European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 10, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday june 10, 198b the stars and stripes Page 3 Mac air Crews modifying training in face of 20% budget reductions by Rosemary Sawyer suit writer Rhein main a West Germany for air Crews there is no hotter training ground than the sky. But for military Airlift come units in Europe a Cut of about 30 percent in fiscal 1988 flying training hours has made the sky the limit. The local cuts in training resulted from Mac operations and maintenance budget reductions of 20 per cent. Gen. Duane h. Cassidy. Mac commander said in april that the cuts would be absorbed through a Short term Cut in flying training hours rather than furloughs of civilian workers or compromised medical care Cassidy s move to spare people programs presented Squadron and Wing commanders at Rhein main a with the Challenge of maintaining air Crew qualification with fewer raining hours. With the cuts that we re going to have it s going to be very difficult to do that said col. Joseph Petrazio jr., former 435th tac Airlift Wing Deputy commander for operations. The name of the game is that we re going o pay for it it s going to be very painful. It s not like culling the fat out of the flying program and it s very easy to keep Ever one qualified. We arc nol going to be Able to do  Mac aircraft affected by the cuts include the c-5 Galaxy. C-141 Star lifter and a Ijo Hercules. The 435th flies c-9 nightingales and the Hercules. It. Col Darrell Singleton former 37lh tac Airlift so commander said the reduction in flying hours has forced some training compromises upon the Squadron which flies 16 Hercules aircraft. It s simply nol As much flying and there s nol As much flying to keep everybody in the cockpit As much As we d like to said Singleton now assistant Deputy commander for operations. There arc certain mini mum requirements that have 10 be achieved and looking Forward it May not be possible to achieve those minimum requirements on  Rhein Maln a officials said their goal is to main Tain a Core of qualified personnel. If we gel in the Point where we can t maintain the readiness of 100 people then Well maintain the Readi Ness of 75 or Well maintain the readiness of 50," pc Trazino  having 75 is better than having  officials at Airlift command Headquarters in the United states forecast flying training hours will be exhausted by the first week in september said u. Col. Walter s. Evans Deputy commander for operations. Sets photo Fly so Tiv mormon Rhein main s col. Joseph Petrazio or. Because joint and unilateral training make up 35 to 40 percent of total flying time the Wing anticipates conducting Only 60 percent of Normal flight operations in september. Rhein main s fiscal 1988 operation and maintenance budget was Cut by about $1.8 million Evans said. This represents a total reduction of 8.7 percent an initial 2.2 percent reduction followed by a 6.5 per cent Cut in january. To maximize training Singleton s Squadron has re sorted to the less than idea training scenario of More Crew members on each plane. Normally a Pilot co Pilot Engineer navigator and Load master Crew the c 130. Now dual Crews Are sent up we put several people on there so that one Pilot May get a few of the requirements during the flight and the other Pilot will occupy the seat and he will gel some of his requirements Singleton explained. We re splitting up the time that they re flying Between different people to make sure that we re optimizing people and  another economical measure for the Squadron involves hauling goods in route to training areas the closest is a 45-Minutc flight from the base rather than just Fly there to train. On joint airborne exercises Hal would involve for example flying to Italy to pick up an airborne unit to drop Over West Germany the parties might meet half Way or the paratroopers might travel to Rhein main a by bus or train. When possible training will be built into exercises. If an exercise Calls for transporting people those Pas sengers might get to experience a Low level training flight or witness an Airdrop Pierazio said. The crunch has t changed Rhein main s everyday operations which include exercises Channel missions and special assignment Airlift missions Saa said Petrazio now the Wing s Deputy commander. On Saam flights if an army air Force or Navy user can pay to Fly goods or personnel Rhein main aircraft arc ready. If fewer missions do result it s be cause various units similarly hit by the budget a Are looking to cheaper methods of transport. Likewise the extent of joint training Lime cuts will vary according to How much Money the other services have for their exercises. Petrazio said it s the training Lime and joint training that hones pilots navigators and air Crews 10 do their wartime  Singleton said flying hour constraints will slow up grades for flight Crew members. If a co Pilot normally takes about two years to Progress to the position of aircraft commander fewer flying hours could mean it takes him an extra month or two to upgrade. The effects of this Short term slowdown probably would not prove consequential but if the trend continues Over a Long period the air Force would have to re evaluate How it can maintain an experienced Pilot Force he said. Petrazio said that although the fiscal 1988 cuts Are Short term they still have a Price. If you Lake an