European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 7, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 12letters to the editor Friday october-7,-1994 thes european edition col Steven s. Hoffman Usan commander publisher Bernard a. Zov1stoski a. A. Editor a a. News and editorial Deborah Absher nows editor Bill Walker european editor Bob Wicker sports editor George Maner City editor to write us unit 29400 Apo a 09211. Or Postrach 11 14 37. 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. A. Business news ext. 326. News bureaus Heidelberg Germany Ettie Bathen room 117. Rome str. 104,69126 Helde Bergi Telephone Dan 3707010 or civilian 06221-23421. Kaiserslautern Germany Kevin Dougherty John Bohmer and Doyte Tillman. 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The appearance of advertising in this publication including inserts or supplements does not constitute endorsement by the department of defense or the stars and stripes of the products or services advertised. Brady s Sfass twisted when is the stars and stripes going to print a rebuttal to Sarah Bradys article featured in the sept. 25 commentary her twisting of statistics is worthy of closer examinations. Some Choice ii that caught my Eye were her claim that 38,000 americans were killed last year with guns. Closer examination of the facts will shed seme Light on the subject. Her claim that 40 percent of assault weapons traced to crime is not at All surprising since less than 1 percent of All crimes arc committed with assault weapons. Her claim that 23,000 felons were stopped from buying h handguns Over the counter is a Flimsy use of statistics since the majority of felons can to afford to buy a Brand new $600 handgun and prefer to buy stolen weapons at one third of the Price or less. A. A. V in other words 23,000 people we re denied their right to own a handgun for the majority were allowed to buy them anyway. Also the majority of people feel the police will not be there when they need them. She also forgets to mention the millions of crimes gun owners prevent each year and the second amendment right to Bear arms. Likewise Brady i is probably unconstitutional by Ding states rights. Rick Graham Aviano a Italy was just settling for. As the saying goes a Good things come to those who wait. Melinda White Kaiserslautern Germany c to our readers j loves that bookmark what a pleasant Surprise i had when i entered the bookmark store on Ramstein. My favorite magazines were All in Stock and further More to my Delight they were All the october Issue. I was actually Able to buy the october Issue of my magazines on sept. 24. A i must admit i was sceptical about the army and air Force Exchange service taking Over the Bookstore but if my experience this weekend is any indication this will be a positive takeover. Although the line to Purchase items was Long with Only one Register feel it was Worth standing in line to Purchase something i really wanted instead of something i let us know what you think we encourage our readers a Espe daily those who have never submitted a letter a to write to us. Letters expressing readers viewpoints or opinions Are published daily on this Page. All letters must be signed and include address and Telephone number. Send to letters to the editor the stars and stripes unit 29480, Apo a 09211. Or fax country code 49 06155601-395, Dan 348-8395 we Reserve the right to edit letters for clarity length and taste. Z military update poverty in military exaggerated military families on food Stamps. Morale eroding with each new and dangerous deployment. A disturbing portrait of . Service life has emerged from recent news reports and republicans would like to Lay it at the Doorstep of the Clinton administration. A a a v but that image of a military becoming More. Impoverished and discouraged does no to Square with Survey data being gathered by Pentagon officials. Military people do seem disturbed by the Pace of operations by family separation by career uncertainty linked to the draw Down by threats of pay Caps and Benefit reductions. Its also True some families live in substandard conditions. Defense officials on a recent tour of dilapidated housing in Hawaii saw for themselves How fingers alone can poke holes in termite infested Walls. Despite real concerns Survey data show morale surprisingly St Rotaj and stable comparable to numbers reported in the final year of the Bush administration. At the same time a closer look at food stamp use suggests that a headline in the new York times last june a poverty invades the ranks a was a bit overdone Quot a. A Quot a the food stamp controversy has been fed by anecdotes and rumours. Adm. Mike Boorda chief of naval operations experienced this during a recent visit to san Diego when he solicited comments from a roomful of commanding officers one commander complained that at least 40 sailors aboard his ship received food Stamps. Alarmed Boorda demanded details. When the command rechecked its facts it found two sailors drawing food Stamps one of whom had seven dependents. A during his sept. 14 confirmation hearing before the Senate armed services committee Frederick Pang president Clinton a nominee to become assistant Secretary of defense for Force manage ment said fewer service families arc on food Stamps than administration critics  later Pang provided data to the committee to Back up his claim. Although the information came from a 1991 study Pentagon officials believe a new study on food stamp usage to be com to plated in april will show a similar result. In 1991, an estimated 16,000 military people 1 percent of the Force received food Stamps. Of those. About 6,400, or 40 percent qualified Only because they lived in government housing. That a because the food stamp program does not count As income the allowances service members forfeit to live in base housing. Yet allowances make up a Quarter to one third of total military compensation. Another 7,500 food stamp recipients a 47 percent of the military a total a could not be verified As eligible Given their income and family size. Officials cited two possible factors lax program controls and service families supporting other relatives like grandparents or cousins who do not qualify As military dependents. The total number of occupants in a household determines food stamp eligibility. V that left Only 3 percent of the 16,000 recipients less than .1 percent of the military struggling off base with families so Large and incomes so Small As to qualify for assistance. An example of a family in such Straits Pang told the committee would be an e-3 private first class sea Man or airman first class with two years in service at least four dependents and no income other than military pay of $18,790 per year. Almost As suspect As the food stamp Issue is the perception that military morale has fallen since Clinton took office. The army keeps closer tabs on morale than any service. 7 according to results of a Survey it conducts twice a year morale has remained steady since George Bush a last year in office v / a i. A a in the fail of �?T92, 73 percent of soldiers reported their morale As moderate High or very High. By the Spring of �?T94, that Fig ure had climbed by one percentage Point. The proportion of army officers reporting moderate to very High morale also stayed level at about 85 percent. Also unchanged were feelings about pay. In both the fall of �?T92 and the Spring of �?T94, 67 percent of enlisted said they were dissatisfied with pay. Officer dissatisfaction actually dipped from 37 percent to 35 percent. Or. Morris Peterson chief of the army personnel Survey office suggested there a not a Strong tie Between what a president proposes and service morale. Far More critical is How service leaders respond to challenges like budget cuts and downsizing. A. A. A a a. A a. A the fact that morale has remained steady is a Good sign for the army that things internally have been managed Well a he said. _. But Peterson cautioned that the draw Down might be masking More serious problems than surveys so far indicate. A remember people who want to get out Are getting out a he said. A a they be been getting out for the last two years. In essence that a helping to prop things  a Reader comments and suggestions Are welcomed write to military update . Box 1230, Contr Evite a. 22020. 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