European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 23, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 12letters to the editor Friday september 23, 1994 european edition col. Steven s. Hoffman Usan. Commander publisher Bernard a. Zovistoski. Editor news and editorial Deborah Absher news editor Bill Walker european editor Bob Wicker sports editor George Manes City editor to write us unit 29480 Apo a 09211. Or Post Tach 11 14 37 a 64278 Darmstadt Germany news Tel 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, 400. Education Jimi Jones ext 226. Business news ext. 326. News bureaus Heidelberg Germany Effie Bathon room 117, rat Norstr. 104, 69126 Heidelberg Telephone Dan 3707010 or civilian 06221-23421. Kaiserslautern Germany Kevin Dougherty John Bohmer and Doyle Tillman. 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New York City Timothy Cahill room 638. 201 Varick st., new York 10014 Telephone 212-620-3333 Tel fax 212-620-3268. Washington . Chuck Vinch Cindy Killion Oast a the Pentagon room 2e756 . Box 46095, Washington . 20050-6095 Telephone 703-6976695 Tel fax 703-693-6366. Business departments maj Richard k. Major Usa Deputy comma Jer Oale Estea newspaper operations 1 director Jame Wysocki circulation manager Jandrey h. Kingdom comptroller circulation toll free customer service a for Home or office delivery inquiries or delivery problems Call 24 hours. Germany 0130-840048 Belgium 07811-8775 Italy. 1678-7-3456 United kingdom 0-800-898854 Netherlands. 06-022-7629 Spain 900-99-4955 Tel fax 06155-601436 Germany. Augsburg civil a 0821-544529, Tel fax 0821-544565. Berlin us o.i030-833186ldsn 332-3548. Kaiserslautern civilian 0631-57070 or 57079, Dan 489-7100, Tel fax 0631-50596. Nurnberg civilian 0911-712558, Dan 460-7001. Stuttgart civilian 0711-797-7552, on 421-4277. Italy Naples civilian 0039-81 -724488, Dan 625-4880, Tel tax 0039 81-7244489. Vicenza civilian 0444-515358, Dan 634-7545, Tel fax a 0444-300 641. Spain Madrid Dan 065-5807, civilian and Tel fax 00341 -6561465. Turkey Istanbul civilian 0090-212-272 48 43, Tel fax 0090212-274 32 09. United kingdom Cirencester civilian 0285-713 637, Dan 247-4445. Advertising display Germany 06155-601247 or 601309, Dan 3488247. Classified Germany 06155 601349, Dan 348-8349 advertising Tel fax 06155-601412 a please Recycle tins newspaper is an authorized unofficial publication for members of the military services overseas. Contents of 1 he stars and stripes do not necessarily reflect the official vows of or endorsement by the . Government the department of defense or the . European command. The appearance Otid mortising in this publication including inserts or supplements does not constitute endorsement by the department of defense or the stars end stripes of the products or services advertised. No new look for of after Reading the aug. 28 Story on the newly appointed . Air Force chief of staff i was very glad to hear he was going to review the proposed uniform change for class a uniforms. While i feel Gen. Merrill a. Mcpeak performed admirably during his tenure As chief of staff i and Many other senior noncommissioned officers disagreed with his a new look for the air Force uniform while some changes to the old style uniform might be warranted the extreme changes instituted by Mcpeak went too far getting rid of the useless breast pockets and the flaps from the Bottom Louse pockets enhanced the look of the class a jacket. However putting braid on the officers jacket removing All name tags and increasing the size of e-9 stripes did not improve either the look or the image of personnel in the United states air  braid looks great on the Navy uniform but is ridiculous for air Force members. Put the officers rank Back on the Shoul dvrs and chevrons Back on enlisted a sleeves. I proudly wore my uniform for 30 years As a distinctive member of the United states air Force. Rhett o. Webber Liddah saudi Arabia l editors note j we encourage our readers especially those who have never submitted a letter a to write to us. Letters expressing readers viewpoints Are published Dally on this Page. All letters must be signed and include 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 letters to the editor the stars and stripes unit 29480, Apo a 09211. Or fax country code 49 06155g601-395, Dan 348-8395. Care Clini cares this letter May come As a Shock to you because its not about the Exchange service or the . Simpson Case. I merely wish to publicly thank the personnel of the acute care clinic in Baum older Germany for the professionalism efficiency and caring attitude they displayed when i was treated there sept. 12. On that Date i was stricken by what turned out to be acute gastroenteritis a painful infection of the intestines. The pain i suffered and the fear my wife and i Felt cannot be described. Before being medically evacuated by ambulance to the Lan Stuhl medical Center i spent several hours in the acute care clinic and the services rendered by the staff there were beyond what one would expect. At no time was i left alone with my misery nor did any questions go unanswered. Several staff members postponed lunch hours and Breaks in order to stay with me and offer me the kind of care and encouragement i so desperately needed. The entire staff took turns talking to me soothing my fears and doing everything possible to assist me. I spent