European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 10, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 the stars and stripes Friday. Apr 1110,1987 army s free travel Home policy clarified 1 read with interest your answer la the letter about the free travel Home. You did a very Good Job or informing people about this but i Stilt have some questions concerning this matter that i would like to have cleared up for me if possible. My husband re enlisted for present duty assignment for 18 months when he re enlisted in september of 1986. He completed his firs Lour at that time. Since he re Chi filed end extended Here for 18 months after june is i486, will he be Able to take advantage of the free travel Home if not will he have to extend for the additional 18 months to Complete a second accompanied tour Eucly what is a tour Extension of pre scribed length one last question if he have to extend for an additional 8 months How soon after the paperwork is completed far the Extension would he be Able to put in the a form 4187 to request the free travel to his Home of record Roberta j. Robertsen Ulm Germany editor s note chief warrant officer . Taylor chief management action Branch 1st personnel come he Usa eur replies let me begin by defining a tour Exten Sion or prescribed length " to be eligible for free Home travel a tour Extension of prescribed length is a single Extension equal to the length of the original tour. In Yogi Case since your husband s original Tow was a 36-month accompanied tour a tour intension of prescribed length would be 36 months. The rules Gam Long eligibility few Bone travel a very specific. To be eligible Soldier must Complete one full Ore Mas tear and commit to completing another Rod tour. This pm be accomplished through an Exten Sion equal to the original tour. Since your husband re enlisted and extended his overseas tour Tor is months in september 1986, he a no satisfied in requirement of a single Extension equal to a new accompanied Lour. Also if be Wen to extend for another 18 months it would to Tell not unify the requirement and he would not be entitled to free Home travel. A combination to extensions Doe not count toward a consecutive overseas tear. I am writing in regard to the numerous messages i have read on the new policy the Amy. Has come out with for Ste consecutive overseas assignments. Understand thai some of the benefits an individual a entitled to Are transportation to the Continental . Or 15 Days leave or certain amount of Money per month. The benefits Are Worth the Extension but what i am concerned about is the intent and True interpretation of the policy 1 would like to share an experience. A Soldier ii assigned to a command in Europe not a Usa eur asset which controls numerous activities throughout Europe and some in the Middle East re Gion. He is attached for duty at one of those locations to the local military Community and retains his assigned status to his command. The individual serves six years with his assigned unit but is split up i.e., two years each in three sep Arate geographical locations in Germany. Take into consideration that the sol Dier has spent or will have spent six years in his unit of assignment and has been ordered by his unit of assignment on two permanent change of station pcs moves. One pcs from the Continental United slates to Germany directed by the department of the army and i pcs moves in country directed by us of assignment. This Soldier did a Ste but unit of assignment not for a fee civic duty station. Would this Soldier be Coli Ufa to any of the provisions written about Currier if not what is the True intent of the policy for unit of assignment and if he Soldier is ordered on a pcs. 1 Hope the example is Clear and an answer can be Given. Name withheld Frankfurt editor s note chief warrant officer .taylor, management actions Branch 1st personnel come he usar eur replies let me begin by explaining the pro Grams for which entitlement an Avail Ible. The consecutive overseas tour has Only one entitlement that rent is fit round trip travel in states to the Soldier s Home of re iwo a Point no farther Distant than the Jame of record. Command sponsored wry Mem Bers Are included. The key of this Centiu efter is he completion of one fall a verb tour and the commitment to Roll tour elide through an is Friston canal to the original tour or a dded pcs from one overseas Oversea Sta Tion. The other title neats you mentioned Only far Soldier pos Sessing Ncnary occupational spec Quiej mos an included to the overseas sex Zenawi incentive program. Soldiers who Rosess one of these specialities and exp for a minimum of oat Yew arc i to one of three options. Lwy Are 1. Incentive pay of "$80 per month far s length of the Extension 2.30 Days absence not charged As leave1, 3.15 Days absence not charged u leave and round trip transportation to govern ment expense from the current location to the nearest port in the us. And return. The tatter is for the Soldier Only and not family members. Local personnel service centers can Ding Moss that i Extension incan provide Are part of the of live program your jump Joof being assigned to one unit Tat Atla Jed far duty at another Loca Tion a rep Farfan on eligibility Tor end Iodate with Oversea Exten soldiers stationed overseas Art to the benefits of the different Hod pow rank provide they meet Tor the particular program. By to specific question if i guide Abuid in comedy is Are you entitled to the same free Home travel associated with consecutive Ovenias Loon since you ban served or will Bate served six Yean Over East also How Are the entitlements affected by the fact that Jroud were ordered on permanent change of station pcs t the answer is if Yon