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Be grateful for homes
The Air Force did a smart thing when it allowed airmen basic through airmen first class to obtain base housing. The young airmen in the article (ONLINE NEWS, April 21, 1999) need to realize that several years ago airmen had to get permission from their commanders to marry and, once married, had to still maintain a barracks room. Base housing in those days for NCOs and most officers was substandard by today's standards. We've come a long way. The bottom line is if the Air Force had not changed its policy to allow junior personnel base housing, many young married airmen would still be living in cramped, firetrap mobile homes or fleabag apartments in bad neighborhoods. It reminds me of the old saying from World War II: "I never promised you a rose garden." We whine too much and don't count our blessings like we should. Be thankful that conditions have gotten better and that you can come home every day to those "poor" quarters and be with your family. Many Americans would trade with you in a heartbeat.
Ken Oliver
Minot AFB, N.D.
Image sweeping, inaccurate
The article, "Have you looked in the mirror lately?" by Tech. Sgt. Craig A. Wills, upset me, because of its sweeping, inaccurate generalization of our airmen. I've been in the Air Force for 16 years, enlisted and officer. I've been around the world and back. I've worked in battle-dress uniforms and service dress. I've worked on the flight line and in an office. I've been in a bi-national and joint environment for the last six years. I feel Sergeant Wills and his sister service cohort need to apologize to all the airmen they insulted. This paragraph, which I copied from the article, applies to every branch of service, not just the Air Force: "Of course, I defended our service because we do have people who take pride in their uniforms. But then I started really taking note of those who don't. I see people walking around without hats, in need of haircuts, with service dress blues pants too short or that just don't fit, or BDU pants not bloused properly, or boots that look like they were kicked around in the dirt. And they just got to work!" What I'd like to know is if Sergeant Wills wears his uniform the same at his duty location and when he's TDY? The tone of this article deeply offends me. I will admit I do prefer our plain blue uniforms and BDUs to our sister services' mandate they wear badges, patches, ribbons and all the bells and whistles they desire. However, with all the uniform changes the past few years, all the optional uniform items, all the base commander supplements to the instructions, I still see an overwhelming number of airmen taking pride in their uniforms.
Capt. Richard C. Daigle
C4I Staff Officer, Fort Huachuca, Ariz.
'Violence' overblown
I am writing in response to the perhaps well meaning but misguided letter published (ONLINE NEWS, April 21, 1999) in your commentary section regarding safety of families at Aviano (Air Base, Italy). To clarify, Ms. (Teena K.) Freeland's car was set on fire while unoccupied, not bombed, as she stated. Also, we have had no riots at Aviano throughout the current conflict. We have had some protests, but none that remotely resembled riots. The bottom line is our families are as safe if not safer here than in the United States. I do not believe the conflict here is being put ahead of the families of our service members who are supporting operations against Serbia. It is a drastic overreaction to think our country is deserting us just because we live off base in the local communities here. Northern Italy is still a wonderful place to live and experience. I was stationed in San Antonio prior to coming here, and in two years stationed there my wife was attacked -- twice, and a captain in uniform was carjacked from my apartment complex and murdered. Now that's scary. I'll take Aviano (Air Base), Italy, over the United States for safety any time.
John Haynes
Aviano AB, Italy
'WELL DONE' for DODDS
Recent press articles have again highlighted the exceptional educational opportunities being offered to overseas military and government-related civilian families. Department of Defense Dependent Schools' student test scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress and other measurement tools substantiate the high quality of education provided by highly skilled, professional educators using an outstanding curriculum. Despite much controversy within the European theater, DODDS has proven to be responsive, realistic, and reliable -- more than can be said for many stateside school systems. In addition, the logistics of safely transporting 24,000+ students daily illustrates a phenomenal degree of concern and professionalism. Although selected individuals may be dissatisfied with certain aspects of DODDS, the majority of parents are extremely pleased with the quality and diversity of learning experiences in our overseas schools. Kudos to Dr. Gonzalez, Dr. Davis and the other DODDS educators who provide a world-class education for our children.
