Readers Discuss German Troops and the Deutsche Mark

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Debate over troop deployment continues

Until such times as the fight against the Taliban and al Qaeda' is actually a fight dedicated to victory, and not be part of a misguided social engineering program, the Bundeswehr must not be deployed to southern Afghanistan. There is no need for Germany to suffer the needless loss of German troops in return for body-bags. -- Charles Smyth, Great Britain

German troops and all other NATO Troops should take a much more active roll in securing a stable and peaceful Afghanistan. -- Egon Martensen, US

Fischer is correct about the Bundeswehr having to do its duty in Afghanistan. Iraq was and is a US blunder but, going after the Taliban and terrorists in Afghanistan was a multi-lateral move with broad international support. If Germany is not going to pull its weight in such affairs, it should pull its troops, disband its military and make cakes, drink beer and discuss philosophy but stay out of international affairs. -- Rudy Rau, US

My opinion is that peacekeeping in Africa is one of the best and safest places for German and other European troop deployments where they can actually do some good. -- Phil Roslin, Canada

I applaud the German government for keeping the Bundeswehr in the north. There is more trust to be gained among the Afghan population by re-building their schools, roads, bridges and hospitals than by bullets and bombs. -- Margaret Scott, Canada

Bringing back the D-mark

Of course Germans yearn for the security of the deutsche mark. For the most part, prices increased 100 percent with the introduction of the euro. And of course, don't discount the runaway inflation that's occurred since the euro's introduction, despite government claims. Also, can anyone explain why US good are so expensive in Germany when the dollar is at an all time low? -- Robb Somerville, Germany

I too have kept all my spare change as fond mementos from my days in Germany. I was a high school-aged dependent when my father was in the US Army and I later served myself as a US Army Officer. Those coins remind me of some of my fondest memories of living in your lovely country. Even though it really doesn't affect me which currency your nation uses, I must say I felt a pang of sorrow when it was announced that the Deutsche Mark was to be discontinued. -- Patrick Sullivan, MAJ, US Army (retired), US