extended your Lour for period equal to nor original tour length Yon an eligible for free some travel. If Yon volunteered for a series of extensions and they happen to equal your original taut length you Are not eligible for free Home travel a series of Exten Sions do not qualify Ai consecutive of seas tour. Also to be eligible for it free Home travel when ordered on pcs Job most have completed the original tour prior to the pcs and have committed to Sera an other tour of equal length to the original Lour at the previous station. Because the entitlement to free Home travel was effective june 19, 1986, Only pcs mores and tour extensions made on or after this Date qualify for free Home travel and then Only when the Conseco Tyve overseas tour mentioned above Are met. The intent of the free Home trawl entitlement la to provide Relief to service Mem Eta who serve an entire additional Low whether it u in one or two locations. Ramstein a speeders have writer 1 wanted to be Able to express my gratitude that either the Speed limit in the Ramstein a homing area is not enforced or nobody cares prior to meeting my demise on a dark and Rainy morning. I m sure that then Are hundreds of other people out there who also appreciate the apparent Lack of concern in this area it allows them to drive through the hous ing area just As if they were on the autobahn. What a convenience i really am grateful that nobody has been killed i because that would probably prompt somebody Tofke action to reduce the chances of another a Cieless death. They might go so far As to step up if any the monitoring of the housing area by Law enforcement personnel. They already have enough to do what Voth protect ing the base Community and All. Heck the might even incr Earthe number of Stop signs in the area but that is boxed to slow Down traffic. People on base Don t Necka Rily Stop for Slop signs but i do see them at drop their Speed slightly to see if there arc any i around. F Hope people Don t think this letter sarcastic. I am merely trying to get a Point across. Approaching the subject through the suggestion program or the base safety office has t done any Good. Maybe this letter might prompt some thought or worse ruffle a few feathers. Tech. Sol. Michael Kolnes Ramsten a Germany editor s note col. Edward h. Martin com Mander he 377lh Security police group replies traffic violations on Ramstein a Are a continual different rules create cola discrepancy Why is there a discrepancy in a Juii of living allow ances Between . Army civilian and soldiers if the military is gelling cola because the Dollar is weak Why not civilians who use the sane Dollar Why is the excuse used five tons get to use exp Tsivie military Iaci Lisky does t the military gel to use these facilities Why cola for Soldi Eaf who live on base and shop in less expensive Milid Fry facilities and no cola for civilians who live i the Economy most civilians live on the Economy and they have Many More econ omy based expenses than soldiers do expenses such As medical Dunta foods other goods and services. While the Soldier existence is entered on the army environment must live As a local in Short not in the Formy environment name an location withheld editor note Elizabeth Reid civilian personnel it Jeton office of the Deputy chief of staff person Neyko Usarek replies the writer asks a Good question. Military and civilian personnel do spend the same Dollar and the Dollar is weak for both. The answer is we have two different personnel systems and Congress has provided different Laws to trigger the cola system for military and civil Lan personnel. The Cost of living for military personnel and civilians la reported similarly. Both Are based on the Oral of goods and services exclusive of housing. However these coils Are compared to two different Cost of la Vang indexes Cut the the difference you Bare addressed. The indexed Cost of living for civilian personnel in any foretell area is compared to the indexed cot of living in Washington d.c., and the comparison is made by the of stale. Overseas curls of lit ing fur military personnel an1 compared to Chr National average Cost of living in Lam United stairs including commissary and Exchange the in fils military cola is d by the depart ment of diff fun. Belauh inv National Cwi of lev lip unto the is less than the Washington d.c., Cost the military cola is Trig gered sooner than the cola fur civilian. Under the current Cuhl Oming Index fur Germany Post allowance cola for civilians will not by triggered unless the Exchange rate Falli to 1.66 Marks loss. Problem. That problem however is my predicated Apon Lack of enforcement u perceived by the writer but rather due to a Lack of courteous conscientious driving habits exhibited by some Ramstein motorists. The police have increased selective enforcement on Ranu Tein a since the Advent of the new year. Literally hundreds of citations have been issued to traffic Law violators with an emphasis placed upon detecting Cross walk violations. The Polke however Are limited in the scope of has enforcement by posting requirements Man Power and ancillary responsibilities. The police do respond to All reported motor vehicle traffic Violat Loni. The Point of the writer is Well taken and. In the future. If he can provide Law enforcement officials with a description of the vehicle Driver and License number appropriate follow up action will be taken. We appreciate his sincere concern. Pen pals pit inc Mai Rny Mim in your Pon Pil Cote nov i in 2ft Yun old. My Totri i if Kurt Tolg. Thlu Brj and Ruth Ling. 1 in 4 atm Rcv of t India Fenc Cut Urcle of null i a mild Lih a pen Pil 1 i i r f6fi wort mrs for a Hon of Patto j w6u\i Itab to Rui Uyi Tio no 14j-40attwstri
