June 22

Mail bottlenecked

Letters index(Click on date to jump ahead)

June 22 Mail bottlenecked Better each day One more mail complaint Absolutely appalled U.S. Army the enemy? Setting limits is hard to limit Pulse cannot be defended

June 23 Everyone has opinions Mail service poor to absent Currency info clarification Union-bashing wrongJune 24 Adjust staffing Be realistic Stop squawking Army promotions Overweight soldiers need helpJune 25 We can go Don’t forget use Still here Hang in there Civilians wearing uniforms All opinions countJune 26 Bring us home Promotion points Mail messed up Advertise our plight Where’s the support? War zone’s parcel parameters Progress properly packagedJune 27 Live the creed Great injustice Downrange mail slow Efforts paying off 1st ID is ready to go Don’t forget troops in countryJune 28 Different ideas Evolution story Softball team memorable Guard, reserves protect plenty Mail in caring hands

I’ve read the complaints of Stars and Stripes’ letter writers concerning the transit times of their letters and packages sent to soldiers in Iraq. Local postmasters or Army Post Offices should be able to give customers system transit times and goals. They are also required to explain to customers any unusual circumstances, such as weather or strikes. The highly unusual circumstance we are dealing with here is war — a combat zone.

It’s difficult to pinpoint system transit times to a destination that until just recently had no U.S. Postal Service system. Putting that system in place is planned prior to combat operations and executed after combat operations. Pending the outcome of the combat, that system plan must be flexible. The Military Postal Service is making great leaps and bounds to have that system in place.

Regular mail service can’t be compared to mail service in a combat zone. Establishing mail routes, moving mail equipment and personnel, locating mobile units, and ensuring mail security takes a great deal of time. To expect a complete operational and functioning system to be in place and servicing an entire country full of soldiers in a two-week time frame is unrealistic. Writers’ criticism of soldiers who are working diligently under extreme conditions to move mail is not properly justified. These are soldiers who are also waiting to get mail, and they know they can’t send or receive mail until their jobs are done.

Handling mail is also a security issue. Some of these care packages contain high-value items. The MPS, just like the USPS, is designed to protect and secure these packages. It’s for this reason that just not anybody can handle the mail. While the morale benefit that mail provides is understood, soldiers’ other needs take higher precedence. These needs are basic — food, water and medical supplies. Engineer and transportation units are required to establish structure and move personnel, equipment and supplies.

The quantity of mail that one deployed soldier receives is at least five times greater than what a soldier stationed stateside receives. We encourage everyone to support our soldiers in this fashion. But the barely-existent postal service can’t adequately process this amount of mail. In time, the system will. But currently there is a bottleneck effect due to new postal construction under way. Customers should please continue to be patient and understand that all soldiers, including postal soldiers, are still waiting to get mail. Before criticizing these soldiers, letter writers should walk a mile in their boots.

I’m surprised Stars and Stripes hasn’t done a story on the postal platoons working out of Baghdad International Airport or Camp Dogwood. I kindly ask Stripes to visit the existing postal operations and identify the working environment that these soldiers are dealing with.

Staff Sgt. Adam RiggsIraq

Better each day

My unit, the 755th Adjutant General’s Corps Company (Postal) from Texarkana, Texas, was the first on the ground in Kuwait to support the troops in this theater. We started post offices from scratch as a Reserve unit to serve the troops at three different locations. Then we were given the mission, after being spread too thin, to run a distribution center, which is a first for me.

Here in Kuwait, with Master Sgt. Gay and Master Sgt. Hearn, we started with 10 soldiers, myself included, processing mail. Thirty Marines helped. Thanks but to the grace of God, we (Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force) all did our best. I’ve been blessed to see mail from the inside and the outside. If anybody could, I could play the blame game all day long, but I won’t. Here at the Joint Military Mail Terminal, equipment problems in the beginning slowed us down from moving mail efficiently, and the same is happening all over this theater.

I have been doing mail for almost nine years, and I can truly say that the weather sure hasn’t helped either. I know that in the beginning some workers, like the truck drivers, worked 20-hour days, giving their best. I know we’re not all perfect to say the least. But even after the hate mail sent to Stars and Stripes, we try hard to keep up servicemembers’ morale by moving mail. Consequently, even with the troubles of mail going stateside, I know each day will get better. Every day the overnight crew sends tons of mail to Baghdad International Airport.

I don’t know much about the first Gulf War, but I believe servicemembers’ mail is moving much better. I hope this helps enlighten readers.

Sgt. Barrett PickettKuwait

One more mail complaint

Here’s one more complaint about the mail. It’s not about how long it’s taking for items to get downrange. This one is directed at all the people out there who don’t think that this is an important matter. They want to say that only after food, fuel and bullets does the mail get loaded onto cargo vessels and sent to our soldiers. Well, a lot of those care packages are food, because some soldiers are having a hard time getting to the post exchange (convenience store would be more like it). And when they do, many items are gone.

Why are we sending food to our loved ones? Because we love them. Unless readers have had the “pleasure” of eating T-Rations or Meals, Ready to Eat, they’ll never fully understand why some soldiers would rather do without than endure the military’s idea of a meal. This brings us to the issue of letters from loved ones. This is the day and age of cell phones, e-mail and the like, but not everyone has access to those luxuries.

Dorothy AmyLIdar-Oberstein, Germany

Absolutely appalled

I’m writing in response to the letter “Religious letters” (June 15). I was absolutely appalled by the letter writer taking offense to a previous letter, “Something positive” (June 12), which said that “God can do amazing things through us and others.” The writer of “Religious letters” was correct that Stars and Stripes is “produced, published and distributed by the Armed Forces Information Service, a public affairs entity within the Department of Defense.” But he must also remember that we’re Americans who possess the right to freedom of speech.

I remind the writer that the money he’s paid with is stamped “IN GOD WE TRUST.” Yet I’m sure he hasn’t asked to stop being paid. Should we also stop paying the chaplains who serve our soldiers? No one forced the letter writer to read “Something positive,” nor was he forced to adopt any of the letter’s beliefs. If the writer of “Religious letters” has different beliefs, he’s welcome to submit his own letter that states them without condemning the beliefs of others. I also remind the writer that the Constitution says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press....” From what I can read, no laws were broken.

I’m proud to say that my family is Christian, and we stand strong in our beliefs. It’s the belief that God can do amazing things that holds us together while my husband fights in Iraq. It keeps him strong and motivated every day to lead his soldiers as a senior noncommissioned officer in the Army. He’s fighting for our right to continue to express our beliefs freely, whether on the street corner or in a newspaper like Stars and Stripes. May God always bless America and those who fight to defend her freedoms.

Angie PooreBaumholder, Germany

U.S. Army the enemy?

This is an inquiry regarding support for each military service. I’m currently deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom with the rest of the fine men and women of our military forces. I understand that the U.S. Army in Iraq provides the majority of security. So I was surprised one day when we tried to shop at the base exchange run by the Air Force at the airport and we were turned away because we are Army soldiers.

The last time I checked, AAFES stood for Army and Air Force Exchange Service. All forces in the airport and military forces conducting operations here in Iraq utilize the main post exchange. Why can’t we shop at an Air Force base exchange? Is the U.S. Army the enemy?

I have another concern regarding mail. Can the U.S. postal system utilize the numerous flights in and out of Baghdad to deliver mail to and from duty stations? My comrades are receiving mail at least three weeks late. It takes my family in Baumholder, Germany, a minimum of four weeks to get mail coming from Iraq. I know I’m not fully knowledgeable about about how the transportation assets operate. But as an airport occupied by U.S. military forces, why can’t supplies, rations and mail be transported by aircraft directly to our fellow servicemembers working in the theater of operations? Currently the Army is transporting its mail and rations via military convoys at least 400 kilometers south to north. Is the Air Force having issues? I thought we were on one team and this was one fight.

