European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 24, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                April 1985 the stars and stripes Page v year building six new childcare next they expect to spend million for 19 the army already has space in existing centers to care for children full time yet there Are army children under the age of Many of whom need child the shortfall remains another example is air Force family support the air Force goal of 123 centers operating by 1989 is two years later than originally officials Arent sure they can meet that even if they any new centers will have to be makeshift budget cutting has pared Back new construction plans until at least bases wanting an Csc sooner probably will have to renovate an existing base building and fund the Center with base the slow Progress on fecs and childcare centers is of 67 issues in the original army family action Only 15 were considered resolved at the end of the 1984 year of the the air Force listed 55 issues following its 1981 family As of july 39 were still labelled open or had been deemed not feasible by air Force weve made quantum Whitworth but a lot of people will say its not fast but and Many service contend they cant move any greater they is impossible because of the complexity of the projects and method of getting Money for we see the Glass As being half full and were looking to fill the other said Frank Goldstein of the air Force family matters fifteen out of 67 issues i would say it is unbelievable in the sense of More done than Ever thought Tankersley we dont have a visa we As much As we would like go out and spend million for we have to go through the budget which takes the budget process does take right con Gress is haggling Over the 1986 defense while service officials fight congressional they also Are working on 1989 budget As a Rule of it takes two or three years for a new program idea to be included in a budget request and approved by but that is Only if All goes family programs Are just one Small piece of the department of defense Money they must compete with weapons pay construction needs and thousands of other items for Avail Able funding requests can bite the dust anywhere along the Chain of even if they make it to the service officials Are waiting with knives to pare Back re when All the services Pool the budget proposals to create a Dod budget More cutting and that is before the his budget adviser or Congress sees Many things never Are or funding is delayed until the following budget or the idea is traded off for something the services want and family Many Are the first to be traded i think family items Are the bargaining Chip in the budget Bolinger they Are traded off when they need Money for you have to have some drastic problems with reenlistment and retention be fore they Are really willing to put their Money where their Mouth Elton concedes that family programs have not fared Well in past budget in the the army has not put those programs on High he air Force family officials said family programs emerge battered and bruised from budget Battles because military hardware always has and will priority when it comes to guns and youll Cut the but said John chief of air Force family i think that is realistic and a hard fact of the weapon systems will the feeling exists you can scrounge volunteers to do things for that May be a terrible but that is the family oriented programs already have faced this fact army medical for asked that Money be included in next years budget to hire More family practice doctors and Hospital support but officials who sifted through budget requests decided other matters were More medical officials will ask again next with Money the army is concentrating much of its efforts on East fix army spouses now can sign for family quarters without a Power of they can participate on committees designing new housing they get credit for Volunteer experience when applying for paid jobs in military com and spouses who work overseas for two years now can get priority consideration for similar positions in the these kinds of changes dont Cost officials removing indignities and irritants from Mili tary life is the approach also is since officials knew they would have t6 wait at least two years for bigger congressional appropriations for family we looked at those things we had to fix today with minimal or no said Gary Shaw of the army Community and family policy while the services and Congress Dice and stir military communities often Are left holding the in some they Are ordered to Start a new program even though Congress has not yet funded in an installation commander likes a new program and decides he wants it either the Money for it will have to come out of the Community in military that is called pay ing for it out of out hide programs Arent always the communities May try to Cut Cost Corners by hiring fewer staff members than Are they May get volunteers to do the or they May assign the Job to someone who already has More than enough work to the result can be a program that is Short lived or Anne director of the employment resource Center for the Mannheim military is among those who Are trying to run a program with no she volunteered to work As director for one year without her staff also is although proud of her Freimuth said it should be open More hours each she also would like to beef up its neither is possible without the military is like everyone she if they can get it done for they i dont think you can run a Lon term resource Center without some kind of i think the feeling in this Community is it can be run by perhaps they can find someone i just know i cant afford to do this for too the Money crunch also has hit the army action officials wanted local communities to implement it Quick but officials didst have Money to Send along with so they didst order local commanders to get in said they the army family action plan does not task the Field to do any he if you task a Macom major com you must give them resources to do we didst have the resources at even Pentagon family offices Are crimping for staff and the army Community and family policy division is an the army did not hire additional staff for it took eight positions away from the personnel division to create the new Tankersley was a signal to communities that they too could help families without additional tried to set the he the army division is not despite the emphasis on family the defense department had no fam ily end of wha it did have was Karin the departments i Jicy but she was loaned to these department by the army so it could have a Token ily Maryi Hilsman was hired to direct p family policy four staff positions still Are being the services opened family offices much one of their jobs is to coordinate Progress on family matters Aming scores of other Girt they Are sometimes forgotten or and they can be the last to know about new Many times the other agencies dont consider a medi Cal Issue a family Redigan Many times they will coordinate with but if they we dont know about All we can do is make people aware of what the needs we cant pressure especially if the pressure involves spending the air Force family matters Goldstein has lots of say in areas that dont Cost communication and authority problems Arent limited to the Many installations have started their own programs for but the information often is not that is part of Shauna Whitworth she frequently travels to army gives briefings on the action and checks for any Good new there Are so Many innovative things going she i see these things and can Tell other people about the purpose is to Crossnol Inize positive prac Becraft agrees that Good programs the army has incidences very creative programs to meet the she i think what frustrates families is there is no consistency and great resistance to army some installations in Europe have Wom ens special programs to help wives Cope with their husbands lengthy Field employment centers to help spouses get support special family counselling outreach programs for Economy residents and but no two communities have All the same or the same Quality like Jenny who has lived at fort and fort before coming to bad notice the when i needed As much support As 1 have it want Cristoforo i never wanted to be a person who went Home to mom every time he went out to the but at some Point that Breaks Down and you need a neighbor or a at the women Center in bad she found and Volunteer work to they made me feel like they could really use she it was immediate she was so Active and satisfied with the military Community that she persuaded her husband to i convinced she i worked All night on the pros and he  think of As Many that is just what officials like to that Why they Are doing More for at bases with we saw improvements in the qual Ity of Tewell were seeing a difference in Peoples perception of life in the air soldiers will do a better Job if they Are not worried about their Tankersley and studies show if its a tug Between the military and the the Mili tary will the history of family issues army 1960 family members outnumber uniformed per 1965 army Community service program Stab 1979 Quality of life program 1980 first family 1981 second family 1982 third family 1983 army White paper a manifesto for families 1984 army family action plan year of the army army Community and family support Center air Force 1978 air Force chief of staff directs the air Force to study ways to revitalize support and involve ment of the 1980 families in a study of married and single Parent air Force other stud ies under including examination of Why airmen re enlist or 1980 air Force family matters office air Force conference on families family action plan 1981 second air Force conference on family support centers begin