Sembach Brats Frequently Asked Questions

Sembach Brats Frequently Asked Questions

Over the last ten years we have received numerous emails containing questions about this site. We do our best to answer our email in a timely manner but occasionally let a few slip through a crack and fall into email limbo. In order to answer as many of your questions as possible, we’ve created this Frequently Asked Questions or FAQ. Here are the questions in no particular order. The answers to each are further down the page.

1. Is this site at Sembach?
2. Where is Sembach anyway?
3. Is this site affiliated with Sembach in any way?
4. Is this site affiliated with anyone or any organization?
5. How often is this site updated?
6. No really, how often is this site updated?
7. I submitted my email address for inclusion in the Directory, why don’t I see it?
8. Why is my comment not on the Comments Page?
9. Can I add a link to my site from Sembach Brats?
10. Where can I buy a Sembach Brats t-shirt?
11. You use the word ‘we’ a lot in the page, who exactly is this ‘we’ you keep talking about?
12. Why in the world would anyone want to maintain a web site like this?
13. Is my fifth grade math teacher, Mr. Shibano, listed here somewhere?
14. I’m in the military and I’m looking for locator information, can you help?
15. What have you got against people in the military, punk?
16. How can I help?
17. Do you organize reunions?
18. I want to put my add for herbal supplements on your page, what are your rates?
19. Visit counters are passé, why do you still have one?
20. I lost my car keys near the bowling alley in 1962, have you seen them?

1. Is this site at Sembach?

No, this site is not at Sembach or even in Germany. It is hosted by an ISP called MyLinuxISP located in Houston, TX. The web master, content creator, and curator are located in Friendswood, TX ‹ a suburb of Houston.

2. Where is Sembach anyway?

Sembach is a small village and an American Air Force facility located in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. If you have to ask this question then maybe you’ve got the wrong web page.

3. Is this site affiliated with Sembach in any way?

No. This site has no affiliation with Sembach Village, Sembach Air Base, the U.S. Air Force, the DOD, the United States Government, Star Fleet Command, or the Galactic Senate. It is a privately owned, privately operated web site for brats who lived on or near Sembach Air Base in Germany. That is all. Carry on. Make it so.

4. Is this site affiliated with anyone or any organization?

Negative. There are links to various Brat organizations and schools, however, there is no formal affiliation.

5. How often is this site updated?

The comments are typically updated once a week, the email directory will never be updated again. Fixed pages, links, etc. are updated only occasionally.

6. No, really, how often is this site updated?

All right, here’s the deal. I update this site when I can. The comments are fairly easy so they get updated often. The email directories were a major pain and took longer to update so I finally decided to stop updating them altogether. Some have suggested that I implement a cgi script to automatically update the page and leave the manual step out. I won’t do this because an auto-add scheme is too easy to abuse. So, work with me, I’ll get your stuff in when life allows.

7. I submitted my email address for inclusion in the Directory, why don’t I see it?

I am no longer updating the email directory. It was too much trouble and took way too long. If anyone knows an easier way to do it, or wants to help let me know. Until then, post a comment with your email address and it’ll make the comments page. Be sure and say something interesting as lots of people like to read these messages.

8. Why is my comment not on the Comments Page?

Check the "Last Update" date on the bottom of the page. If you submitted your comment after that date then it’s waiting for me to put it in. If it was submitted before the date and it’s not there it’s probably because you submitted an incomplete form. If you don’t have the years you lived there and your graduation year, your email won’t get posted. Also, if your graduation year was prior to the years you lived there then I assume that you were there in the military and your comment won’t get posted. Finally, if you’re comments were abusive, obscenity laden, way off topic, or not understandable they were omitted. Hey, its my page and ultimately my responsibility and I don’t want calls from lawyers.

9. Can I add a link to my site from Sembach Brats?

You may certainly suggest one. There is a place on the comment form for your personal web page. Links on the main page are for sites that everyone might find interesting or informative. Send in your suggestions and I’ll take a look.

10. Where can I buy a Sembach Brats t-shirt?

Funny you should ask! Just go to www.cafepress.com/sembachbrats and take a look at all the neat stuff. Markup is minimal and will be used to pay for this website. If you have suggestions or better designs, let me know.

11. You use the word ‘we’ a lot in the page, who exactly is this ‘we’ you keep talking about?

It’s the royal we. I do this all by myself. There are fewer disagreements that way.

12. Why in the world would anyone want to maintain a web site like this?

Good question. Back in the early to mid nineties when I first accessed the web, I thought it might be a good way to find long lost friends from the Sembach days. I searched and searched and got no where at all. Finally, I started seeing some of these DoDDS web sites popping up here and there and I had a brilliant idea. Why not create a Sembach Page and let my friends come to me? Of course at the time I didn’t fully realize what I was getting myself in for, but it seemed a fine idea at the time. I am finding my friends. The rest is history. I’ve enjoyed almost every minute of it…..

13. Is my fifth grade math teacher, Mr. Shibano, listed here somewhere?

Dunno. There are a lot of folks listed here. Use the search engine and take your chances. I don’t keep tabs on folks who have registered, I don’t compile mailing lists, and I don’t sell your email addresses. Good luck.

14. I’m in the military and I’m looking for locator information, can you help?

No. Sorry.

15. What have you got against people in the military, punk? You think that you’re better than the average GI who was in Germany serving his country? Huh? You think that just because you could grow your hair long, sneak around throwing eggs, buy beer at the local market, and make life miserable for the SP’s that you’re somehow better than us? Huh? Punk? Well let me tell you something pal, we didn’t have a choice either. You think that if we had a choice we would have chosen this remote, cold, damp, guy-only, God-forsaken place? Huh? Well do you?

Chill, dude. Some of our best friends were GI’s. Most of parents were GI’s. The deal is simple. Due to space and time limitations we don’t post messages from former active duty personnel on this page. We're sorry, but this web space was created to allow dependents and folks associated directly with dependents to find old friends and classmates. While we realize that the military experience overseas was similar with regard to making and then losing touch with friends, we must restrict the meager resources for use by those of us who had no choice but to be there. Sorry.

16. How can I help?

Send pictures. I want to enhance the photo area with pictures from past and present. Scan them and send them. Make sure that everyone in them is aware that their picture is being posted on the web. Sorry, its that lawyer thing again.

17. Do you organize reunions?

No, but I will post your reunion info or your desires to set one up. Send me an email.

18. I want to put my add for herbal supplements on your page, what are your rates?

I don’t advertise. I won’t advertise (may be famous last words, but we’ll see how it goes).

19. Visit counters are passé, why do you still have one?

I don't have one anymore!.

20. I lost my car keys near the bowling alley in 1962, have you seen them?

No, but come to think of it, I lost my mood ring near there in 1976. Hmmmm, maybe we’ve got a serial thief on our hands. Call the SP’s.

Well, that’s it. If you think of any more questions, send them to me and I will include them in the FAQ. Thanks for taking the time to read this and, as always, thanks for your support.

Last update: June 27, 2005