Sgt. G. FranciscoBaghdad, Iraq

Setting limits is hard to limit

I have been reading Stars and Stripes for the last 15 odd years. One thing I have noticed, time after time, is issues are covered on only one side of an opinion — such as the reaction to Pulse magazine.

Here we have a European subject that is commonplace and is addressed certainly to say more openly with little of the “hostility” seen in the States. We, as Americans, are quick to approve, condone (pick your word) the rights of others (including speech and expression to the same end) — so long as it runs along our own personal beliefs. Well, now we have a problem here, don’t we?

Americans, as a whole, are very prudish. I noticed this while being stationed in Germany for more than eight years and the 15 months I spent in South Korea did little to improve this opinion. It has been reiterated in the last few weeks in regard to Pulse magazine’s cover of a sex trade show. If you have ever spent any time in Europe, especially in the summer time, you have, no doubt, noticed the extreme differences in cultures.

Before readers complain about the sex-related venues, please allow me to finish. Sex sells, period, end of story. Is it right? That is a personal choice we are all forced to make. Do these same women, while on their proverbial soapboxes, voice as much opinion when “Sex and the City,” “Baywatch” or other television or movies hit the airwaves and box offices? Probably not. Do they express their unyielding negative support for sex education in our public schools? Condom availability to our youth, who are sexually active younger and younger these days? Again, I think not.

As many would agree, our military is but a slice of our American society. If there are drug problems in society, they will be present in our military. Should there be bad check writers in society, yes, they will be present in our ranks. This is a simple fact of military life. Get used to it.

Did I say disagree with it? Certainly not. Agree, disagree, it makes no difference to me. Freedom, remember, is what we all fight for.

If something offends you on the television, do you throw it out or unplug it? If a new movie hitting the silver screen offends you, do you boycott the theaters? If a restaurant boils your blood because of its theme, do you force it from your community? Of course not. You simply do not watch it, spend your money to sit through it or patronize it.

This is the same philosophy we all should be using when it comes to newspapers. You don’t like or approve of what the Stars and Stripes is reporting? Well, ladies (and you selected men afraid to stand up for something without prior spousal approval), don’t buy it. If you still desire to read it, but don’t like some content, well then, consider getting rid of the particular items you don’t like about it.

Many have complained in the past, again, right or wrong (after all, it is their right to express it), that sexually explicit materials should not be on the shelves of Army and Air Force Exchange Service outlets because it degrades women. I can agree with them but I have to stop short of complete censoring. I agree publications such as Hustler, Swank and the like have all gone a bit too far. In retrospect however, Playboy is not as bad as one may think.

Have you ever, honestly now, read the publication? Some women, especially those who like to hear themselves talk, “see” only the models in the pictorials. But, have they ever read Playboy? I am talking about the portions such as raw data, reviews in video, fashion and party jokes, only to name a few.

So, is it bad that the European version of Stars and Stripes has published something occurring in Europe? Either side of the fence you straddle, get over it.

Are these women honestly asking me (as well as the American public) to focus solely on women and their issues? Ask yourself — or your spouse, brother, sister, friend, etc., who is in the “field” — do they want the broad range of “what’s going on back home” to read about or Cosmopolitan? I am not against women’s issues, however, if you are asking me to support and focus solely on a particular issue, you are going too far.

I do not believe in any action that puts any group above another. I support equal action across the board.

We are human, all of us. Some are good, some are bad, and this is not restricted to any border or boundary, rather both men and women. Are there not female prisons, after all?

I’m sure if it were up to these feminists, I, and all men, would be nothing more than eunuchs. However, I refuse to have my individuality, my manhood, or whatever you wish to call it, controlled by a selected few self-absorbed women.

Jeff BensonNo city given

Pulse cannot be defended

Once again the defenders of Pulse magazine have badly missed the mark. They feel it’s their right to read anything they want, and if others are “offended” then that’s just too bad. They even distort the First Amendment by claiming that publications such as Pulse are protected by freedom of the press, and that to argue against its publication is “censorship.” What rubbish.

If Washington, Jefferson and the other Founding Fathers of our great nation ever knew that the First Amendment would be used to sanction such rot as Pulse, they’d be shocked and astounded. The purpose of the First Amendment is to protect political expression, not to serve as a cover for those who want to promote their social poisons.

Basically, these misguided folks seem to think that whatever anyone wants to express in a public forum is OK because they have “rights” to air whatever they want. They also advance the argument that if someone doesn’t like it, well, just turn it off, throw it out or don’t read it.

I wonder how these same people would feel if an auto manufacturer wanted to sell cars with no smog controls, but with increased power and performance. After all, shouldn’t we as potential buyers have a “right” to buy such a car? Why should I not be allowed to buy that kind of car if I want to? If others don’t like my smog-belching street machine, too bad. Don’t buy it. Ah, but they’d say the car’s noxious fumes are affecting the whole environment, the air that everyone must breathe. And that’s the point!

I object to publications like Pulse because they’re social pollution, just as much as smog is air pollution. We’re all affected by the values and standards that Pulse promotes.

Do we really want a society in which physical intimacy is cheapened, in which women and men are sexually exploited and not seen as whole people, in which titillation passes as “entertainment,” in which instant gratification and pleasure rule the day? Do we really want a whole generation of children to grow up living their lives based on values promoted by Pulse? Would the defenders of Pulse really want a child of their own to grow up living a Pulse lifestyle? I think (or would at least hope) not.

It’s bad enough that so much of contemporary “entertainment” promotes values that weaken and destroy individual human dignity, family values and, ultimately, society at large. It’s worse when a publication funded by tax dollars and sanctioned by an arm of the U.S. government does so. Shame on Stars and Stripes.

Don MorrisWiesbaden, Germany

June 23

Everyone has opinions

This is in regard to the letter “Religious letters” (June 15). The writer asked why Stars and Stripes prints such letters. Well, if the writer would please direct his eyes to the top of the page, it clearly states “LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.” That’s what the page is for. Opinions. A previous writer voiced her opinion about Christianity. That’s her right which she fights for so bravely. We have freedoms of speech, expression, religion and of the press in this matter. The writer expressed herself. Stripes used its right to a free press. The writer had his expression printed. As a captain, the writer should know that he fights for these rights. Our newer laws are contradicting our old amendments.

I’m not a scholar. I’m a stay-at-home mom and wife. I’m glad servicemembers fight for my right to do so. I’m also glad they fight for my right to write this letter. I think I’ve answered the writer’s questions. The answers should have been apparent.

I also want to comment on the other complaints about Pulse magazine. When people start to read something and they don’t like it, they should stop reading it. Not everyone shares the same views. I like Pulse Magazine. I find nothing offensive about it. That’s my opinion. If I didn’t like it, I certainly wouldn’t keep reading it. That’s my choice. I have a choice to read something or not. So do all of Stripes’ readers.

Mary McDonaldSchweinfurt, Germany

Mail service poor to absent

I can’t help but echo the sentiments in “Downrange mail woes” (May 31) about the poor to absent mail service that we have here in the Iraq theater of operations. I’m in the 1st Armored Division, and my unit has been here since April 28. That’s a minuscule bit of time in comparison to our brethren in the 3rd Infantry Division and others who were here long before us. But I see the mail problems affecting us all.

My spouse mailed a package to me two days after I left Germany, and five weeks later it’s not here. Two other packages that she mailed made it, but they were mailed after her first shipment. We soldiers here are dependent upon the mail for our toiletries (the post exchange can’t seem to stock the items we need), food items (Meals, Ready to Eat are getting old now), and morale. I’ve been a soldier for more than 21 years. I’ve been on many deployments, and I’ve never seen mail service this bad. During Desert Storm we got trucks full of mail almost daily, even during combat operations in a light infantry battalion.