air Crew and ground them it costs you to get them re qualified he said. What we re saying is that we re going to possibly not ground but we re going to allow some of the qualifications to fall behind. Irs like the commercial you either pay me now or pay me later. That s what s going to happen. We re going to have to at some Point pay  doctor shortage forces cutbacks of army clinics Byj Ankud Agostino medical writer a shortage of doctors this summer May mean longer Waits than usual for routine medical care and a cutback of medical services in some army clinics and hospitals across Europe. The summer shortage is caused by the Gap Between the Lime doctors will be leaving Europe for new assignments and the time their replacements arrive from the United slates. Every Hospital and clinic will be affected to a greater or lesser degree said or. Col Tinsley Rucker chief of 7th medical come s ambulatory care Divi Sion. No clinics will be closed because of the shortage which began this month and will continue until Early August when most of the new doctors will be on Board. The shortage of doctors varies with each clinic or Hospital and each facility is finding ways to minimize the effects Rucker said. Each of 7th medical come s 62 clinics is managed by one of the army s 11 hospitals. Twenty three percent of the 587 Mili tary physicians assigned to Usa eur arc leaving Europe Rucker said. But the Impact of the number leaving is less than in might appear because army health facilities Are staffed by civilian physicians and physician assistants As Well As Mili tary physicians he said. For patients the shortage May mean of the u clinics under the control of longer wails to be seen by a doctor at sick the Call delays in making appointments with specialists such As Ortho pudists dermatologists or obstetricians and postpone ment of routine or elective care such As non emergency surgery or Pap tests. Individual clinics and hospitals arc culling Back services moving doctors to cover understaffed areas and informing patients of the ability to seek health care in local National hospitals through champs. In addition 7th medical come is re questing thai National guard and army Reserve doctors be Scollo Europe to fill in at clinics and hospitals during the summer said capt. Charles Wainwright health care administrator of ambulatory patient care for 7th medical come. The summer normally is a time when Many military personnel leave for new assignments and the temporary shortage of doctors is not unusual or unexpected Kuckyr said. The seasonal shortage is difficult to avoid in part because Resi Dency and specially raining programs for physicians end on june so and begin on july i Rucker said. Most of the new doctors coming from the states Are just finishing their internship or residency training he said. These programs arc tightly regulated by various civilian medical organizations so the starting and ending dates cannot be changed Rucker said. Frankfurt army regional medical Center five will be seriously under staffed this summer said or. Col mar tin Bradley chief of the department of Community Medicine Al Frankfurt they Are a Cheim Darmstadt Babenhausen bad hrs feed and Butzbach. Doctors from the Frankfurt Hospital which is coping with a 40 percent turn Over in doctors and doctors from the belter staffed clinics Are doing additional duty in the undermanned clinics. For example a doctor from the As Chat Tinburg clinic is working in the Darmstadt clinic where All three military doctors have left. The Darmstadt clinic has temporarily reduced hours and Cut Back services. Military sick Call is being held from 6 30 . To 8 . Instead or 7 30 . To 9 . Family members must Call for appointments unless Emer gency care is needed. The clinic temporarily is closed on weekends holidays and in the evenings. No vast comics will be performed and Well baby appoint ments and appointments for Pap tests arc being limited. Getting the word out Early to communities about the cutback in services has prevented Long morning lines or Many complaints said maj. Jancel Hutch Mson chief nurse and acting commander of the clinic. In the Wil Ryburg area the six outlying clinics will have no cutbacks in services or hours although people May need to wait longer to receive care said maj. Patrick Farace chief of clinical support division for the army Hospital in Wil Ryburg. However the Hospital is limiting the types of surgery performed and delaying elective surgery because two of three Gen eral surgeons have left As Well As the Anaesthesiologist he said. The dermatology clinic is closed because the Only dermatologist on staff has left and a shortage of paediatricians will mean longer wails for appointments. Al the Lan Stuhl army regional med ical Center doctors from other facilities such As Slun Gart arc being Send to cover a shortage of obstetricians and gynaecologists said maj. Joe Flannory chief of the clinical support division. Lan Stuhl s seven clinics Are not cutting services or reducing hours. Instead other Steps Are being taken including closely watching leave temporary duly assignments and other absences and delaying into theater transfers Flannery said. We re trying to keep providers close to Home he said. Clinic patrons in other areas should Check with local facilities for changes in hours or services. A serious doctor shortage is not anticipated this summer in Safe clinics officials said