European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 19, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes Friday May 19,1989 less qualified recruits being accepted by military facing shortage of youths by William j. Bartma Washington Bureau Washington faced with a dwindling Popula Tion of Young people in the United states the military services Are being forced to accept larger numbers of recruits in the military s lowest education and Intelli gence categories. Over the past year the number of poor mental per formers what the military Calls category ivs has More than doubled from 4 percent to More than 10 percent Pentagon sources said. Category in soldiers arc those that score less than 31 on the military s 100 Point qualification lest which measures Basic math and English skills. In a recent Survey of High school students 1.3 per cent said they would join the army and 56 percent said they would not join said an army official who asked that his name not be used. So we be chosen to go after More category  accepting less qualified recruits is one of a number of ways the services arc dealing with the shrinking youth Pool officials said. The army for example also has been Acci Ping enlistees without a High school diploma who score at least a 50 on the qualification lest. In each of the services but most notably in the army recruiting officials arc at work on what some term a marketing strategy to alter the Public s Funda mental views of military service. Civilian society at Large must grasp the idea of the added value that comes from military service said Don Mallicoat a spokesman for the army s education Branch. The report we just got in from the american society of training and development and labor shows Hal the employers want the types of Basic skills and values that the service provides the ability to learn to listen honesty discipline into Grill work  As the Market of available recruits erodes it be comes More important to retain current Servic Mcm bars. The army is considering promoting More sol Diers to the rank of sergeant in Hopes that the increased pay and prestige will encourage them to remain in inc service Mallicoat said. There is some concern Here of not returning to the hollow army the army source said. Pentagon officials have brought the crisis to the at Len lion of lawmakers and arc seeking More Money for advertising As Well As the no. 1 recruitment incentive educational programs. Whal we Are saying is our re cruising Effort is in trouble it. Gen. Allen k. Ono the army s personnel chief told the House and Senate earlier this month. Youthful demographic i rinds arc on the Way Down. The Low Point occurs in 1994 and 1995," Ono said. According to Pentagon estimates the shortage in inc key 18-year-old group will Bottom out in 1992 and then Start improving. The shortage of people in the 18 to-24-year-old segment will not Bottom out until 1996. However House and Senate Commilles have expressed mixed reactions to the services recruitment woes. It looks like we re going to have Force Structure a to " reductions anyway armed services com Mittee staff member said. Compared to All the other gloom and doom we hear this one docs not sound to be too  we re not worried sick. Let me put it that Way said an aide to sen. John Glenn a Ohio chairman of the Senate armed services manpower subcommittee. But i Don t think you can deny the warning signs he said adding that the panel plans to ensure that the services Are properly funded for advertising Educa Tion and other recruitment tools. The army and Navy arc having the hardest time finding recruits. But the Senate aide said the problem is like a Blessing in disguise for the army which must Cut 7,400 positions in fiscal 1990 due to budget constraints. Because of its recruiting troubles the army chose to Cut 4,000 of those slots during the current fiscal year. It will do that simply by bringing in about 4,000 fewer recruits thereby reducing the number of category ivs it would have accepted. While the services want to increase their advertising efforts All agree that better funding of educational programs offers the greatest incentive. We return 100.000 people each year and it s probably close to 200,000 when you count the other services to the National work Force the army s Mallicoat said. Education. Is still the no. 1 reason people enlist in the  education benefits aside a negative Public attitude remains a recent study by the army research Institute showed that most parents say the military is a great thing for Young people but not for their own children. News updates palme trial delayed Stockholm Sweden up the trial of the suspect in the 1986 murder of Premier Olof palme has been delayed at least a week be cause police printers and defense attorneys arc still working on the Mas Sive pretrial hearings report investigators said thursday. Hans old Bro commander of the task Force investigating the murder said prosecutors plan to officially bring charges against 42-year-old can Star i Cut Cresson on May 29. The trial scheduled for june 5. Pct Larsson has been in custody since his arrest dec. 14 on suspicion of being the Lone gunman who shot palme on a downtown Stock Holm Street. Palme was killed on feb. 