transportation Back to the states so these families can  replace their losses and get Back to a Normal life is not a military sponsored shopping spree. It is a very positive example of the military taking care of its own through the interest and hard work of Many people. To the reporter and or editors who chose to Lead into this otherwise decent article with a Little free shopping spree sensationalism please allow me to  vide you with some journalistic License of my own. What a Bunch of horse s Patoo ties Jim Downing Rota Spain sneaky journalism military providing shopping spree As i read these words in your Lead in to this Story aug. 4i found myself men tally congratulating someone fortunate enough to win a contest sponsored by some corporation. However when i read the article i realized the Lead in wording was journalistic License taken by the re Porter and of editors and the article was actually referring to the recent tragedy suffered by members of this Community when All their household goods were destroyed by fire in a local household Good storage warehouse. Unfashionable habit i was greatly disappointed to learn in an aug. 7 piece regarding styles for the fall season that smoking is so fashionable. Four of the seven models were photo graphed with cigarettes. I May be hopelessly out of touch but i was under the impression that people were being discouraged from picking up the habit not encouraged to adopt this fashion statement in the Hope of being  very irresponsible stars and stripes. Lori Ockerman Gic Belstadt Germany commentary a poll that could open a president s eyes by Tom Philpott a president particularly one wit no service experience can learn much from an extensive Survey of military families. But sometimes the results arrive Toolate. In the summer of 1992, about the time Bill Clinton was accepting the democratic party s nomination to run for president 44 percent of Active duty members completing a lengthy questionnaire said they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their pay and allowances. Only 29 percent said they were satisfied or very satisfied six months later As the Pentagon began tabulating responses the newly elected president proposed no pay raise for the military in fiscal 1994. Instead he called for a series of pay Caps. Now two years later the Pentagon has released the Survey results but Toolate to spare Clinton the embarrassment of twice seeing his pay Cap plan rejected by lawmakers More attuned to the Impact on Force Quality and morale. There s no evidence to suggest Survey data alone would have dissuaded Clinton from his pay Cap plan. But certainly he would have been better informed. Indeed the data provide Many useful insights on the stresses of military life. Almost 60,000 army Navy Marine corps and air Force members and More than 24,000 spouses answered 140 questions on topics ranging from child care to marital problems caused by  Are highlights sixty two percent of servicemen Bers Are married. Nothing surprising about that figure except it s Only a percentage Point higher than reported in 1985, despite the widely held belief that Many More members Are married today. Six percent of members Are divorced. But among All members who have Ever been married 26 percent have been divorced. Even that does t appear too High until you consider that 97 percent of the Active duty population is under age 45. Indeed among divorced members 36 percent blame service life to a great or very great extent for their failed marriage. Only 16 percent said the military had nothing to do with the marriage breaking up. Eighty four percent of service Mem ers work More than 40 hours a week including 19 percent who work More than 60 hours a week. But there Are wide Dis parities by service. Only 6 percent of air Force members said they work More than60 hours a week compared with 25 per cent of sailors 24 percent of soldiers and 19 percent of marines. Indeed one office air Force members said he or she works 40 or fewer hours a week. Members in combat and combat support units were asked to rate their Confidence in unit members and to Grade the readiness of their units on a scale of one very Low to seven very High. The average score on fellow members was 4.6,which defense officials described As High but which would seem closer to adequate. The average score on unit readiness was 4.5. Confidence in unit members and unit readiness increased with the respondents rank. Those in pay grades o-4 major or lieutenant commander and above reported a 5.6 Confidence level in unit members and scored unit readiness at 5.1. About half of those surveyed who had served in operations desert shield and storm said family separation during the deployment caused a fair amount or a great Deal of stress. Perhaps As a result desert storm veterans were More inclined by a few percentage Points to leave service than were members who did t deploy to the persian Gulf. The Gulf deployment also placed a financial Burden on families. One of every three spouses of deployed members said he or she had higher costs mostly from Home and car repairs or child care. Thirty five percent of those reporting higher expenses said the amounts exceeded$1,000. During the War relatively few spouses said they turned to the base chaplain for Comfort. In fact 23 percent saw the chaplain less often than they did while their spouses were Home Only 3 percent said they saw the chaplain More often during the deployment. Still 18 percent of spouses were very upset by the deployment. The highest stress was among Marine corps and army families whose loved ones face ground combat. At the time of the Survey a year after the War spouses of service members who had stayed in the persian Gulf longer than nine months were twice As Likely to be dissatisfied with their marriage 13.5 percent As were spouses of servicemen Bers who did not deploy 6.6 percent. Given the hectic Pace of military operations today that s a casualty statistic no president should Overlook. Reader comments and suggestions Are welcomed. Write to military update . Box 1230, Centreville a. 22020. 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