European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 15, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday August 15, 1986 the stars and stripes Paula 9 military couples often assigned together More times to Tui not service members who an identified As a military married Cotile find themselves setting up House together through the help of their service s joint couples assignment program. The army s 1st personnel come Hud a 96 percent Success rate last year in assigning its married enlisted couple together within the european theater including those soldiers with an office spouse. It co assigned 99 percent of its officer married couples. Safe successfully assigned 90percent of its married couples together in Europe. The Navy had a 98 percent assignment rate for its officer married couples and a 95 percent assignment rate for its enlisted couples Navy wide from october 1985through March 1986. Brenda Hoster army s guideline within 50 Miles of each other by Brenda Hosier staff Miter enrolment in the army mimed couple program does t mean a Cou ple will live and work on the same in Sull Tion or thai Hwy will always get an assignment together. If those were the rules particularly in making overseas assignments we would have a bad Success Raie in gelling couples joint domicile said it. Col Lamar sleight chief of enlisted assign men division 1st personnel come in  Germany. It would Bunp Vible to meet the need of each command at Well m the needs of the army if we Weie required to Al these couples in the same exact location every  the army considers a married Cou ple to have a joint domicile assignment if the two soldiers Are stationed within so Miles or one hour driving Lime of etch other. In order to be considered for joint domicile soldiers must con act their personnel office. Registration in the program is he Bottom line sleight said if a co pfc is not regut ered in the program then the army does t know they Are  under the program handled by the army married couple office at the . Army military personnel Center in Alexandria a when one service member comes up for an assignment the service member spouse is also identified and both Are considered for an assignment at the same  always try to accommodate the Louien wherever possible said  Miller manager of 1st person Nel cored s army married couples pro Gram. But sometimes the soldiers needs the needs of the army or the needs of the command come into conflict. That s when our decisions arc Tough in  put a lot of Effort into locating couples together. It s not just a one time shot Miller said. But after ail that research if we still can t locate a couple within the 50-mile radius then the joint domicile assignment is disapproved and they each spouse would report to the command according to their  sleight said joint assignments Are particularly Hardtop make when one sol Dier not a one of a kind military occupational specially and can Only be As signed to certain areas of Europe. There Are some assignments that i can t Send a woman to he said but if her husband is needed there Well then the needs of the command come  said the assignment people also have a difficult time making joint assignment As the couple gets higher i rank. Some bases Don t have the Job positions to accommodate two senior cos he said but we be come a Long Way in this program even with some of the Stum bling blocks. Here in Europe we hive6,250 army married couples and when the personnel Center alerts us to their assignment then we work hard Lamake a joint domicile assignment Hap  sleight said that if a couple initially receives disapproval for joint domicile he always recommends that the two re apply alter serving one year in their new command. By then a situation May have changed and we can accommodate both soldiers within the same com Mand or within the 55-mile  army married couples should review their personnel records to make sure they Are both coded with � i. Sleight  will show the people working in the personnel Center s couple Branch thai the couple should be considered for a joint domicile a digit  air Force uses concept of clustered locations9 unlike the army s 30-mile radius concept for joint domicile the air Force in Europe uses a Cluster of location to assist in making joint spouse assign ment we have identified cluttered locations which expand our possibilities to assign these couples col Ronald e. Smith director of assignments for he Safe said in a written statement. We Are not tied to the so male radius  As of july 2,618 Safe couples were assigned in clustered locations. A local area Cluster for Ramstein a for example Coo Tisu of Sembach Zweig Mucken Kapaun funds Lull kind Sbach Einsiedel Crof Rhein ordnance  and Bann. The joint spouse program is for All air Force couples regardless of rank and Lime in service and so on Smith said. But it is the couple s responsibility to make it known in Advance thai they want 10 be considered for joint  air Force members fill out form 1048, military spouse information to enrol in the program. The air Force program is designed to assign Mili tary couples in Europe to areas where government accompanied housing is available we try to do this when it is possible and in the Besl interest of the air Force Smith said. However if a joint spouse assignment based on status As a military couple is not in the air Force s Best interest then the assignment will no be made. They the couple should not make decisions on future service career development or family plan Ning based on the Assumption that they will always be assigned to the same location or that their joint assignment is guaranteed. The air Force s Mission requires total commit ment from All its members he said. We must have people in the right place at the right  the increase in military married couples Means there is a greater possibility that a Man and wife might be separated during their careers. Smith said. Finding joint assignments for higher ranking Cou Ples is More difficult because the number of Avail Able Job positions for their grades arc smaller he said. Brenda hosted Navy does its Best within its requirements tie Navy makes every Effort Loeo locate its married Couplet bul when the desires of the couple conflict with the requirements of the Navy the requirements take priority a spokesman said. In efforts to arrange co located assignments lie needs of the Navy qualifications of the individual assign ments that Are consistent Wilh career progression and sea Shore rotation requirements have priority Jerry Chil dress said in Washington. Navy couple desiring co located assignments must separately submit new duly preferences noting heir military couple status. The request must be fora valid Billet requirement at or near the spouse s location. The program applies to those Cou Ples who have completed a minimum of 12 months at their previous duly station Childress said. Participants must submit their re quest at least six months prior to the desired co location Dale he said. The Navy considers a co location or joint assignment one that is in the same geographic area or within a reasonable commute. Married couples May not be jointly assigned to the same ship or to the in Dian Ocean Island of Diego Garcia be cause ships and the Island Are so Iso lated Childress said. Clint Swift parents failed on drug counts after teen turns them in from press distal bet Tustin Calif. A 11-year-old girl who said she had repeatedly pleaded with her parents to slay away from drugs turned them in and gave police s2.800 Worth of cocaine authorities said. La i really the reverse of what we hear of parents fight u and fighting to keep their kids off of drugs police capt. Fred Wake hem Aid wednesday. For that reason this Case is  1 reste wednesday or in Vestiga cocaine for Sale. Wakefield said. They were being held in Orange county jail in lieu of $25,000 bait each. Their daughter who said she went to police after attending a Church lecture on the effects of drugs was taken to a county shelter for abused and abandoned children. A juvenile court hearing was scheduled to determine if she should be held in protective custody. Officers questioned the girl to be certain she was t making up the Story to gel revenge on her parents. Everything that has happened everything we have Learned from talking to different people lends credibility to what she has said he said. That s a lot of cocaine for a 13-year-old girl to come up with to Frame mom and dad Only to lose later. The Money atone that it would have taken her 10 buy it. Her Basic demean seemed to be fining with a 13 year old Girt who was telling on her parents. She was Calm but she was apprehensive about the circumstances Wakefield added. Wake held said the turning Point for Deanna apparently came at tuesday night s Church gathering where she heard an off duty officer talk about the effects of drug abuse. The teen Ager told police that she went Home and rummaged through her House for All the drugs she knew to be All Over the House in the bedroom and under the Couch and took them Over to her Friend s House Wakefield said. From there the girl said she called a Friend who had a car Wakefield said and the pair drove Back to the girl s Home to pick up another vial of cocaine that she had forgotten. Shortly after Midnight the girl toting a plastic trash bag walked into the Tustin police station and told her Story Wakefield related