[OT] AMERICAN bases

----- Original Message -----
From: "Flak Magnet" <flakmagnet@tabletop-battlezone.com>

> I know that some the training grounds we used in Germany were leased
> from "someone" (probably the Gov't or Germany) while others were
"Owned"
> by the US Army and thus the US pays property taxes on them.  In
> addition, monies were paid for the rounds fired at certain ranges as a
> tax for the pollution (noise and otherwise) and the lead concerns of
> those rounds that "soaked" the ground.

Base treaties and financial arrangements concerning American and other
allied troops in Germany were and are of Byzantine complexity.

I remember that during the 1960's and 1970's "Stationierungskosten" was
a
regular topic in the political discussions between Germany and the US.
The
US demanded higher financial compensations for stationing their troops
in
Germany, and the Germans complaining about such matters as damage to
roads
and claiming that their payments made it cheaper for the US to maintain
troops over here than back home.

With all the complexity of the matter, hardly anybody could say who was
actually footing the bill in what proportion.

> Of all the "host nations" I have anything but a passing knowledge of,
I
> think it's the Japanese of Okinawa that have the most to gripe about
> versus our soldier's presence and effect on their lives:   Far too
many
> Marines (a minority of them to be sure, but enough to spoil it for
> everyone else) seem to think that Japanese women (and little girls,
> horribly enough) willingly welcome whatever the creepy soldiers'
> misogynistic mind can think up.

Quite possible, though that is perhaps just the most visible recent
case.
Other nasty examples are the hot-rod US Navy pilot who brought down a
fully
occupied ski lift in Italy, or the US kids (not soldiers, but from
soldier
families) who thought it was fun to throw concrete blocks on passing
cars on
the Autobahn.

Not that soldiers or civilians of other countries are not up to similar
deeds.

Greetings
Karl Heinz