Like the writer said, either the mail’s getting stolen or someone responsible doesn’t care enough to do this service right, and that person should be relieved.

Capt. Allan A. GoddardBaghdad, Iraq

Currency info clarification

Stars and Stripes published letters on May 30 and May 31 regarding the exchange rate for the purchase of British pounds at Community Banks in Germany. The information in the letters clearly indicates a breakdown in the manner that exchange rates are represented in Stripes’ exchange rates table and the manner in which AFN radio is announcing exchange rates. The information received from Community Bank was correct.

The “military rates” quoted by Stripes and announced on AFN are the individual conversion rates for the local currency in each respective country. The 1.68 rate quoted for British pounds (GBP) would be the individual rate to purchase GBP at Community Banks in the United Kingdom. Similarly, the 0.8268 rate quoted for the euro would be the rate to purchase euros in Germany and the Netherlands.

The basis for setting individual rates is established in the Department of Defense contract with Bank of America, which operates Community Bank and, in all cases, is dependent on the base cost of the currency, or acquisition rate. Lower purchasing volumes and a higher cost of delivery will generally always result in a higher acquisition cost for a foreign currency (GBP purchased in Germany for sale in Germany) versus a local currency (GPB purchased in the U.K. for sale in the U.K.). The amount of that rate cost variance on any given day is a function of market conditions and currency supply and demand.

The rate the customer received for his GPB purchase was the rate publicly posted in the banking center. The DOD — working with Bank of America, Stars and Stripes and AFN — is looking at ways to better communicate foreign currency exchange rate information to eliminate future misunderstandings of this nature. A special thanks goes out to the letter writers for bringing this matter to our attention.

Keith WestbyDefense Financial InstitutionsServices OfficeColumbus, Ohio

Union-bashing wrong

AFN has run and rerun statements by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld relative to his desire to totally reorganize the civilian side of the federal government. These statements were/are misleading and inflammatory. And given the nature of civilian support for President Bush, the war on terrorism, and all current and past military missions, I resent these statements. I can only hope Mr. Rumsfeld isn’t speaking for “my president,” but the absence of any voice from the White House chills me.

Many civilians, including me, have worked for years for our country and have given good and faithful service. What Mr. Rumsfeld is saying paints civilian workers as lazy, good-for-nothing rejects, with the civilian unions protecting thieves and felons by not allowing the federal government to get back money stolen through improper use of government credit cards. This is a gross exaggeration.

Mr. Rumsfeld said there were around 2,000 union locals fighting the government’s attempt to recoup money illegally put on federal credit cards. This is contrary to common sense. If there was as much illegal activity as Mr. Rumsfeld implies, the police would be putting people in jail, not just garnisheeing wages. Many federal employees (probably most) don’t even have government credit cards to abuse, and I’ll bet that most people who do have government credit cards are in management and not covered by union protection anyway. Furthermore, the government has had absolutely no trouble deducting money from my paycheck as a federal teacher when it believes it’s overpaid me.

I’ve been a civilian employee since 1984. Most of the people I’ve worked with are good, hard working, and dedicated. Some have even died to assure our freedom. I was in Panama during the invasion. Two teachers and the son of another teacher were killed.

As a DODDS teacher, I’ve assumed that most servicemembers appreciate that I provide a U.S. education for their kids. The DODDS school system is one of our nation’s most highly regarded. It was even featured on “60 Minutes” because so many of our students are performing well. It appears Mr. Rumsfeld prefers to focus on the negative and exaggerate the problems he faces. Did he and the White House really mean for us all to feel this unappreciated by the Department of Defense?

I know Mr. Rumsfeld served in the military. So did I. I was a decorated infantry officer and am a Vietnam War veteran. Mr. Rumsfeld has been a longtime DOD civilian. So have I. I served in Bahrain as a civilian in the mid 1980s during the Iran-Iraq war. I served the DOD in Panama during the Manuel Noriega years and the subsequent invasion. I’ve been a DOD active-duty member or a civilian for more than 22 years, and have spent my life supporting this government and its ideals. I’m also a union member and proud of it.

The DOD requires hard-working, dedicated civilians to accomplish its mission. That fact has been recognized repeatedly. All organizations can be improved, but surely the problems Mr. Rumsfeld is pointing out don’t require bashing all civilian employees and breaking the unions. If he continues in this manner, I can tell readers how I’m voting in the next election.

Brian McGeeYokosuka Naval Base, Japan

June 24

Adjust staffing

I’m writing in response to the letter “Limit mail” (June 8). I’m not a postal employee. I’m a U.S. soldier serving in Iraq. I disagree with the writer, a postal employee, who said that family members who have loved ones in Iraq should limit the number of packages they send each day. Does the writer not have a clue? There are more than 200,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Kuwait. Therefore, there may be 200,000 packages mailed on any given day. The postal service should understand this and make adjustments to its staffing requirements.

The letters and packages we receive are very much needed. The letters put smiles back on soldiers’ faces after a 120-degree day has taken their smiles away. The packages they receive make up for not having a post exchange or a Burger King like the letter writer enjoys every day.

We’re here in Iraq because it’s our job. The postal service needs to start doing a better job of getting soldiers their mail. If the load is too heavy, then more employees should be hired and more postal locations should be opened to support the soldiers. The postal service needs to do whatever it takes, because the soldiers are fighting for our country and its way of life.

Tracy L. NewbillIraq

Be realistic

I feel the same as all the previous letter writers do about the mail situation here in Iraq and in other areas inside Operation Iraqi Freedom’s area of operations. But come on. Let’s be reasonable and use some common sense here. If the Army and Department of Defense can’t even supply us with vehicular repair parts, medical supplies, trash bags, uniforms and other essentials of daily living, what makes anyone think they can deliver the mail?

In my platoon we have two out of six ambulances down and two aid stations down for repair parts. One track was down for more than 60 days for a generator. Come on. How many M113A3 armored personnel carriers does the Army have, and it took 60 days to get a generator? And people want the mail?

Members of the 4th Infantry Division were only issued two sets of desert camouflage uniforms. We were promised we’d receive two more sets in theater. Nope. Not here yet. Personnel with chronic medical conditions can’t even get their medicines refilled, and they’re close to running out. Water has been limited to one bottle per day on several occasions. Simple Class VIII items take weeks or even months to get here. Class II? Don’t even think about it.

Let’s be realistic. As long as we have fuel and rounds to send downrange, no one in power who can do anything really cares about anything else. So let’s stop complaining about the mail. They can’t even get us what we need to do our jobs.

Staff Sgt. Daniel TraverTikrit, Iraq

Stop squawking

If readers ask me — and even if they don’t — it’s time to stop squawking about Pulse magazine. The temerity of the so-called morally enlightened amazes even this generally conservative old retiree and former commander.

Nothing I’ve seen in Pulse — and I believe I’ve seen every issue — remotely approaches what a puritanical handful of letter writers have referred to as “pornographic” material. But then again, I’m relying on a legal definition of pornography and not that of the perfect people who have voiced their outrage, which is no doubt the only definition any of us should subscribe to.

If the Pulse insert — that’s insert, folks, as in something that can be easily tossed from Stars and Stripes — is the cause of such moral outrage, I wonder where these same folks have been hiding on greater issues of “moral decay” in our society, as one writer termed it. I wonder how many of these fine, upstanding folks do or say nothing about the outrageous policy that AAFES and other money-grubbing businesses have of allowing small children into R-rated movies or selling magazines with sexual themes.

Do they correct their children when they use the same foul language they learn in front of the family baby sitter, er, make that the television? Do they believe that every woman should be relegated to the status of commissary queen and so disdain those horrible, evil bustiers and garter belts? And oh, by the way, belly dancing – whether the Persian or Egyptian variety – is not pornographic. It’s cultural.

