European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 14, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pa064 stars and stripes june Friedberg a ghost town As soldiers depart Matt and Luis from and Jose from Eagle move a Box heaped with Black fleece jackets at Ray Barracks Central Issue facility tuesday in both Are members of Headquarters and Headquarters 1st 37th Armor part of the 1st brigade combat 1st armoured by Matt Millham stars and stripes Germany walk Down the streets of Friedberg these Days and something is noticeably absent sol the scene int much different a few blocks away at Ray Headquarters of the 1st brigade combat 1st a Mored parking lots Are mostly the main Gate is closed and lines at Burger King and the posts Small Post Exchange have been replaced by lines of soldiers wait ing to turn in their military equipment or Book flights to their next locals Are divided on the soldiers Depar Ture by How the exodus affects their pocket the few that Are Are scrambling to leave or scrambling to help others get civilians who work for the military either already have plans to move on or Are scrambling to make its not As if nobody knew this was com the department of defense announced the closure More than four years and soldiers Learned last june that the 1st but would inactivate and move to the but those were just it seems More real said Chris Gopher from of Headquarters and Headquarters 2nd 37th Armor has spent the past three weeks working at Ray Barracks Central Issue Facil which distributes and collects equip ment such As sleeping helmets and body because soldiers have streamed so quickly from Friedberg and nearby where about a third of the brigade was once Woods and nine other soldiers were tasked to help the facility handle the nearly of the brigades roughly soldiers already have turned in their said Kevin a retired first ser Geant who manages the Central Issue facilities at Friedberg and everything like a ghost new port another sign of the exodus can be found at Ray Barracks tvs which pro Vides internet and Cable television soldiers can cancel their service and get it turned off the same which if we cancel there gone to Sven the shop nearly All of the 250 or so contracts sol Diers signed after returning from Iraq in february have been Wells outside the Friedberg residents have noted the diminished presence of troops with a Range of Friedberger a popular Destina Tion that got about half its business from sol Diers on already has seen its sol Dier clientele Cut by about 75 said Claudia who works of the bauhaus is taking in less but the soldiers that came in were also a source of entertainment for the Schuler we miss she adding that the exodus is sad not Only for our Brau for All of Friedberg and the Wetter a 25city Region within the German state of that sentiment int held by at the personal a Tattoo and Pierc ing business just off the main strip with its English name gives the appearance that its trying to solicit american the exit is it makes the shop run said the on named Fel Low in charge of poking holes in he said soldiers were notorious for making appointments to get tattoos and then not show ing Hes glad he Hast seen a Soldier in More than a a Soldier or family member still might wander in to get inked or but that not those that Are still Here Are Rushing to get Woods email Matt Millham at  wayward bus Drivers suspension irks parents by Charlie Coon stars and stripes Germany the parents of two teens Are baffled that a bus Driver received Only a two week suspension for driving their sons to his mothers House and allegedly Locking them in the bus while tending to person Al business the announced in the May 18 edition of the army Garrison Stuttgart base the came As a Surprise to the boys who thought the shuttle bus Driver was going to be the two mothers and their sons filed reports with military police the Day after the 21 Kidnap As they called after hearing nothing Back from Garrison authorities for three one of the mothers was surprised to read about the suspension in the Story poor judgment Call creates con fusion for youth on shuttle confusion asked Katherine Mother of one of the How about terror fear Charlie and stripes a passenger boards one of the shuttle buses that run Between the four main installations in a bus Driver recently was suspended for straying from his route with two teens the parents say the punishment was not severe it made me fee almost insult they boys were hysterical and i was said Silke who received a cell phone Call from her while the boys were on the i was trying to figure out where they were so i could come get it turned out the boys were in a City several Miles past Robinson where the bus whom the Garrison would not was supposed to be taking the boys said they were locked in the bus for five to 10 Accord ing to after returning to the bus from the the Driver took the cell phone from Pink Ards son and told Silke Pinkard he had had to drop off some keys for his Moth Silke Pinkard the boys were eventually driven to Robinson from where Benjamin walked he got Home Iva hours later than he should have his Mother the base newspaper says the Driver had received a frantic cell phone Call from his 74yearold and that the Driver took Only a Short the boys said after they noticed the bus was off the Driver made them sit in the front of the bus and told them to record him with their cell phones As he drove beeping the on passengers praised the bus which shuttles passengers Between stut tarts four but said they found the Drivers punish ment in surprised he was not taken up on said army Mark Sauve of special opera Tion command id be if i was 13 and taken to some weird place on a bus and they dont Tell me where in said air Force staff Latoya Miller of european two weeks that it said Amber the Mother of a the Garrison Public affairs of fice in an emailed response to stars and stripes said the Inci Dent was investigated by five Gar Rison though the parents said they were never except by family after filing the initial police the investigation concluded that the Driver had not committed a criminal offence but Only deviated from his route without appropriate the whom the Garrison said had an exemplary work also had a letter of admonition placed in his personnel the Garrison stated in its emailed response that the Driver received appropriate punish but did not state when the Driver was gaucher said her son was scared when he boarded a shuttle bus Over easter break Only to find the same Driver behind the email Charlie Coon at