European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 25, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday november 25, 1987 the stars and stripes Page 3 Greaf Scott Willard shines on Fulda s today special by Tim Boivin Wuerzburg Bureau , Germany it was 30 minutes until show , 2nd suspend Hung Over the  an Sickols army Airfield. When would Willard Scott show Jane Paulcyn already had poked her head out of the Abc offices at the rear of the hangar. Bryant gum Bel was Given n reserved Welcome when he came out to rehearse some lines. But Willard Scot was still mystery. Finally with 25 minutes left Scott came through the crowd from a Side door wearing a Green hat and Matching Green suit. The throng of i Ith army Cav regt soldiers and their families came alive. Shouts of hey Willard rang above the jammed crowd As the Happy go Lucky Scott made his Way this dressing room shaking hands giving Victory signs and clutching his fists Over his head in a Cham Pion s grasp. The soldiers loved it. The today show broadcast from Fulda was the second of three special programs on the military in Europe during thanksgiving week. Monday s show was aired from the aircraft Carrier Coral sea off the coast of France. Wednesday the program will be broadcast from Raf Lakenheath England. I was on the Border at of observation Post Alpha said Scott who claims Johnny apples cil and George Patton As his heroes. It took us 45 minutes winding through All these neat Little towns to get there. We took the autobahn Back and it Only took 15  the Abc Weatherman hurried to the dressing room and squeezed into his Battle dress uniform with help from maj. Glynn Pope executive officer of the i Ith army Cav regt and command sgt. Maj. Ned  of the regiment s 3rd so. Where s my idol Patton Scott roared in the dressing room. In t he around Here anywhere you be got to have the Chin strap snapped on Devereaux Ever the sergeant major pointed out. It s regimental Standard. Pope started to adjust the web Belt and tried it around Scott s Waist Tor size. It needed More adjust ing a lot More adjusting. Scott dished out a line he would use on the show later. The biggest Challenge they be had in Washington in t the my missile. It s getting a Belt that fits  it was 20 minutes until show time As Scott moved to the phone with few of the trappings of network stardom. Even though there were staffers around Betook the weather by phone from new York himself. Television viewers saw Scott do segments with soldiers from 3rd army div and i Ith army Cav regt and a recreation Center director. Off camera the Weatherman is just As accommodating easy going and humorous As he is on. On the flight line Scott climbed aboard the Jolly Green giant an my Abrams tank from b troop.1st so 11th army Cav regt. As other envious Crews snapped pictures Scott surrounded by Jolly Green giant crewmen. Pulled a .45 from his Holster waved it in the air and paraphrased a scene fro the movie  print me Enay la Scriln. The first in.5" do when i get there is personally shoot hat paper hanging son of a Booger before a segment with Devereaux on the army s old and new vehicles and Field rations Scott asked the sergeant major if he could Cook in his Kevlar helmet. Nope. Can t Cook. " too huh Scott moaned. Can t Wash. " i Don t know Scott wondered. And can t shave Wilh it but it s a lot safer  finished. Scott proud of his service Wilh the Navy mull edit Over. I think they better rethink that helmet if Youcan t do any of those things with it he said. With time winding Down toward the Cue for the segment Wilh the Mainz recreation Center director. Colleen Berry spectators yelled we love you Wil lard Scott who worked As Ronald Mcdonald an Bozo the Clown in television before going into read ing the weather does t miss a beat. I guv you too. You Wittic rascals the professional Ham said moments before the cameras rolled for the last weather forecast. S photos by stave to a neral for a while Willard sent i can t camouflage his enthusiasm above during the broadcast of the today show from Fulda. The Weatherman had plenty of chances to play Soldier As he docs with crewmen of the Jolly Green giant an my Abram Slank. Many civilians in quandary Over retirement by Chuck Vinc Washington Bureau Washington with the army set to become the last service to begin social Security and medicare with holding on civilian living quarters allow Ance Many Federal employees Are won Dering How that May affect their decision to choose a government retirement sys tem. Under Federal Law. Government employees including defense department civilians overseas must decide by dec. 31 whether to enrol in the new Federal employees retirement system or go with the old civil service retirement system. If you re talking strictly about the fica withholding on the quarters allow Ance employees would probably be Bel Ter off going Wilh the civil service said a retirement policy official with the of fice of personnel management. Pica the Federal insurance contribution act. Is the acronym used to refer to social Security and medicare with holding on employee wages the official said. Under the cars wages have always been axed at a rate of 1.45 percent for medicare so if the living quarters allow Ance is now being considered wages Formica withholding then the allowance would also be taxed at a Rale of 1.45 percent for medicare under the civil service system he said. Under the new retirement plan fers. The fica withholding on wages is 7 per cent for social Security and 1.3 percent for medicare and that 8.3 percent would also be withheld from the quarters allow Ance he said. The reason for the difference is that people in the civil sen ice retirement system Are Noi covered for social Security so they Don t have withholding for that purpose the official said. Obviously 8.3 percent is a lot More than 1.45  but in View of the fact that the fica withholding on quarters allowance May be ruled improper in court employees should not choose a retire men system just because one has a lower withholding rate than the other he said. You need to look at the other differences Between the two  he said. If Jou pick civil service because of the lower withholding Rale on quarters allow Ance and the whole Issue is shot Down of might find out too late thai there were Many other factors Vou should  the official said thai even though the living quarters allowance is considered wages b the internal Revenue service for fica withholding it will not he considered wages for calculating the average High three salary years for retirement purposes. Federal retirement Rale calculations Are based on the average wages of a employee s three highest earning Jears he said. But the fica withholding on quart ers allowance has nothing to do Wilh  he said. It comes Down to the fact that different agencies have different ways of defining wages for various Pur  he said Hal what the irs considers wages for fica withholding in this Case is simply Noi considered wages for retire ment purposes by the social Sec Unla and minis ration. The definition of wages under both the civil service svs Lem and fers is Quile Clear bonuses allowances Over time pay and any other Type of special pay Are Noi to be included in the base pay figure for retire men calculations he said