European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 21, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pace 16 stars and 8 v r i p e 8 june 2007 Thomas publisher Richard general Europe Stephen commander news and editorial Robb Grindstaff Doug Clawson executive editor managing editor Europe Sam Europe Bureau chief Joseph Mideast Bureau chief Marni assistant Bureau chief assistant managing editors Mary news Sean sports Brian features Christopher Patrick news editor Joe web editor addresses mail unit Apoate 09211 International mail Postrach 64345 Germany fax Dan 3498416 49 0 email news  letters  Central office 52914th Street suite Washington do phone Dan 3127630900 or 202 fax editorial director 529 14th suite do phone Dan 3127630945 or How to Call us editor Dan 3498264 0 6155601264 letters Dan 3498237 0 sports Dan 3498225 0 circulation Dan 3498437 0 advertising Dan 0 news bureaus Germany country code Lambert Mark car 459 Box Apo a 091393703 Dan 4697957 0 or fax Dan 4698007 or 0 email  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United kingdom Raf Mildenhall Ben Bryan Mitchell and Sean building 464 Raf Apo a 09459 Dan 2386082 and 2386083 or 0 0 and 0 fax 0 718013 email    Washington Bureau editor Patrick 52914th Street suite Washington do 200451301 202 7610859 email  Lisa Tel 703 6921875 Jeff Tel Civ 703 6921926 and Leo Tel 202 7611183 52914th Street suite Washington do 200451301 fax 202 7610890 email    printed in Germany by Hurr yet  deutschland printed in Italy by edit Rice Tel Estampa stars and stripes uses 017252 is published daily except christinas and new years for 50 cents daily and sunday by the stars and stripes Cental 529 14th suite Washington do periodicals postage paid at Send address changes to european stars and unit Apo a ombudsman David Mazzarella the stars and stripes ombudsman protects the free flow of news and reporting any attempts by the military or other authorities to undermine the newspapers the ombudsman also responds to concerns and questions from and monitors coverage for timeliness and the ombudsman welcomes comments from and can be contacted by email at , or by phone at stars d european and Pacific Stan and stripes 2007 no stripes web site letters to the editor Why use the term american to this Day i cannot comprehend Why the term american continues to Symbol lie those who reside in the mid Northern re Gion of the the term is freely and continuously used in remembering americans of Many nationalities Washington May i believe that America was the name Given to the so called new continent in the late 1400s by a european what i constantly see is the incorrect Over use of the word in newspaper i be Lieve if an individual wants to be cat ego he or she should first consider the place where they in the i frequently get the where Are you from which intrigues me quite a my usual answer to this would be in from the state of new sometimes that enough answer for but others would reply by asking i mean where Are you really from by this i can detect the ignorance be Hind the America is a continent consisting of Many if individuals would like to learn others or historical they should be More when i describe my i usually say that my forefathers originated from the West indies in the so does this automatically make me an american that could be i cannot Call my self an american for the simple fact that i do not represent an entire continent if any i would rather say that in a new in is my Legal Resi if we cannot find a term that could accurately and simply represent a citizen of the maybe we should adopt the Spanish at least Politi Cally Jason Castillo Forward operating base Iraq contractors too in writing in rebuttal to motivated by fat paychecks june i am nor have i a Merce unless of course you count wanting to provide a Good life for my then in a could i do it at Home can i do it better Here you bet Ter believe if the letter writer is thinking that i am just some disgruntled contractor who a Little upset Over what Hes written and has never served in the in More than just a Little i spent 22 years in the military and Hon orally so i know what it is to who is the letter writer to say that a contractor int Here because he wants to just because he gets paid better than the letter writer Doest make a differ in id be willing to bet that when the writer hangs up his uniform he will have his resume in to various Compa Nies wanting to become one of us contractors so he can get some of those Merce nary Tell us mat you think stars arid stripes welcomes your comments on editorials and columns that Are published in the and values letters on topics of importance in the jives of our a letters must be and must include the writers address or base and Telephone please limit All letters to 300 we Reserve the right to edit letters for taste and Send your letters to mail stars and stripes unit 29480 Apoate 09211 International mail stars and stripes Postrach 1330 64345 Griesheim via fax country code 0 Dan 3498395 email  every contractor who works Here and elsewhere frees up soldiers to do other we work with eat with them sometimes die with when its we should be recognized for what we have a com if not for the warrant officer might not have the soldiers available where he is to get the jobs done he needs Danny Jackson Camp Kuwait motivation Doest matter mom seeks Honor for contractors contributions May 29 was merely a Mother seeking recognition for a his motivation for being Over Here is a moot yet the writer of motivated by fat paychecks had to smear his motivation into the ask any person who just retired at 38 try ing to apply for a civil service especially As a firefighter or police what is the answer when they ask for preference or an exemption for age too join the real world Back in the pay ing rent or mortgage to Lay your head Down every instead of living on base housing or dorms getting taxed for shopping and not getting paid More for being married and having kids to unlike the single members in the military who Are doing the exact same Job in the exact same with the skills we have possibly even taught to us while we were in the Mili tary Are coming Back in droves to do jobs that the military does not have the people to How can the letter writer say the con tractor had nothing to do with the military unless the letter writer got up this morn ing in his own handmade Hootch at Camp Cupcake rear area with electricity he put on the uni form he took to a laundry facility he washed with the water he after eat ing the breakfast he he has no right to say the family loss had nothing to do with the doonesbury most contractors dont want any special but his mom did let her voice and enjoy that air conditioning while Reading Joseph Smith Baghdad International Iraq right thing is what counts in motivated by fat the writer infers that everyone in harms Way not wearing a uniform is there for the and somehow that makes their lives less important than the lives of those in a military he claims a grasp of Numan motivation that has so far escaped generations of professional researchers and military leaders myself among having spent one career As a re search psychologist and another 28 years As a military in one fell he has dismissed the selfless sacrifice of thousands of police of teachers and other Ordi nary people americans and non Ameri who demonstrated extraordinary courage at the in the Penta gon and in an air plane Over without apparently thinking about their certainly none was paid enough for what he and we do not Honor them less for he has also denigrated those who served full careers in the military and come Back As contractors thinking that maybe their experience might be beneficial in training or supporting those still to enter harms bigotry is born when one person thinks he is better than the loss of any american doing his Job in harms Way de serves if people do the right what difference does it make what their motivation is god bless All of those Gallant people who have the courage to do the right whatever their i Hope we find a Way to Honor your contractor son for losing his life in a combat and if s of if he was trying to make a that the american we were fortunate to have i Hope we leave thinking one american life is better than another life in our civil War where it Steven Funk retired Italy no need to write about Knight there is a War going Many sailors Are Forward performing duties Well outside the realm of their Normal of instead of writing multiple meaningless stories about a homosexual Sailor who is being discharged for his sexual Orienta Tion bars outed Gay Sailor from re turn to june could you please write stories about sailors who Are serving honorable in harms Way they de serve Petty officer 2nd class Jason Knight does Mike Mccoy Marine corps air station Japan by Garry Trudeau ja50w even min okayov5r i its hot you inyourth5wpy