If younger generations — especially those who are deployed — derive some form of enjoyment from Pulse, let them. I don’t think platoon sergeants are ripping Pulse from soldiers’ hands downrange and scolding them for being bad little boys and girls. I realize this is a tall order for perfect people whose own moral codes supercede everyone else’s. But at least for the sake of something new on the letters page, can we try?

Maj. David B. Hamilton (Ret.)Heidelberg, Germany

Army promotions

I noted with interest the story “U.S. senator stalls Air Force promotions” (June 11). It said the senator is preventing the promotions of 400 officers. One would naturally conclude that this is outrageous and that pressure should be brought to bear on the offending individual to allow the promotions to occur.

The same thing is happening in the Army. In this case, 1,000 mobilized Reserve officers who were selected for promotion are being told by the Army G-1/deputy chief of staff for personnel that they can’t be promoted because they’re not in a position equivalent to the promotion grade. Unlike active duty Army officers, who are promoted without consideration of the position they occupy, an Army Reserve troop program unit officer must be in a position equivalent to the promotion grade to be promoted. In my case, I’m a major serving in a major’s slot. But for me to be promoted to lieutenant colonel, I’m required to occupy a lieutenant colonel’s slot. And since my unit has no such slot, I’d have to transfer to another unit to be promoted.

This policy, which is dubious at best in peacetime, has broken down completely in wartime. DCSPER has taken the position that there can be no exceptions to this policy, even for mobilized soldiers. This is patently absurd. On one hand they’re saying that to be promoted a soldier must move to another position, all the while recognizing that once a soldier is mobilized, he can’t move into another position.

In essence, I’m being punished for being mobilized. I can’t accept my promotion to lieutenant colonel because one set of rules would require me to transfer to another unit while another set of rules don’t permit me to transfer to another unit. There once was a policy that permitted mobilized officers to be promoted with a commitment to transfer within 180 days of release from active duty or be involuntarily transferred to the Individual Ready Reserve, but DCSPER rescinded that policy several months ago. DCSPER says that Secretary of the Army approval is needed to fix this problem. But despite months of awareness of the issue, no action has been taken to obtain such a remedy.

I’ve been fighting this battle since March to no avail. Not only am I losing $1,000 a month, but I may also lose my promotion, my career and even my retirement if Army bureaucrats continue to hem and haw and do nothing.

Maj. Anthony R. TempestaIraq

Overweight soldiers need help

I’ve been “weighing” whether this letter “fits” into the category of relevance for Stars and Stripes’ readers, and I decided it bears some “weight” if taken in the kindly manner intended.

As a treat, my family recently attended the NATO Music Festival in Kaiserslautern, Germany. We applauded the diverse music corps from the Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, Austria and the United States. Although we enjoyed all the outstanding groups, as patriotic Americans we especially favored the U.S. band’s performance.

Unfortunately, we noticed that when all the bands marched onto the field for a grand finale that some Germans sitting next to us were pointing out the American band and laughing. They remarked that some of the American soldiers appeared overweight. They made comments about Americans having obesity problems. Incidentally, when the German band marched in, they noted some of their soldiers also looked hefty.

Whether it’s fair or not, people do tend to judge us on our weight. Especially when members of a military unit are above average weight, they are deemed unfit, sloppy or without discipline. I’m not one to throw stones. I realize people may have reasons for their weight. It may be due to thyroid problems, stressful times or just all the great European food available. Sadly, my European friends have said that if they see an overweight person, they’ll tend to think that person is an American.

This makes me extremely sad. I’m proud of my country and admire our soldiers in uniform. Any time we’re criticized, I take notice. Like it or not, our presence overseas reflects on our country and its reputation. Perhaps those of us who weigh too much may need to consider exercising at the nearest gym or enlisting the help of a nutritionist. From personal experience, I know my local base fitness center has been extremely helpful in providing tips for me to get into shape. Servicemembers should do this for themselves, their military units and their country so we can “strut our stuff” with pride.

Melanie SalavaStrassen, Luxembourg

June 25

We can go

I’m a medic in the 1st Infantry Division stationed in Schweinfurt, Germany. I sympathize with the complaints of the soldiers currently deployed in Iraq. I can’t understand why the 3rd Infantry Division is still there when there are units such as the 1st ID which haven’t gone anywhere except Kosovo. We could easily go and replace the 3rd ID, but we don’t. The running joke around here is that we’re actually the 1st Peace Keeping Division. It seems it’s true.

Every unit that I’ve served with, whether active duty or National Guard, has been deployed. I guess that just shows us where we stack up with the rest of the Army. We’re supposed to be on point for our nation as long as it’s not into a shooting war.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t relish leaving my wife and kids. But I always thought the Army took care of its own — except for relieving units in combat, I guess.

Our troops have been doing a great job over there. They are not forgotten. They should keep their heads up. One of these days our leaders will get them out of there.

Sgt. Robert WeppelmanSchweinfurt, Germany

Don't forget use

My squad and I just got done reading another “leave the real stories out of Stars and Stripes.” It seems every time we are lucky enough to get a Stripes, the articles are always about the units that have it good here in Iraq and about the units that haven’t been here but for maybe a month or so. We read how these units have electricity and running water or how great their chow is and where they’re getting to eat, like a makeshift chow hall. Most of these units are at a palace or at the airport walking around in physical training gear or without their gear on and just T-shirts.

We just returned from a memorial for a GI who got shot by a sniper a few days ago and died. What about the GIs who are still risking their lives and living below poverty levels? We know there are units that have been here even longer, and the units coming in may be here longer than we will. But hopefully they’ll be recognized too.

We’ve been here since Jan. 20, 2003, and have not had electricity in our living area since we left the U.S. We also haven’t had running water but for maybe two weeks before starting this war, and even then it wasn’t for two weeks straight. Since this war we’ve been on water restrictions, and we run out of water every other day. We only get water from a water buffalo unless we get lucky and have bottled water brought to us, and then it’s only two bottles for each soldier a day, if that.

Every day we go out on missions in Baghdad trying to help these people in some way or another and not knowing if all of us will come back. We get mail almost every day and case packages that are full of munchies that we always share with each other. We give most of the candy to Iraqi children. We’ve stopped at the local street market and bought eggs, chickens, and rice just so we can have a decent meal and help bring morale up. The Meals, Ready to Eat are getting very old, meaning we are getting tired of them.

There are still soldiers out here, and the so-called cease-fire hasn’t stopped for us. We still wear all of our gear and probably will until we leave this country. Don’t forget about us, the 11th Engineering Battalion C Company soldiers and our brothers in the 3/7 Infantry. They risk their lives more than we do.

Spc. Steven E. RyanBaghdad, Iraq

Still here

This is in regard to the letter “Finishing off the enemy” (May 13). It wasn’t polite for the writer to slap the hand that reaches out to help him. I found his letter to be very disrespectful. It also showed poor leadership qualities. It appears from his letter that the writer and his troops could use some time off and a history lesson.

The National Guard and reserves have been involved in every major conflict the U.S. has engaged in, and we’re here now in this “filthy sandbox” just like the writer. We are professional soldiers, valiant, solid fighting men who are evaluated by the same standards that the writer mentioned. True, we are part time. But we also balance our families and careers in between drill weekends. With my company alone are engineers, computer specialists, elected public officials, school teachers, law enforcement officers, business owners and managers. We are more diversified soldiers, with more job skills and experiences, than any regular Army unit.

We also benefit from GIs who have served in Panama, Bosnia, Desert Storm, Afghanistan, and now Iraq. Aside from these deployments, National Guardsmen and reservists are called to action when floods, tornadoes, fires and terrorists threaten our families, homes, and businesses. So who really protects America?

My unit has been deployed for more than four months now, yet it took us only four days to complete our bridge mission on the Tigris River. Our job is done. But we are still here, performing military occupational specialties outside of our scope such as transportation, military police, and even infantry. We signed our contracts voluntarily just as the writer did.

