European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 29, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 14 o stars and stripes thursday March 29 2007 stars stripes Thomas e Kelsch publisher John d Panasiewicz Genera manager it col Daniel r Todd Usan commander news and editorial Robb Grindstaff Doug Clawson executive editor managing editor Pacific Thomas p Skeen Pacific editor Chris Carlson Japan Bureau chief to Flack Korea Bureau chief Washington do assistant managing editors Karen Willenbrecht news Sean Moores sports Brian Bowers features Christopher six Patrick Dickson news editor Joe Gromelski web editor addresses us mail unit 45002 Apo a 963375002 International mail 2317 Roppo Ngi 7chome Mina Toku Tokyo 1060032 Japan fax Dan 2293132 Civ 03 34088936 email readers forum advertising marketing circulation Central office 529 14th Street new suite 350 Washington do 200451301 phone Dan 3127630900 or Civ 202 7610900 fax 202 7610890 editorial director 529 14th St new suite 350 Washington do 200451301 phone Dan 312 7630945 or Civ 202 7610945 How to Call us general manager John d Panasiewicz Dan 2293121 Civ 3 34049428 readers forum Dan 2293166 Civ 3 email sports Dave Ornauer Dan 6457433 Civ 98 8932702 email for business advertising and circulation numbers him to the classified Section news bureaus Japan Japan Bureau chief Chris Carlson unit 45002 Apo a 963375002 Tel Dan 2293357 Civ 03 fax Dan 2293271 Civ 34088936 email Misawa Jennifer h Svan Tel Dan 2262550 Civ 0176 535181 ext 2262550 81 3117662550 fax Dan 2263847 email pc 476 Box 1126 Fpo a 963221126 Tel and fax Dan 2523832 Tokyo Teri Weaver and Hana Kusumoto Tel Dan 2293105 and 2293152 or Civ 3 34049442 fax Dan 2293271 email Allison Batdorff and Chris Fowler pc 473 Box 60 Fpo a 963491105 Tel Dan 2412874 and 2412872 or Civ 4 fax Dan 2412876 email Fuji Vince Little and Bryce Dubee unit 5058 Apo a 963285058 Tel Dan 2259233 Civ 04 25522511 ext 59233 fax a 2257752 email Okinawa David Allen Chiyomi Sumida Cindy Fisher Megan Mccloskey Camp Foster unit 3517 Fpo a 96374 Tel Dan 6453807 or Civ 98 8932702 fax Dan 6459165 email Korea Korea Bureau chief to Flack unit 15334 Apo a 962050423 Tel Dan 7217132 or Civ 2 22705334 email area i Erik Slavin Camp red mail to hic area 1 unit 15707 Box 8 Apo a 96258 Tel 01067319137 email area ii to Flack Hwang Harrym and Jimmy Norris mail to unit 15334 Apo a 962050423 Tel Dan 7217131 7217132 or 7217134 Civ fax Dan 7217141 email area Iii in Osan air base Kunsan air base and Chunhae naval base Franklin Fisher mail to unit 15334 Apo a 962950423 Tel Dan 7842751 or Civ 6612751 fax Dan 7844523 email Washington do Bureau editor Patrick Dickson 529 14th Street new suite 350 Washington do 200451301 Tel 202 7610859 email Lisa Burgess Tel Civ 6921875 Jeff Schogol Tel Civ 703 6921926 and Leo Shane Tel Civ 202 7611183 529 14th Street new suite 350 Washington do 200451301 fax Civ 7610890 email stars and stripes uses 417 900 is published daily except Christmas and new years for 50 cents daily and sunday by the stars and stripes Central office 529 14th St new suite 350 Washington do 200451301 periodicals postage paid at san Francisco Calif postmaster Send address changes to Pacific stars and stripes unit 45002 Apo a 963375002 ombudsman David Mazzarella the stars and stripes ombudsman protects the free flow of news and information reporting any attempts by the military or other authorities to undermine the newspapers Independence the ombudsman also responds to concerns and questions from readers and monitors coverage for fairness accuracy timeliness and balance the ombudsman welcomes comments from readers and can be contacted by email at or by phone at 2027610945 european and Pacific stars and stripes 2007 stars and stripes web site  letters to the editor crossed wires on Yokota i do not mind Reading the occasional fluff piece put into stars and stripes about some new military program but when stripes openly prints what could be boiled Down to an advertisement for the army and air Force Exchange service and its contractors it destroys the legitimacy of the articles contained within and the writers who contribute to the paper internet phone services Shap ing up article March 26 Japan Edi to think that the paper would not be asking the Tough questions such As Why Are Yokosuka residents paying a month for 10 maps while Yokota residents Are paying month is almost impossible to comprehend to add insult to injury the costs associated with the new service Are even higher than the current services being provided As an interim solution while we wait for Allied Telesis to take Over the entire base if the Yokota Community had realized that the True costs of the new services being installed were going to be imparted onto them perhaps cafes might not have been allowed to take Over these ser vices on base Allied claim that the japanese fiber infrastructure was installed by the government of Japan is mostly incorrect the japanese government used tax Breaks debt guarantees and partial subsidies to allow companies who were willing to Lay fiber to do so without incurring the huge costs and passing them along to their customers the japanese govern ment covered approximately on third of the costs necessary to install the Infra Structure which enabled the telecoms companies to maintain the costs of then services at nearly a stable level while exponentially increasing Bandwidth capacity Over the past several years it is said that these incentives provided the right kind of environment for rapid deployment necessary to take Japan from