European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 4, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 a the stars and stripes Friday May 4,1990tetters a basis for determining allowances explained i just finished Reading the recent letter in reference to cola and Oha. While interesting Points were brought up one Point i am confused about is the amount of cola authorized to each person. I understood cola to be a supplement to your base pay to help offset the local currency and that the Dollar amount of the cola is adjusted in accordance with the Host nation currency rate against the . Dollar. Why then would  receive a different a Mou no for example a Soldier living in the Barracks draws Quot Barracks cola Quot while a married Soldier with one family member is entitled to a cola with j  this is usually a difference of about $50 or More. Could the difference be because the married Soldier has to Purchase More items on the Economy than the single Soldier in the Barracks if a married Soldier and a single Soldier arc entitled to the same shopping privileges on an installation and the commissary is primarily used by married soldiers there should be no need to Purchase any items on the Economy that Are available on the installation. Then what other expenses would the married Soldier incur that the single Soldier would to what local Economy expenses Cost the married Soldier More than a single Soldier could it be the rent or utilities i thought i received my overseas housing allowance Oha to supplement this Cost. What about the number of family members i hardly see any justification in receiving More cola for a larger family. Does a Soldier with five dependents receive any More in separate rations than a Soldier with one dependent is the government rewarding larger families with Cash in the form of increased cola if so Why Isnit it mentioned that the More children you have the More Money you can make i know that when i married living on the Economy and a Soldier who lives in the Barracks Purchase an  on the local Economy that  is going to Cost us the same. Where is the justification Isnit this discrimination against the single Soldier but in t this the equal Opportunity equal employment army i think not. A Chi. Richard d. Glessner Vicenza Italy editor s note a sgt. 1st class Michael Donohue staff finance no office of the Deputy chief of staff resource management he Usa eur replies station allowances Are designed to compensate soldiers for the higher costs associated with assignments overseas. Cost of living allowance cola is designed to help maintain the same purchasing Power for no housing items for Uconus outside Continental United states and conus Continental United states soldiers with the same Grade years of service and number of dependents. Overseas housing allowance Oha is paid to help meet the higher costs of housing overseas. To your specific question concerning single Soldier discrimination that is not True. The amount of cola paid is determined by the Soldier s Grade years of service number of command sponsored dependents duty location and the duty station support facilities. Additionally there Are with dependents without dependents and Barracks cola rates. Remember the object is to give Uconus soldiers the same purchasing Power As conus soldiers. To determine the amount of cola Uconus soldiers need the per diem travel and transportation allow Ance committee pm tatar uses spendable income tables developed by the Bureau of labor statistics bus. Spendable income is defined As total income minus housing expenses taxes savings life insurance gifts and contributions. 1 now How do we get the Cash each year pm tatar conducts two surveys in each country where uniformed members Are assigned. The first is the living pattern Survey. It is completed by a representative number of soldiers in selected communities. This Survey determines How much shopping is done on the Economy and in which facilities that shopping is done. After the supermarkets clothing and drug stores gasoline stations Etc., Are determined Survey teams go to each and Price 25 pages of items. At the same time cafes and the commissaries Are providing prices on goods and services they provide Uconus. When completed All the surveys go to pm tatar which compares Uconus prices with prices captured by bus. The difference in costs is the amount of cola we receive monthly. While you Are Correct that items off Post or in the commissary Are priced the same regardless of marital status the amounts purchased differ. Married soldiers with dependents buy More than single soldiers living off Post who in turn buy More than soldiers living in the Barracks therefore there Are three rates. Also soldiers in Remote areas who do not have Exchange and commissary facilities receive More cola because they do in fact do More shopping for goods and services on the Economy. A final Point must be made Here. We can help improve cola and Oha by accurate and timely completion of these surveys. A determining a soldiers Worth to the army after Reading a writers comments on the importance of the skill qualification test set and the new changes i.e., 70 to stay and 80 to get promoted i was disappointed that he and the other command sergeants major sergeants major would support such a program to the letter. 1 realize that set is important to a soldiers career but it is just one indicator of a soldiers performance and no Way should it be the determining Factor for retention. This letter is not meant to disparage soldiers who do score 80 and above. On the contrary those scores coupled with All the other outstanding Soldier skills will definitely get the Soldier promoted Well ahead of his Peers. 