So the writer should sleep well tonight knowing that we have him covered stateside and abroad. He should focus on tearing down the enemy, not his teammates.

Spc. Robert YatesBaquba, Iraq

Hang in there

The letter is for all the mail handlers and signal guys who are deployed here in Iraq with me. In Kuwait before the war started, I received four letters and 15 e-mails. Thank God for that. While in Iraq, I’ve gotten one letter, one box and 10 e-mails. Thank God for that. Soldiers in my unit continue to get letters and care packages on almost a daily basis, and occasionally we get to send out e-mails. Thank God for that. Amazingly, many soldiers have shared with me some of their goodies. Thank God for that.

The mail handlers and signal guys are doing their jobs, and maybe some people are not as happy as others. But the jobs they’re assigned to are being done. These guys have nothing to be ashamed of. They’re doing an excellent job, considering that they have to sort through thousands of letters and packages daily and spend countless hours trying to keep communications lines open. Nothing makes soldiers smile more than letters or e-mails or packages from home. As a leader, I can’t make my soldiers smile the way these guys make them smile by getting them their mail. Although they make many of my buddies smile, I don’t envy them.

To be honest, I never thought that I’d be able to have this much mail on a daily basis. This is by no means fun, but the mail handlers and signal guys have made it a little bit more bearable. God has given us all so much in a short little time, and these guys are part of his master plan for our fighting force. They shouldn’t let the words of other soldiers hurt or upset them. They should hang in there.

Sgt. 1st Class Brian K. MooreIraq

Civilians wearing uniforms

As an Army staff sergeant at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, I’m used to making on-the-spot corrections on young soldiers. This is one of the many responsibilities of a noncommissioned officer. But what bothers me are all the civilians wearing the battle dress uniform and the improved physical fitness uniform who are all jacked up. I see people walking around in BDUs wearing earrings, with boot laces hanging out, and all sorts of stuff hanging from pockets. People wear IPFUs with their shirts not tucked in, and they mix the Army T-shirt with all sorts of civilian attire.

I’ve been wearing these uniforms for almost 14 years. Every time I put mine on, I take extra time to ensure that I’m wearing it properly. I take pride in being a member of the Army and wearing its uniforms. If the civilian and Department of Defense contractors are going to wear our uniforms, they need to wear them properly. If not, then AAFES needs to quit selling them to anyone who doesn’t hold a current military ID card.

Staff Sgt. Douglas W. PattilloCamp Bondsteel, Kosovo

All opinions count

This is in regard to the June 19 letter “Writer just a missionary.” The writer asked why Stars and Stripes prints such letters. Well, if the writer would please direct his eyes to the top of the page, it clearly states “LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.” That’s what the page is for, opinions. A previous writer (“Look beyond the superficial,” June 14) voiced her opinion about Christianity. That’s her right, which she fights for so bravely. We have freedoms of speech, expression, religion and of the press in this matter. The first writer expressed herself. Stripes used its right to a free press. The second writer had his expression printed. As a captain, the second writer should know that he fights for these rights. Our newer laws are contradicting our old amendments.

I’m not a scholar. I’m a stay-at-home mom and wife. I’m glad servicemembers fight for my right to do so. I’m also glad they fight for my right to write this letter. I think I’ve answered the writer’s questions. The answers should have been apparent.

I also want to comment on the other complaints about Pulse magazine. When people start to read something and they don’t like it, they should stop reading it. Not everyone shares the same views. I like Pulse magazine. I find nothing offensive about it. That’s my opinion. If I didn’t like it, I certainly wouldn’t keep reading it. That’s my choice. I have a choice to read something or not. So do all of Stripes’ readers.

Mary McDonaldSchweinfurt, Germany

June 26

Bring us home

As a member of the 1st Brigade Combat Team and the 3rd Infantry Division, I can honestly say that it’s time to bring us home from Iraq. We’ve accomplished our mission and then some. Now we’re once again the spearhead, but for peacekeeping. I’m fully aware that 1st BCT has not been in the area for as long as other units. But we all took part in combat, and now many of us are finding it hard to deal with the locals and each other.

As a leader, I’m finding it even harder to keep morale up due to rumors of return dates and false information. Now we’re being told that we could be here until September of this year. And if we do go home before then, we can expect a trip to Egypt at the end of this year.

I think a lot of people will side with me when I say that we need to have some well-earned time with our families and loved ones. Taking care of soldiers is an aspect of our jobs as leaders that some have forgotten about.

This shouldn’t sound like I’m complaining. Rather, I’m voicing my opinion as to what I’m seeing. Morale is at an all-time low and some commanders are trying to fool themselves. It’s time to get us home.

Staff Sgt. Robert GasmanIraq

Promotion points

My name is Spc. Chris Mutai. I’m currently deployed to Iraq and have been here for about 90 days now. I’d like to thank Stars and Stripes for keeping us informed on what’s going on in the world. I just learned that the Lakers lost.

Anyway, many of us E-4, E-5 and E-6 promotables are wondering what the Department of the Army and all its personnel are thinking when they constantly raise points for promotion. I don’t know how any of us here can make points. I’m a mechanic, and my points are constantly high. I guess the reason is that the Army doesn’t need mechanics. (But I don’t see how. We are short about six mechanics.) Anyway, I hope someone in the DA will read this and hopefully get all promotables on deployments promoted.

Spc. Chris MutaiIraq

Mail messed up

I’m currently deployed to Iraq, and I, too, believe the mail system is messed up. To wait a month for a package or a letter from a loved one is ridiculous. Mail is the biggest morale booster for any servicemember serving in this type of situation. Morale is what keeps all these servicemembers’ heads high. Many of my soldiers are down, mainly because of the mail problem and not really the environment that surrounds them. It’s hard for me as a noncommissioned officer to keep their morale up when the mail problem is present. They know that their families and loved ones are writing to them.

Writing letters is our only way of communicating. I just don’t think anyone cares about mail anymore because now there’s e-mail. But I do. My family members rely on old-fashioned mail and don’t do everything electronically. Are they wrong for doing that?

The Military Postal System is all to blame. But the units as well should be blamed. Some units I know just leave mail at the camps where it flew into and let it sit there for about a week. That’s a shame and it’s wrong. Something should be done about that. I love what I do in the military and I love my country and fighting for its freedom. But I think we should get mail support.

Sgt. Antwane BrooksIraq

Advertise our plight

This letter is a test. Taking into account that it’s an Army Post Office to Army Post Office letter, my guess is that it took about 20 days for Stars and Stripes to receive it. Imagine a non-APO addressed letter mailed from here in Iraq. It might get to a loved one in the United States in about 45 days. Not four or five days, but 45!

Recently rumors have been floating around that Camp Webster has no mail while Camp Dogwood is sitting on it. This rumor was apparently confirmed by the letter “Mail system” (May 17). Further rumors suggest that there are working hours for the postal workers. Hours? In a war? I don’t really do anything after 7 p.m. But if I have to work at 9 p.m. or 11 p.m. to accomplish a critical mission (like transporting enemy prisoners of war or escorting food, ammunition or water), I’m fully expected to do so, and I gladly accept my mission. I’m here to do a job at any time of the day in any conditions. Time doesn’t restrain me or my fellow soldiers.

I thank Stars and Stripes for printing our mail concerns so it may be brought to light that morale rides deftly in the hands of postal workers, or dare I say nonworkers. I’ve suggested that our mail handlers be sent to help sort the back “retro” mail. Did they listen? Who knows? I know that my letter mailed from England on April 6 has not yet arrived. I know my packages mailed in late April have not arrived. I know the mail I’ve sent since April 19 has not reached its destination. So what’s the holdup? Retro mail. Mail sitting in connexes at a camp in Iraq waiting to go forward or backward that is at the mercy of the 9-to-5 day. Again, hours are not for war- critical tasks.

