Vogelweh drawdown madness

The drawdown of Vogelweh, Germany, continues.

I found out that the auto skills shop at Kapaun Air Station will no longer perform any sort of repair services. This on top of the Community Bank closing for good in December. When will this madness cease?

I understand that the Army and Air Force Exchange Service wants to justify the building of its $300 million mall of America, but this is just stupid! What are the spouses and dependents of soldiers who live in Vogelweh supposed to do for banking services? Not every family has two cars, so a soldier has to take time off from his mission to take his wife to Ramstein.

The busing situation in the Kaiserslautern military community is a joke. It’s more of a problem than a solution.

I’m sure some bigwig at AAFES or the Air Force will try to justify moving all the services in Vogelweh to Ramstein, but when you get down to the nitty-gritty, it’s about that almighty dollar. I shouldn’t be surprised. I mean, we are talking about AAFES after all, the same organization that charges soldiers downrange almost $4 for a box of Pop-Tarts. I can say with all honesty, I will seldom, if ever, visit the mall.

I’ve been in this community since 1994. With gas at an all-time high I shouldn’t have to drive an extra 10 to 15 minutes to Ramstein, then spend another 15 minutes looking for parking, just to get money to pay bills or to cash a check.

Whoever is making these decisions obviously doesn’t give two cents about inconveniencing soldiers and their family members. The good people of Vogelweh deserve better. I’m just glad that I do 95 percent of my shopping online. With the exception of gas, AAFES has gotten its last dime from me.

Stephen Malone
Vogelweh, Germany