European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 24, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday february 24, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 9 army to close 1 St sergeants school will save about $500,000 a year by Charlie Bowden Munich Bureau Munich West Germany after More than a year of debate and at least one reprieve the . Army in Europe has pulled the financial plug on the Munich based schoolhouse for first sergeants. The decision to close the school was announced last week in a Usa eur message to major commands in Europe. The course which opened for business in january 1983, will shut Down april 28 with the graduation of its last class. Although based in Europe the course is part of the army sergeants major facade my at fort Bliss Texas and has operated under the auspices of the army s training and doctrine come. However funds for the Munich course came from the army in Europe s training coffers funds that have dwindled in the waning years of the Reagan defense buildup. The course which trains about 300 new military Roundup German general named to Allied air forces Post Casteau Belgium West German air Force it. Gen. Hans Jorg Klebart will become the Deputy com Mander and chief of staff of the Allied air forces Central Europe at Ramstein a West Germany april 1, according to an announcement by nato com Mander Gen. John r. Galvin. Klebart currently commander of the West German air Force tac come will succeed West German it. Gen. Fred Noak who is retiring after 33 years in the military. Workers must have pay sent to financial institution Heidelberg West Germany appropriated. Fund employees of the army in Europe who began work after Jan. 16 must have their pay sent directly to a Bank or credit Union officials said. The mandate applies to full time workers hired locally and in the United states. Employees of the department of defense dependents schools nato and shape Are exempted. Officials said the action will Cut Down on returned or lost checks. A monthly average of More than 300 checks Are undeliverable and returned to the 266th theater finance Center. The move should save about $500,000 yearly by eliminating the manual processing of 17,000 checks each pay period officials said. Employees serviced by the 266th before Jan. 16 still can receive paychecks at their work place until april 24. After that Date checks will be delivered Only to Anapo Mailbox. Direct pay Deposit is voluntary for air Force and Navy civilian employees. Dormitories Park win Safe design awards Ramstein a West Germany dormitories for enlisted personnel and a recreation Park were among the winning projects that recently captured top awards in the 1988 Safe design award program. Created to recognize excellence in facility design throughout Safe the awards were presented to 21winners in five categories. First place honors were awarded to the following projects completed in use project costing More than $500,000 dormitories for 320-enusted personnel at Raf Woodbridge England. Projects under design or construction priory arms dining facility at Raf Chicksands England. Completed. In use base comprehensive planning Cannon Park Ramstein a. Completed in use Interior design project Tempelhof Central Airport officers open mess renovation West Berlin. Completed in use project costing less than $500,000 officers club exterior renovation Raf Lakenheath  of the awards included civilian Compa Nies base civil engineering operations and the prop erty services Agency a British government Agency. First sergeants each year costs the army in Europe about $500,000 annually. Course commandant sgt. Maj. Ken Parrish was disappointed at the decision but not particularly surprised. It s not new he said. It s been being looked at for some time because of the cuts in training  last year he said several training courses in Europe were Cut or closed entirely. In March 1988, the first sergeants course was trimmed from nine weeks to eight weeks saving about $57,000 a year he said. The course is not a requirement to be a first sergeant but most of those selected for first sergeant duties attempt to get into one of the two versions of the courses Parrish said. Selection had been tightly controlled and now will become even More competitive because of a shortage of slots something that could create at least a temporary training Gap. We can t make you a first sergeant but we can give the Topis to make a bet ter first sergeant Parrish said. The message announcing the course closure also announced the reopening of a program for company commanders and first sergeants that will Deal with Europe unique topics. However that pro Gram is not a substitute for the first sergeants course Parrish said. At the Mother course at fort Bliss six classes per year run nearly 900 first sergeants through about 300 hours of classes on subjects ranging from leadership to physical training to counselling techniques and paper work. The curriculum at Munich is identical except for a week s Worth of Usa eur unique topics Parrish said. Before the Munich course opened six years ago new first sergeants in Europe had to compete for about 30 allocations per year. Parrish sees something similar returning. It will become a super select Ive process to determine who goes to the course he said. Command officials in Europe Are working to get qualified first sergeants sent to the course at fort Bliss the message stated. Aside from any indirect Impact the school s closing might have on the training of future first sergeants in Europe its closing will Cut sharply into operations and reve Nues in the Munich military Community. For example the local guest House stands to lose about $250,000 a year be cause of a contract to House students at tending the course. The local military dining facility faces a big drop in use because students Are issued meal cards during their stay in Munich. That could Impact on the future of our dining facility said col. Willard Conley the Community s Deputy com Mander. That s a pretty Good sized por Tion of our head  Conley has local officials studying the Impact and looking for possible ways to Lake up the Slack when the course shuts Down. All choked up British prime minister Margaret Thatcher appears to be taking a gripping situation in stride As employment Secretary Norman Fowler wraps his fingers around her Throat. No need to worry though about her health Fowler is merely re placing the head on a very lifelike Model of the prime minister during a visit to the Briargate museum in York England. Dutch debate military penal Reform the Hague Netherlands a the dutch parliament wednesday debated a Reform of the nation s military penal code that would deprive commanders of the right to place their soldiers under arrest and ease scores of other misconduct regulations. The Reform package which the 150-seat legislature is expected to approve in a vote next week would affect both the military penal code and the armed forces disciplinary regulations. The proposed Law would bring military Justice More into line with civilian practice in this nation where soldiers have had the right to Wear Long hair and ear rings Ever since the late 1960s. Soldiers found guilty of a disciplinary offence which is punishable by their unit commander May face the loss of two Days leave and a 100-Guilder $50 Fine. Only a court martial would have authority to impose prison terms for More serious offences. If somebody in a civilian company is being a Little Sloppy with his cigarette you would t order him arrested either a defense ministry spokesman said. Unit commanders will lose a few disciplinary tools but that does t mean the armed forces will lose any said the spokesman. Under the new rules soldiers who ignore a Superior s orders would face Only disciplinary punishment unless they endanger operational readiness. Absence without leave for up to four Days would come under the same category As would unnecessarily Sloppy dress. Dutch troops who Are represented by several officially recognized Trade unions would also be entitled to demonstrate in uniform to get better pay and work ing conditions. The Legal Reform would formally abolish capital punishment from the dutch military criminal code. The death penalty has never been carried out Here since the shooting in the late 1940s of approximately 100 nazi collaborators and War criminals and was declared unconstitutional a few years ago