the lowest High Speed internet user in the world to the largest High Speed user can Allied honestly say that it is not using any fiber on base that was installed prior to their arrival by japanese or us governments cafes should be ashamed of itself and Start absorbing some of the costs and Stop trying to turn a profit off the military personnel it serves Maribeth Spence Yokota air base Japan term squatters Doest apply so us forces Korea is finally starting to be More realistic about the timetable concerning the move to Camp Humphreys completion Date set for Humphreys expansion article March 19 Korea the Date that had been bandied about As the party line Tel a vat you think stars and stripes welcomes your comments on editor and columns that Are published in the newspaper and values import Tancin Trie lives of Pur real Gas All letters roust tie signed and most inc Ladelie writers address or base and Telephone number please limit Ali Letteri to 300 Worts we Reserve the right to edit Fetters for length taste an clarity Send your letters to v Usi mail irate National mail readers forum stars and stripes unit 45002 apr ap963375q02 Tokyo 4060032 via fax from Japan 0334q8m6 Dan 2293271 Sta Sand stripes 72347 Roppo Ngi via fax from country code Dan 2293271 email for years 2008 never was feasible the proposed billion Price tag is a Colos Sal waste of South korean and american taxpayer dollars but there is Little that can be done to Stop it now one statement was personally Offen Sive As Well As insulting to the koreans who owned the land now slated to be incorporated into Camp Humphreys not every person willingly relinquished their land and the article stated that these holdouts squatted there for months a squatter is defined in the dictionary As one who settles on unoccupied land with out Legal claim most of those people who occupied that land until forcibly evicted by the South korean government were the Legal and rightful owners who lived on and Farmed it for generations there is no profession outside of motherhood that i respect and Admire More than Farmers those people were arbitrarily forced to give up their land their livelihoods and the Only life they have Ever known whether they wanted to or not i know How they feel and frankly i am surprised that More of them did not fight to the bitter end to keep their land i own part of my great grandfathers farm in Pennsylvania and it is not for Sale at any Price i would fight anybody who tried to evict me i empathize with those Farmers who did not want to leave their lands and have to Start Over from scratch alas the South korean and american governments have had their Way As the last of the True owners of this land slated for Camp Humphreys expansion Are now removed Multi billions of korean and american taxpayer dollars will be spent to transform soggy Rice paddies into land dotted with Barracks schools and other facilities virtually no one will remember or acknowledge the hundreds of proud hardworking Farmers who once rightfully owned the land doonesbury when this happens the term squat ters will finally be appropriate for the squatters will be us 1st sgt Charles b Woodruff retired Yon san South Korea Exa Irman Only for bad news in reference to your March 26 article Exa Irman charged with damaging Dis posing body Japan you men Tion Exa Irman in the headline former Misawa Serviceman in the sub head and former Misawa airman in the Lead exactly How Long does someone need to be an Exa Irman before he is a civilian that the subject matter of the Story does not seem to be dramatic enough for you that you feel compelled to include the phrase a Misawa airman to sell your paper is regrettable shame on you master sgt Brad Sprague Misawa air base Japan civilian uniform needed i recently returned from Afghanistan i was surprised How much it bothered me having civilians in uniform like rank uniforms should be reserved for those who serve in the uniformed services this is not to say that there cant be distinctive civilian uniforms what both ered me most were civilians who did not meet military standards overweight Long hair facial hair big earrings Etc if those wearing the uniform complied with All the requirements of Active duty it might not have bothered me As much but to see people wearing the same uni form i Wear and be so out of standards was embarrassing i worked hard to earn wearing my rank and uniform and it should not be Given out lightly i realize some of these civilians Are re tired military or veterans however they Are not in a War zone As a Retiree or vet they Are there in their civilian capacity and that is what should dictate what they Wear when i was on pass in Qatar the Dyn corp guards at the base wore a Khaki uniform that was distinctive from the Mil itary uniforms it was definitely a uni form and very professional looking Why cant All civilians Wear something like that i Hope that when the air Force and Navy get their new Utility uniforms they keep the civilians in the desert Camou Flage uniforms and dont Start giving out the distinctive military uniforms i agree that civilians should be just As proud of their service especially in a War zone As Are the military counterparts and i appreciate their service but if they want to be military and Wear the uni form then join the ranks of Active re serve or guard if not then get a distinctive civilian uniform air Force maj Celeste r Gamache Hill air Force base Utah by Garry Trudeau so Why ape Abol Tow vat Intz waiting poom 50 Young hot much my Kip trauma Means she vi5fs very 5hb iaja5 in6 about of