Further intervention is necessary to stem the likelihood of catastrophic consequences when some soldiers are affected by negative morale. Readers should write their congressmen, get as many people as their time allows and shout to the masses. They should advertise our plight.

Sgt. Brad HintonIraq

Where's the support?

It seems that no one cares about family members left behind when our soldiers deploy. Recently an American friend of mine whose American husband is deployed in Iraq was going to visit her family in Australia and needed to find transportation to Ramstein Air Base, Germany. She called rear detachment at least a week ahead of time and was assured that there would be no problem. She left message upon message starting four days before her flight for an update with no return call. The day before she was to leave, she desperately called our Family Support Group leader and was told that she needed to call a taxi.

What’s the purpose of FSG? I think the initials stand for Family Support Group, but I must be mistaken. This isn’t the only instance when I’ve experienced a lack of caring on the part of this group. I’ve heard time and time again about how Family Support Groups provide support to families of deployed soldiers.

We’ve been here since May 2002. The first call I got about FSG was when our husbands were deployed to Grafenwöhr in March and were about to be deployed to Iraq. I didn’t receive a call when I was eight months pregnant and my husband was deployed to Grafenwöhr about whether I might possibly need anything or who I could call to drive me to the hospital if I went into premature labor.

When I mentioned to one FSG leader that I couldn’t attend a meeting because I was moving from Birkenfeld to Baumholder, was an offer of help extended? No. Not that I would have accepted. But it would have been nice to know someone cared.

Readers shouldn’t get me wrong. I don’t need my hand held at every step of my husband’s deployment. But during the two most stressful and challenging times in my life, it would’ve been nice to know that there was someone I could call for support if it was needed. It’s appalling that our particular organization has the nerve to call itself a Family Support Group when there is an obvious lack of understanding of the definition of support.

Tracy R. PoetschBaumholder, Germany

War zone's parcel parameters

I’ve read the complaints of Stars and Stripes’ letter writers concerning the transit times of their letters and packages sent to soldiers in Iraq. Local postmasters or Army Post Offices should be able to give customers system transit times and goals. They are also required to explain to customers any unusual circumstances, such as weather or strikes. The highly unusual circumstance we are dealing with here is war — a combat zone.

It’s difficult to pinpoint system transit times to a destination that until just recently had no U.S. Postal Service system. Putting that system in place is planned prior to combat operations and executed after combat operations. Pending the outcome of the combat, that system plan must be flexible. The Military Postal Service is making great leaps and bounds to have that system in place.

Regular mail service can’t be compared to mail service in a combat zone. Establishing mail routes, moving mail equipment and personnel, locating mobile units, and ensuring mail security take a great deal of time. To expect a complete operational and functioning system to be in place and servicing an entire country full of soldiers in a two-week time frame is unrealistic. Writers’ criticism of soldiers who are working diligently under extreme conditions to move mail is not properly justified. These are soldiers who are also waiting to get mail, and they know they can’t send or receive mail until their jobs are done.

Handling mail is also a security issue. Some of these care packages contain high-value items. The MPS, just like the USPS, is designed to protect and secure these packages. It’s for this reason that just not anybody can handle the mail. While the morale benefit that mail provides is understood, soldiers’ other needs take higher precedence. These needs are basic — food, water and medical supplies. Engineer and transportation units are required to establish structure and move personnel, equipment and supplies.

The quantity of mail that one deployed soldier receives is at least five times greater than what a soldier stationed stateside receives. We encourage everyone to support our soldiers in this fashion. But the barely existent postal service can’t adequately process this amount of mail. In time, the system will. But currently there is a bottleneck effect due to new postal construction under way. Customers should please continue to be patient and understand that all soldiers, including postal soldiers, are still waiting to get mail. Before criticizing these soldiers, letter writers should walk a mile in their boots.

I’m surprised Stars and Stripes hasn’t done a story on the postal platoons working out of Baghdad International Airport or Camp Dogwood. I kindly ask Stripes to visit the existing postal operations and identify the working environment that these soldiers are dealing with.

Staff Sgt. Adam RiggsIraq

Progress properly packaged

My unit, the 755th Adjutant General’s Corps Company (Postal) from Texarkana, Texas, was the first on the ground in Kuwait to support the troops in this theater. We started post offices from scratch as a Reserve unit to serve the troops at three different locations. Then we were given the mission, after being spread too thin, to run a distribution center, which is a first for me.

Here in Kuwait, with Master Sgt. Gay and Master Sgt. Hearn, we started with 10 soldiers, myself included, processing mail. Thirty Marines helped. Thanks but to the grace of God, we (Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force) all did our best. I’ve been blessed to see mail from the inside and the outside. If anybody could, I could play the blame game all day long, but I won’t. Here at the Joint Military Mail Terminal, equipment problems in the beginning slowed us down from moving mail efficiently, and the same is happening all over this theater.

I have been doing mail for almost nine years, and I can truly say that the weather sure hasn’t helped either. I know that in the beginning some workers, like the truck drivers, worked 20-hour days, giving their best. I know we’re not all perfect to say the least. But even after the hate mail sent to Stars and Stripes, we try hard to keep up servicemembers’ morale by moving mail. Consequently, even with the troubles of mail going stateside, I know each day will get better. Every day the overnight crew sends tons of mail to Baghdad International Airport.

I don’t know much about the first Gulf War, but I believe servicemembers’ mail is moving much better. I hope this helps enlighten readers.

Sgt. Barrett PickettKuwait

June 27

Live the creed

This is in response to the letter “Be realistic” (June 24). I wonder if the writer’s even bothered to read the creed of the noncommissioned officer. Never mind reading the whole thing. I wonder if he even knows the first sentence: “No one is more professional than I.” It dictates that we NCOs don’t air our dirty laundry. That’s unprofessional. That’s right, mail is slow. That’s right, parts are slow in coming, and so are many other things. I know because I was there until just recently. But that’s what happens in war. Things aren’t perfect. That’s why most NCOs are noted for their ability to adapt and overcome in difficult conditions.

Issues such as how many ambulances and aid stations are down should not be broadcast to the world via Stars and Stripes. Instead, the writer should take these issues up with his chain of command and NCO support channel. I was appalled at the writer’s lack of professionalism as he listed the various classes of supplies that he doesn’t have or is short of. Doing so may very well be an operational security violation. I strongly urge the writer’s chain of command to counsel this junior NCO on what is and is not appropriate to announce to the world about his unit during a war.

How can the writer say “no one is more professional than I” while whining in front of his unit, his fellow NCOs and, worst of all, his GIs. I think the writer needs to read the NCO creed again and the tenets of professionalism that it outlines. He needs to live the creed not just when everything is going smoothly, but even in difficult times.

Master Sgt. W. Lee EbbsHeidelberg, Germany

Great injustice

I was deployed to Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kuwait and Qatar from September to December of 2002. I was subsequently reassigned to the 14th Engineer Battalion in January and told that the battalion was on alert for deployment. I deployed with the battalion in April and am currently in Kirkuk, Iraq.

In February I submitted my resignation and requested a separation date of Dec. 31, 2003, which was approved. Prior to deploying, my battalion commander said that he’d do everything he could to send me home with adequate time to outprocess from the Army and take all of my accrued leave, which will be 97 days by December of 2003. The 4th Infantry Division’s policy is to send separating soldiers home 30 days plus any accrued leave days prior to a given soldier’s separation date, or 90 days prior to a given soldier’s separation date if that soldier has 60 days or less accrued leave days. The 555th Engineer Group has generously added five travel days to the division’s 30 days. My travel days will be Aug. 22-26, 2003. My outprocessing days will be Aug. 27-Sept. 25. My accrued leave days will be Sept. 26-Dec. 31.