1 had the privilege of being assigned to the sergeants major Branch at department of the army personnel c command and dealt with Many of them on a Day to Day basis in preparation for upcoming assignments. I can verify that if the system they Are supporting today was around during the Early to mid-60s while they were going through the ranks Many of these outstanding leaders would not be around today to share their expertise and knowledge with the corps. Senior leaders need to realize that 80 or above do not a Complete Soldier make. To emphasize my Point i would like to quote some of the statistics from the last master sergeant Board there were approximately 60 military occupational specialities mos in both the primary zone and secon Dary zone that had an average set score of 79 or less that were selected to master sergeant. Of those 60 Moss approximately 800 soldiers had an average score 79 to 70, 232 had an average of 69 to 60, and 21 with an average of 59 or lower. Its obvious that set played a role in the selection process but it is also obvious that the Board also looked for other factors to determine the Best qualified soldiers. This is my whole Point. What made those 21 soldiers with set scores of 59 or lower better qualified than those soldiers with 90 to 100? with the new system the Best 1,100-plus soldiers would have not been selected. We All know without a major enemy any longer the current political happenings in Europe and what looks like the self destruction of the soviet Union As far As one party is concerned that personnel cuts have to be made but we really have to be careful of How we go about the screening process. It really scares me that the sole Factor for retention is going to be this 70/80 score. There Are soldiers out there who will never score 70/80 just because of the complicated nature of testing. There Are Many variables that come into play when soldiers Are tested especially those soldiers who know they do not test Well. They become anxious afraid can to remember what they have studied Etc. We see it every Day with our local promotion boards a those highly qualified dedicated soldiers who just freeze up. Soldiers who fall into this category need to be protected. It takes a great Deal More than test taking ability to make a Quot completed Soldier. What a the answer its always been out there. The Only sure Way to judge a Soldier is the old Quot whole Soldier concept a a 365-Day-in, Day out evaluation not a 2 Xhu hour test period. A sgt. 1st class Joseph a. Calanni Frankfurt West Germany editors note a Usa eur command sgt. Major George l. Horvath Iii replies i would like to reiterate that the 70/80 Rule is under consideration. It has not been approved. I feel that while the set test score is not the sole source of determining a Soldier s Worth to the army a it will play an important role. I have also worked on several command sergeants major sergeants major selection boards and agree that Many of the records looked at would not have made it under 70/80 a that was then. Times have changed. Sergeants and soldiers Are smarter better trained than when i was a sergeant. I am convinced that we have a Quality no corps and Soldier Force i do not think there will be a problem with Good professional technically and tactically proficient cos doing Well on the new set test should the department of the army decide to make 70/80 policy. Questions and answers on bus behaviour a Heidelberg reunion i work As a school bus coordinator at a military Community that uses Over 80 school buses. 1 would like to ask parents this one question do you want your child driven safely with the school bus to and from school each Day a. Always b. Sometimes  Never if you answered a., then please make sure your child is not 1. Left unattended at a bus Stop especially younger children. 2. Smoking eating drinking on the bus. 3. Using profanity abusive language or making obscene gestures and making distracting excessive noise on the bus. 4. Throwing any objects in the bus. 5. Interfering with others attempting to enter or exit at stops. 6. Standing while the bus is in motion. 7. Obstructing aisles Steps or empty seats with personal belongings. Or using had 8. Leaving trash on the bus. 9. Playing radios tape recorders phones on the bus. 10. Sitting in other than an assigned scat on the bus. 11. Disobeying Drivers and bus monitors instructions when boarding Riding or leaving the school bus. 12. Destroying property on the bus. 13. Boarding bus not authorized to ride. 14. Causing physical injury to another person on the bus. If you answered b. And c., then done to bother telling your children about these standards of conduct. But also done to be surprised if 1.the bus is delayed arriving at your Home or at school. 2. Your child gets hit and punched by a bully  3. Your child is written Down and your commander receives the report. 4. The bus Driver has an Accident with the bus and your child is Hurt killed. A Tina Coutain Fried Berg West Germany Heidelberg High school is hosting an All years reunion for All former students alumni and friends of Heidelberg High school june 15-19 in Heidelberg. For Lurther information please Contact a Rich Bennett Heidelberg High school Apo n y. 09102 or Call ets 370-8004/7513 work or civilian 06221-314355 Home pen pals i m a 25-year-old German Man. I love to listen to music. I like sports i write in English or German. A Arthur Schmid Schonborn str. 32 7520 Bruchal West Germany i am 18 years old and my hobbies include singing playing Ping Pong swimming. A Marsha d. Superticioso . Del Pilar Siree Pon Levedra Negros Occidental Philippines 6018 i would like to get in Contact with people Between the Ages of 19-35 Yea am 22 years old. My hobbies Are dancing singing and going to movies ambition is to become a Singer a Enid Morgan vanity fair District Linstead . St. Catherine Jamaica West indies