several Days in Lan Stuhl recovering from the illness. On my first night Home i received a Call from capt. Harvey who had followed my Progress by daily Calls to the Hospital and upon hearing i had been discharged wanted to know How i was feeling. When a the last time you be heard of that next time you read a letter about poor medical care in the military remember this letter. If you become ill in Baum older you la be in Good hands. Trust me. George Gonzalez Idar Oberstein Germany i military update 1 daughter called unfair Tom Philpott Danny and Joan Piper lost their Only daughter. Laura last april when a pair of . Jets mistakenly shot Down a two army Black Hawk helicopters Over Northern Iraq. The government gave the pipers a $6,000 death gratuity and paid part of Laura pipers burial expenses. Last month it gave $100,000 each to families of 11 foreigners killed in the same tragedy. The pipers done to think that a fair. At the time of her death 2nd it. Laura a. Piper a 1992 air Force Academy graduate was 25, engaged to be married and slated to enter flight training next year. She wanted to be a Pilot like her dad a retired air Force colonel. A she had the world in her grasp a he said. Last april Laura was a desk bound intelligence officer completing a 90-Day assignment to in Ciurlik a Turkey. For reasons not yet known she stayed four Days beyond the return Date in her orders Long enough to be put aboard a helicopter for her first flight into iraqis no Fly zone. She was the Only service member aboard who a year earlier had declined $200,000 coverage under the servicemen a group life insurance. For months after the Accident the pipers never considered seeking additional compensation despite reports indicating a Gross negligence had caused their daughters death Danny Piper said. They knew the feres doctrine set Down in a 1950 supreme court decision Shields the government from lawsuits involving death or injuries to service Mem ers while they Are on Active duty. A a a that a the Rule a said Joan Piper. A when you be been in the military 26 years you know the  but aug. 26, the pipers said the Pentagon broke a different Rule one involving fair treatment by paying $100,000 to the families of foreign nationals killed along with their daughter no similar payments were offered to families of the 15 dead americans. A defense official said the offering stemmed from a a moral obligation to these people. We done to feel we have any Legal liability. But Given what happened the circumstances the fact that they re allies Well i a what about the moral obligation to our own people a said Joan Piper from her Home in san Antonio. The foreigners a British turkish French and kurdish a deserve the Money she said. But by not treating . Families similarly she said it a a cheapens the lives of dead americans. The $100,000 payments adhere roughly to a pattern of compensation for foreigners established in previous Friendly fire incidents the official said. Because such payments were made when a missile from the aircraft Carrier Saratoga hit a turkish ship in 1992, he said a the turks were interested in seeing what might be done this time  a and foreign governments do reciprocate Kay paid families of . Sailors killed during the attack on. The frigate Stark in 1987 More than $1 million apiece. But the Black Hawk incident involves deaths of both . And Allied personnel at the hands of . Forces. As such it exposes some troubling disparities in treatment Between two groups of survivors. Even some . Families who received $200,000 insurance settlements Are criticizing the payments to foreigners. Military insurance while subsidized is still a a policy we paid for. It can to be considered compensation a said Kaye Moun sey. Her husband army warrant officer Eric Mounsey died while piloting one of the Black Hawks. Mounsey intends to join with other families in a wrongful death suit against the military. A i need to find some Way to replace my husbands income to raise my 2-year-old daughter Natasha a Mounsey said. A Eric would have provided College and private schools or whatever i had chosen for her. His earning potential was  the pipers meanwhile have written to defense Secretary William Perry asking for equal treatment. A you can to replace Laura for us with your entire defense budget a Danny Piper wrote. A however All of our people deserve at least the equivalent consideration foreign victims  in a phone conversation tuesday he explained How his daughter so Bright and talented really had no Choice in a profession. He had dragged her around the world during his own air Force career. A the poor girl a that was her life. That a what she wanted to  the pipers recalled a recent Multi million Dollar jury award to a woman who spilled an overheated drink on her Lap after leaving a fast food restaurant. Then with a sigh Danny Piper said his family would have had a better shot at proper compensation had Laura limited her risks to the mundane such As a ordering Coffee from Mcdonald a drive through  readers comments and suggestions Are welcomed. Write to military update co editor the stars and stripes unit 29480, Apo a 09211. Ojele a hat Tnp of Vau a Are you talking about hike How much Joulo a 24-count package of extra Large pampers Cost me boy s , from >29 radial tires Only $29.50/ ooh. \ Ash Pont listen to him those Are the Devil s prices \