Out of the 30 days I’m allotted to outprocess, there are only 20 working days. (I’m assigned to Fort Lewis, Wash., which takes a four-day weekend for Labor Day). If I don’t complete outprocessing within the allotted 30 days, I’ll have to eat into my accrued leave days to complete outprocessing. I’ll then have to sell back any accrued leave I’m not able to take before my separation date. The Fort Lewis separations branch requires 30 working days minimum to outprocess. Outprocessing includes receiving pre-separation counseling at an Army Career and Alumni Program Center, utilizing ACAP services, Army physicals, Veterans Affairs physicals, dental exams and equipment turn-in, as well as processing through the numerous installation offices to include finance, legal, personnel, movement and transportation, etc. The medical and dental appointments backlog is three to four weeks.

My son will be 17 months old on July 2. Out of those 17 months, I will have seen him for just more than six months due to numerous deployments. My wife’s been running the household, caring for our son, and taking night classes so she can get a better job. I feel I’m entitled to take all my accrued leave and enjoy as much time with my family as possible. The limited amount of time allotted to outprocess will cause undue stress on me and my family members at a time when they will require a great deal of my attention after having been deployed as often as I have been.

I feel that the Army, the 4th Infantry Division, the 555th Engineer Group, and the 14th Engineer Battalion are doing a great injustice to all soldiers separating from Iraq. We won’t be afforded the same opportunities as soldiers who didn’t deploy and are separating from the Army. I feel that we’re being used and then kicked to the curb to fend for ourselves in order to transition to a civilian career.

Capt. Immanuel B. SamsonKirkuk, Iraq

Downrange mail slow

This is in response to the letter “Mail service good” (May 29). My friend Barbara Pearson and I noticed that the letter writer lives in Germany. He’s not in Afghanistan, Israel, Kuwait or Iraq. Although the Consolidated Mail Room and Army Post Office are friendly and courteous, this doesn’t help the fact that delivery to servicemembers in these countries is not in any way prompt.

Everyone is unpleasantly surprised when, after two months of deployment, servicemembers still have received no packages and very few letters. This is due to our friendly and courteous CMR and APO.

I’d also like to know just where all of our servicemembers should go to have access to e-mail or newspapers in the middle of the desert. Our servicemembers are quite busy fighting for our country and rebuilding a war-torn nation. A little moral support from home, through the mail or by any means available, should be accessible and easy for servicemembers and family members. It’s unfortunate that every deployed unit doesn’t have a “great” home page like the 1st Armored Division does.

I don’t think this problem’s been created by one person slacking in his job. It’s many people. How about all the time the “training” holidays give soldiers to sit around and not deliver mail to our deployed soldiers who work seven days a week, 12 hours a day, continuously for months?

As for the additional duties for mail handlers who are “in theater,” they are “in theater!” They’re still enjoying the comforts of home. They enjoy going home to their families at the end of the day, and they still receive their mail each day. Thanks for working those “extra” Saturdays.

I and everyone else are disgusted that the letter writer had the audacity to respond so arrogantly.

Jennifer McCraveyHanau, Germany

Efforts paying off

This is in regard to the story “Survey: Airmen say AF a good place to work” (June 11). We appreciate Stars and Stripes reported that, overall, members of the Air Force are pleased with their health care. On behalf of the many Tricare health care providers and support staff, I’m gratified that the men and women of the Air Force are pleased with their health care and its contribution to their overall satisfaction with their quality of life priorities.

When the Military Health System began Tricare eight years ago and the subsequent decision was made to add Tricare For Life for retirees more than 65 years of age, we knew there were many factors that needed to be addressed and services that needed improvement. With each passing year we’ve made great strides in improving Tricare services. Our goal is 100 percent satisfaction. While we’re not there yet, I’m delighted that the trend continues toward our objective, with a noted increase in satisfaction since the 2000 Chief of Staff Air Force Quality of Life Survey of Air Force people. When compared to the 2002 survey results, there is a notable increase in enlisted family health care satisfaction and a significant increase in officer family health care satisfaction.

The Military Health System is making every effort to ensure continuous growth in customer satisfaction. Trends indicate these efforts are paying off.

Maj. Gen. Leonard M. RandolphActing Chief Operating OfficerTricare Management ActivityFalls Church, Va.

1st ID is redy to go

I’m a medic in the 1st Infantry Division stationed in Schweinfurt, Germany. I sympathize with the complaints of the soldiers currently deployed in Iraq. I can’t understand why the 3rd Infantry Division is still there when there are units such as the 1st ID that haven’t gone anywhere except to Kosovo. We could easily go and replace the 3rd ID, but we don’t. The running joke around here is that we’re actually the 1st Peace Keeping Division. It seems it’s true.

Every unit that I’ve served with, whether active duty or National Guard, has been deployed. I guess that just shows us where we stack up with the rest of the Army. We’re supposed to be on point for our nation as long as it’s not into a shooting war.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t relish leaving my wife and kids. But I always thought the Army took care of its own — except for relieving units in combat, I guess.

Our troops have been doing a great job over there. They are not forgotten. They should keep their heads up. One of these days our leaders will get them out of there.

Sgt. Robert WeppelmanSchweinfurt, Germany

Don't forget troops in country

It seems every time my squad and I are lucky enough to get a copy of Stripes, the articles are always about the units that have it good here in Iraq and about the units that haven’t been here but for maybe a month or so. We read how these units have electricity and running water or how great their chow is and where they’re getting to eat, like a makeshift chow hall. Most of these units are at a palace or at the airport walking around in physical training gear or without their gear on and just T-shirts.

We just returned from a memorial for a GI who got shot by a sniper a few days ago and died. What about the GIs who are still risking their lives and living below poverty levels? We know there are units that have been here even longer, and the units coming in may be here longer than we will. But hopefully they’ll be recognized too.

We’ve been here since Jan. 20 and have not had electricity in our living area since we left the United States. We also haven’t had running water but for maybe two weeks before starting this war, and even then it wasn’t for two weeks straight. Since this war we’ve been on water restrictions, and we run out of water every other day. We only get water from a water buffalo unless we get lucky and have bottled water brought to us, and then it’s only two bottles for each soldier a day, if that.

Every day we go out on missions in Baghdad trying to help in some way or another and not knowing if all of us will come back. We get mail almost every day and care packages that are full of munchies that we always share with each other. We give most of the candy to Iraqi children. We’ve stopped at the local street market and bought eggs, chickens and rice just so we can have a decent meal and help bring morale up. The Meals Ready to Eat are getting very old.

There are still soldiers out here, and the so-called cease-fire hasn’t stopped for us. We still wear all of our gear and probably will until we leave this country. Don’t forget about us, the 11th Engineering Battalion C Company soldiers and our brothers in the 3/7 Infantry. They risk their lives more than we do.

Spc. Steven E. RyanBaghdad, Iraq

June 28

Different ideas

The use of the Ten Commandments in public schools was completely lost on the writer of the letter “Ten Commandments” (June 19). I’ll concede to the writer that a basic moral code is required for a society to operate on at least a basic level. It’s the choice of which code to follow and who is to decide that choice that are the problems. The prevalent rulings from the Supreme Court and other federal courts are that the Ten Commandments are in themselves not the problem. It’s the perceived choice of one religious doctrine over another. If any public institution makes a unilateral choice of the Judeo-Christian commandments over, say, the precept of Islam or Buddha, is this not in effect circumventing the Bill of Rights for the sake of another? Is this not what happens in places like Iran?

In a small U.S. school a young woman was berated, physically abused and assaulted by a Christian majority because of her beliefs. The school system provided the means for a Christian retreat for a majority at the school. With the school’s blessing of this yearly event, for many years it provided the community the support it needed to lead to the assumption that this retreat was condoned by the public school system. This led to the abuse of the young woman because her beliefs are different than the “majority” at the school.