28, 1986, As he walked Home from a late night movie with his wife Lisbel. California budget los Angeles a a sur prise slate budget surplus has raise Hopes for an end to a 4-Day-old teachers strike that has crippled education for More than a half million students in the nation s second larg est school District. The slate expects to receive an extra $2.5 billion in the next two years gov. George Duck Majian said wednesday. As much As $228 million of the surplus could go to the los Angeles unified school District. Negotiators in the teachers strike planned to resume negotiations thursday. Although educators had expected some kind of budget Windfall the size of the surplus came As a Surprise to Bolh sides in inc teachers strike. Astronaut investigated in near collision Washington a the com Mander of the Atlantis space shut la says he will Coop Fralc to the Best of my Abili by with three Federal investigations into accusations that he nearly ran his space Agency Jet into a pan am Airliner. Navy capt. David m. Walker who commanded the five member shuttle Crew on a four Day voyage that ended May 8, said All the facts have yet to be  the Federal aviation administration the National transportation safety Board and the National aeronautics and space administration opened investigations into the incident after the pan am Pilot filed a report of a near midair col  the Pilot who was flying a pan am Airbus 310 with 166 passengers and a Crew of 10 from Washington to Paris said inc Nasa t-38 jul came within 500 feet of the Airliner. I will be assisting to the Best of my ability with both Nasa and civil aviation authorities in their respective investigations Walker said. To discuss the Issue further at this Point would be  had flown to Washington for White House ceremonies on tuesday snoring the Atlantis Crew. A Nasa statement said Walker filed a hazardous air traffic report with personnel at Andrews fab after  Jack Riley said he did not know the nature of the report. Faa air traffic controllers filed a Pilot deviation report accusing Walker of violating flight procedures by not Fly ing at his assigned Altitude and saying the planes were within 100 feet vertically said Faa spokesman Jack Leyden. Ramsden offers food discounts of up of 80% Ramstein a West Germany bargain Hunters willing to buy grocery items in Case lots will be Able to take advantage of savings Between 25 per cent and 80 percent for three Days be ginning today. Dubbed combat shopping the tent Sale will run around inc clock from 8 30 . Loday until Midnight sunday at Ramstein a. A total of 25,000 cases of merchandise will be sold in a Tinl reeled behind inc Ramstein commissary. Col. Terry Fowler commander of the air Force commissary service s european Region said one of the highlights of the event will be a three minute shopping spree Given away Toa needy servicemen bar in the Ramstein Community. The service member will be chosen by a panel of senior master sergeants at the base. The second annual tent Sale will of Calarc other giveaways drawings and entertainment. Bands will play throughout the festivities. Fowler said the 25,000 cases of goods arc valued Al about $600,000. He said this year s Sale is roughly twice the size of the Lent Sale held last year. Last year we planned the event in three Days Fowler said. This time we be been planning for 10 months. We think we Learned a lot from last  goods will include paper goods disposable diapers canned goods soft drinks meats Frozen food detergents and snacks. It s essentially every thing you would normally get in the store Fowler said. Leader of division selected for promotion bad Kreuz Nach West Germany president Bush has nominated the commander of the 8th inf div for pro motion to lieutenant general a division spokesman said thursday. Maj. Gen. Calvin . Waller who also has commanded the bad Kcruz Nach military Community for two years will pin on his third Star some time this summer before taking com Mand of the army s isl corps Al fort Lewis wash., maj. Michael Maher said. A replace Mcnol for the Pathfinder div s commander has not been named yet Maher said. During the Balon Rouge la., native s 30-year army career he has served in Vietnam and previously commanded the 8lh inf div s 2nd brigade in Baum hold or West Germany. Correction the stars and stripes map on pages 16 and 17 of our a Day special mag Azine failed to show the vol corps Bacn had Al the end of a Day. The Vii corps Advance that Day included Ste. More leg list Well Inland from Utah Beach. Army experts blow up suspicious package Forth West Germany is army explosives experts blew up a suspicious package left Al the front Gate of William of Darby Cavern Only to Dis cover in contained a weather instrument someone May have wanted to return to the army. A West German Man left the package without explanation at 10 . Wednes Day. Experts destroyed it a Short time later Afler closing inc Gate and evacuating nearby buildings. Explosive ordnance specialists deter mined that the package contained a weather Radiosonde a device that Mea sures weather conditions Community spokesman Thomas Steinmann said. Officials believe the Man found the device thought it belonged to the army and wanted to return it Stein Mann said