Maj. Stephen A. Michael
RAF Mildenhall, England
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Deja vu all over again
As a student in college right now I am taking U.S. history and political science among other classes. I keep up with the operations against Serbia, and I can't help but mention how easily it seems we forget the mistakes made in the Vietnam War. The president is apparently approving target lists as a daily task for the bombings in Kosovo and Serbia. So what are the generals there for? The other great mistake I see is that the president has eliminated the possibility of introducing ground troops from the start. I'm a great fan of airpower, however it has its limitations. Airpower is simply not nearly as effective against tactical, mobile ground targets as it is against strategic ones. Another lesson learned the hard way from the Vietnam War is that fighting together as a joint air-ground team is the most effective way to defeat an enemy. Because of politics this idea was thrown out the window. Is history doomed to repeat itself?
Neil Timmerman
AFROTC Detachment 440
There with you
As I watch those wonderful Air Force pilots doing their job, I am reminded of being in the 510th Fighter Squadron at Clark Air Base, the Philippines, in the 50's flying those relics called F-100s. I feel like I'm in the cockpit of every mission flown from Aviano AB, Italy. Bless all pilots.
Col. Jackson S. Wallace, Retired
My feelings exactly
I heartily agree with Tech. Sgt. Craig A. Wills' statement in ONLINE NEWS ["Have you looked in the mirror lately?"]. I have the same feelings, and have had many of the same experiences over the years since I work daily with sailors, Marines and airmen. Initially, I used to chalk up my expectations on my active-duty Marine Corps training -- where just the existence of a loose thread on one's dress uniform was reason for losing weekend liberty, derision from one's peers and probably a chewing out from your boss. Then, over almost two decades of Air Force Reserve service, I have also contemplated the causes as possibly being members' lack of experience, lack of proper training and the like. Eventually, however, I think that I have finally settled on two primary causes for most of these folks who are less than stellar in uniform: the major reason being apathy on both their part and their supervisors' part, and for the lessor reason, supervisors' fear or lack of backing to step on the "personal space" landmine associated with differing gender, race, ethnic and other situations where the instruction is either vague or silent. We need the big bosses to re-affirm that dress and appearance compliance is serious and does count, and we are all to be held to the letter of a definitive instruction, and that deviation attributed to differing gender, race or ethnicity personal choices is not permitted. This, more importantly, is a dress issue and not a personal issue. We are, after all, a "uniform" service, without exception: We be "green" and that's that! A contributing lesser issue is the never-ending changes to the uniforms themselves. With all the recent changes, I admit it is costly -- not to mention difficult -- to keep up. As reservists, we have to buy our stuff and often live far from the uniform store. Examples: Add up the cost of replacing satin finish and different size badges and emblems, tips for same-size shiny and new or different designs, or the cost of buying all your stripes and having them replaced multiple times because they are changing the stripe size, color or options of which size to use on what. I estimate I've spent over $200 (a drill weekend's income) in just the last 12-14 months, and I am not done yet.
Tech. Sgt. Barry Dube
Andrews AFB, Md.
TDY: No good in tents
Everybody talks about the Air Force going to this "120 days TDY and no more" theory and how the top brass is concerned about service members being gone from their families for such a long period of time. I find this to be not true. As the rumors fly, I see others taking off on yet another TDY to God knows where and who knows for how long. It amazes me these TDYs are decided by individuals who sit in offices and know they're not going anywhere. On top of that, why do they try to make it as hard as they can? Why put an individual in a "Tent City" when there's money in the budget for a hotel? You know "they" wouldn't stay in a tent! As if deploying again wasn't hard enough as it is. Now we can't make the most out of it. I don't really think the top brass gets the "picture." Units always rush around and make it pretty for the top brass coming through and we tend to let them hear that everything is OK. The truth is, it's starting to take its toll on members and their families. If we must keep deploying, at least let us make the most of it. Stop putting us up in tents and making $3 a day. Put us back in the hotels where we can make $50+ a day and sleep in a decent bed. This way it would take some of the "curse" away for going TDY yet again.
Jamie R. Lyons
RAF Lakenheath, England
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