Where does it stop? After we post the Ten Commandments, do we then remove those books and curriculum that conflict with the basic beliefs of those commandments? Shall we remove books on Hinduism since they perceive more than one deity? Or not teach some scientific theories since they may challenge some Christian beliefs? When do we say stop?

The United States was founded under the auspices of a Christian gentry who knew that they didn’t share the same religious views. So when the Bill of Rights was debated, a right of the government to impose a religious belief was removed in perpetuity with the enactment of the First Amendment. This separation of church and state allows for the union to grow and thrive. It allows for different ideas other than state-dominated religious precepts to force a culture of intolerance. Intolerance is the fastest way for those death camps to which the writer referred to occur in one’s lifetime. Or should we ask those people still living in the area that covers the old Yugoslavia? Or maybe those who live in the Middle East or anywhere else that the majority seem to want to make their personal beliefs the law?

Scott WatersNAS Sigonella, Italy

Evolution story

The story “An evolving challenge: So far, few have tried to win the $250,000 creationist is offering for proof of evolution” (June 22) gave extensive coverage to one man’s crusade against evolution. The treatment was quite positive. Less than two sentences questioned this man, his ideas and qualifications. I’ve been reading Stars and Stripes in Europe since 1973 and have always been impressed with the quality and professionalism of its reporting. But this story has undone all of the good in the past.

Every major Christian church in America and in the world finds no problem with evolution. Every major scientific body in the world finds no problem accepting evolution. The sensationalist, quirky and specious $250,000 challenge to “prove” evolution to the satisfaction of Kent Hovind is nothing more than a cheap publicity stunt. His amateurish attempts to portray evolution as evil and as causing World War II would be laughable if they weren’t given credibility by Stripes’ story.

More than 100 years of scientific research have proved time and again that the theory of evolution properly and adequately explains life on Earth. And it’s not up to evolution to prove that it’s correct. Rather, it’s the duty of Hovind to “prove” some other scientific approach is more valid. But all that he can offer is his own distorted brand of Christianity and misinformation about what science is. The geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky said that, “Nothing in biology makes sense, except in the light of evolution.” In fact, all of science would fall were the totality of evolution proved false. Our ideas of chemistry, physics, cosmology, space science and medicine would all be worthless.

The distortion of home schooling to avoid exposing children to science and the theory of evolution does a disservice not only to those children, but to the society into which they attempt to become useful and productive members. Society will suffer because these children will never understand the complexities of modern science and medicine. I wouldn’t allow a creationist-believing physician to attend to my needs, and neither should such physicians be allowed to practice in any hospital anywhere.

Clearly, Stripes now has the journalistic duty to commission a similar piece explaining evolution and its place within science and the greater community of humanity.

Mahlon WagnerLiverpool, N.Y.

Softball team memorable

For the past three years I’ve helped coach the Wiesbaden Lady Warriors varsity softball team in Germany. The team experienced budget cuts, field problems, transportation problems and force protection issues that canceled and shortened their seasons. But the players and managers remained constant. They never got down and continued to work hard and get better. This year’s team was the best that H.H. Arnold High School has ever fielded. It was a dream year that a coach never wants to end. Unfortunately, this is my last year here. So I’d like to express my gratitude to the other coaches and players for making the past three years a memorable and cherished experience.

I thank Candice Lopez for giving me the opportunity to help coach with her and allowing me to teach the players. She made the experience one to remember. John Lohmer is a great coach and a good friend. I am fortunate to know them both.

I’m proud of all the Lady Warrior players: Kaitlin, Ana, Mook, Kathryn, Red, Stephanie, Kristin, Crystal, Natalie, Bridy, Jennifer, Hillary and Lizzy, and our managers, Sarah and Danny. I’m proud of them all. Their dedication, hard work, enthusiasm and caring attitudes will always be remembered. The team made tremendous strides. It not only grew into a great softball team, but the players grew into great individuals. It was my privilege and honor to coach and to know each player.

How could any team get along without Mook and Kathryn? Sarah was the best official scorekeeper that softball has ever known. Red should stay out of the dirt. Stephanie should remember to watch the ball into the glove.

I can still hear Kristin talking. Bridy never listened to the base coaches, but she’s a great right fielder. Jennifer could never run without falling down. Hillary hurt every player on the team but played a great left field. Crystal can go fly that kite now. Lizzy got sick more than anyone I know but played a mean third base. Natalie always gave me sunflower seeds. And Danny will never beat me in wrestling.

The team couldn’t have made it without its captains, Kaitlin and Ana. Kaitlin’s my daughter. She had to put up with me for 10 years as a player, so she deserves everything. Her leadership proved invaluable and she was truly the MVP. Coaching Kaitlin allowed me to spend more time with her. As good of a player as she became, it never came close to the person she’s become, and I’ve never been prouder. Ana is truly one of the best players I’ve ever coached and one of the best people. Of all of my softball accomplishments, one of my proudest memories will be of coaching and knowing Ana as a person.

I also thank all the parents who’ve been supportive throughout the years. They have daughters who any parent would be envious of with softball skills that any coach would be envious of.

I will miss them all.

Timothy O’NeilWiesbaden, Germany

Guard, reserves protect plenty

This is in regard to the May 15 letter “Time for new blood in Iraq.” It wasn’t polite for the writer to slap the hand that reaches out to help him. I found his letter to be very disrespectful. It also showed poor leadership qualities. It appears from his letter that the writer and his troops could use some time off and a history lesson.

The National Guard and reserves have been involved in every major conflict the United States has engaged in, and we’re here now in this “filthy sandbox” just like the writer. We are professional soldiers — valiant, solid fighting men who are evaluated by the same standards that the writer mentioned. True, we are part time. But we also balance our families and careers in between drill weekends. Within my company alone are engineers, computer specialists, elected public officials, school teachers, law enforcement officers, business owners and managers. We are more diversified soldiers, with more job skills and experiences, than any regular Army unit.

We also benefit from GIs who have served in Panama, Bosnia, Desert Storm, Afghanistan and now Iraq. Aside from these deployments, National Guardsmen and reservists are called to action when floods, tornadoes, fires and terrorists threaten our families, homes and businesses. So who really protects America?

My unit has been deployed for more than four months now, yet it took us only four days to complete our bridge mission on the Tigris River. Our job is done. But we are still here, performing military occupational specialties outside of our scope such as transportation, military police, and even infantry. We signed our contracts voluntarily, just as the writer did.

So the writer should sleep well tonight knowing that we have him covered stateside and abroad. He should focus on tearing down the enemy, not his teammates.

Spc. Robert YatesBaquba, Iraq

Mail in caring hands

The letter is for all the mail handlers and signal guys who are deployed here in Iraq with me. In Kuwait before the war started, I received four letters and 15 e-mails. Thank God for that. While in Iraq, I’ve gotten one letter, one box and 10 e-mails. Thank God for that. Soldiers in my unit continue to get letters and care packages on almost a daily basis and, occasionally, we get to send out e-mails. Thank God for that. Amazingly, many soldiers have shared with me some of their goodies. Thank God for that.

The mail handlers and signal guys are doing their jobs, and maybe some people are not as happy as others. But the jobs they’re assigned to are being done. These guys have nothing to be ashamed of. They’re doing an excellent job, considering that they have to sort through thousands of letters and packages daily and spend countless hours trying to keep communications lines open. Nothing makes soldiers smile more than letters or e-mails or packages from home. As a leader, I can’t make my soldiers smile the way these guys make them smile by getting them their mail. Although they make many of my buddies smile, I don’t envy them.

To be honest, I never thought that I’d be able to have this much mail on a daily basis. This is by no means fun, but the mail handlers and signal guys have made it a little bit more bearable. God has given us all so much in a short little time, and these guys are part of his master plan for our fighting force. They shouldn’t let the words of other soldiers hurt or upset them. They should hang in there.

Sgt. 1st Class Brian K. MooreIraq

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