DATE: Saturday, May 3, 1997                 TAG: 9705030008

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B6   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Letter 

                                            LENGTH:  121 lines

LETTERS TO EDITOR -- THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

MILITARY

Excellent care

from Tricare Prime

I am writing in defense of Tricare Prime. My experience at the Virginia Beach clinic has been nothing but excellent. I am usually seen within 10 to 15 minutes of my scheduled appointment. The nurses and doctors have given me excellent medical care. The clinic shows Disney movies for the children, which is greatly appreciated by my 3-year-old. The 24-hour nurse advice service has been helpful for me many times and has saved me a trip to the doctor.

I've heard that people are complaining of not being able to get an appointment the same day they call. It makes me wonder when they are calling. I have never had a problem if I call first thing in the morning. I imagine, as the day goes on, the appointment times are going to fill up. This is the case at any doctor's office.

I say, Keep up the good work Tricare Prime. No complaints here.

Tracy Walker

Virginia Beach, April 23, 1997

OPERATION BLESSING

Robertson generosity

helped defray expenses

I am shocked by the latest attempt of The Virginian-Pilot to twist the generosity of religious broadcaster Pat Robertson and malign the reputation of Operation Blessing (``Operation Blessing planes were used mostly for diamond mining, 2 pilots say.'' April 27).

Bill Sizemore's article fails to clearly report the facts surrounding Operation Blessing's activities in Zaire, and its association with Mr. Robertson's now-defunct, for-profit company, African Development Company (ADC).

During the Rwandan relief effort in the summer of 1994, Operation Blessing provided 82,000 pounds of medicine and supplies and sponsored six medical missions on the ground in Goma, bringing life-saving aid to an estimated 80,000 suffering refugees. Operation Blessing spent a total of $1.7 million dollars in assistance during a seven-month period. Much of that came from the generosity of many individual Operation Blessing supporters who wanted to help with the relief effort. A large, personal contribution was made by Mr. Robertson himself.

From Sept. 1, 1994, through the fall of 1995, Mr. Robertson contributed $500,000 to cover all of Operation Blessing's expenses in Zaire. That encompassed all of Operation Blessing's activities including the operation and maintenance of it's aircraft in Zaire, medical and relief supplies and a farm project outside Kinshasa. Most important, the sum included full reimbursements from Mr. Robertson to Operation Blessing for ADC's use of the Operation Blessing planes - a perfectly ethical and legal arrangement.

Without Mr. Robertson's intervention, Operation Blessing would have lost a great deal of money from its ownership of the Caribou airplanes. Mr. Robertson's generosity - which was proper and legal - helped defray costs for Operation Blessing relating to the ownership of its airplanes.

Robert W. Fanning

Colonel, U.S. Air Force (ret.)

Chief operating officer

Operation Blessing

Virginia Beach, April 28, 1997

GOOD SAMARITANS

Needy woman gets

gift of kindness

I wish to commend Virginia Beach citizens on an act of kindness to their fellow citizen. While dining at a restaurant on Virginia Beach Boulevard, I noticed a lot of activity at the entrance. The hostess/cashier (Carmen) saw a woman outside rummaging through the trashcans on the sidewalk in the cold and blowing rain. Another lady customer, just entering, brought the woman inside.

The two of them insisted that she sit and rest for a moment. The lady customer gave her money. The hostess went to the kitchen and boxed a large portion of food for her. They followed her out, as she said she needed to catch a bus. Carmen told me she also gave her money, even though she said, ``All I was able to give her was a dollar.''

Carmen and the lady customer gave much more than money. They gave kindness and love that was not solicited. My heart was warmed also as I was reminded of my duty to my ``neighbor.'' Thank you, Virginia Beach.

Daniel Vaughn

Nashville, April 25, 1997

COMMUNITIES

Report your neighbor?

Shades of WWII

When I saw the item in the April 23 paper exhorting citizens to report one another for code violations - tall grass, peeling paint, cars on blocks, etc. - my memory went back to WWII, when we read that Nazi authorities did exactly the same thing. We thought then such measures to be despicable, but they were the enemy.

The justification now is: Spruce up the neighborhood and protect property values. But the principle is the same: Call City Hall and report one another. And the results? Suspicion, resentment, divisiveness, diminishing neighborhood unity. Heil!

Bill Hitchings

Portsmouth, April 24, 1997

CHESAPEAKE

Say no to tax hikes

- and to rezoning

I have just read the April 22 article about the proposed tax increases in Chesapeake. By raising certain taxes and increasing fees on some services, City Council has selected certain groups to pay. My monthly bills would increase about $10. Why doesn't council raise the real estate tax and get everybody to pay? Maybe council is afraid developers might start looking elsewhere for their land (like Suffolk?)

Perhaps I'm looking at this all wrong. This wonderful city is only going to charge me $10 a month for the privilege of sitting in long lines of traffic. This causes me to wonder why they didn't decide to raise the tax on gasoline, since everyone in the city is being forced to burn more because of the congestion.

If council really wanted to control growth, it would ``just say no'' to any rezoning until roads and services could handle the people who are already here

Gary Frye

Chesapeake, April 23, 1997

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