European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 27, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 letters the stars and stripes Friday july 27,1990 a writer has questions about cuts Ever since the Wall canc tumbling Down i have listened to several soldiers in my unit discussing their future in the new scaled Down army these soldiers Are assigned to a mechanized infantry unit that had a primary role in defending Western Europe from the Warsaw pact in the event that the Quot Alliance Quot was attacked. Now with the Warsaw pact quickly becoming our new found buddies these soldiers Are prime Candi Dales to join the ranks of civilians Back in the states these Are the people who enlisted during the time when if was hot fashionable to be in the military. For whatever reason or motivation these americans entered the military because of the Promise to Quot be All you can be a or a air Force a great. Way of life a or a Navy its not just a Job its an adventure a and the Promise of Job Security and pension after to years of honorable service. Most of these americans have re enlisted and started families in the military. Now the Security of their careers is in doubt because of the decreased risk from the Warsaw pad. My question is Quot has the . Government created a breach of Faith and Trust with All those americans who enlisted and Are now faced with the possibility of being separated under Force reduction a i believe the answer May be a yes a recently come sol. Maj. George l. Horvath stated that Quot if you re a Young Soldier who wants to make the military a career. Then you need to be very serious about what you re  Well what about the midterm soldiers and those of us who have been around for awhile who have been a very serious about what ? we have been doing of a number of years now a great number of soldiers have been asking about their future with great concern but have been receiving Little More than Quot lip services from those in the key leadership positions to include the elected officials in Congress. Again the Soldier and his her family become expendable. I am almost willing to Wager that in 10 years the military Wilt have to go Back to the draft because they will not be Able to get the Quality they desire with Catchy phrases and commercials on television. Of by the Way 1 am a senior no with Over 17 years in the service and have an exemplary service record and have been Quot very serious about what i have been doing for a Long time but Force reduction scares even me a name withheld Kirch guns West Germany editors note a Usa eur come sgt. Maj. George l. Horvath Iii replies breach of Faith i really done to think so. In your letter you asked a has the . Government created a breach of Faith and Trust with All those Ameri cans who enlisted and Are now faced with the possibility of being separated under Force reduction a i done to believe there has been a breach of Faith because we Haven to really said yet who or what the parameters Are As to who is going to be forced  in be said before if you want to make the military a career whether you re a Young Soldier a mid career Soldier or a senior not a Tommis stoned officer you have to maintain yourself in top physical condition keep yourself tactically and technically proficient make sure your soldiers Are Well trained Well taken care of and that their families Are looked after. If you do these things i done to believe you have anything to worry about. There Are several schemes that the army is considering to use in drawing Down the Force. The enlisted voluntary Early transition program recently announced is one of them. Scaling Down our re enlistments accessions and separating substandard soldiers Are the other Means of keeping a Quality Force. A mandatory reduction in Force is our last resort and those soldiers who Are not performing to Standard in All areas should be concerned. I would reiterate that you need to ensure that you your sergeants and soldiers understand that we will have a smaller High Quality Force which will be highly competitive. We can to accept anything less than that and i done to think our county expects anything other than that from its armed forces and in particular from the army. A Cost of Auto insurance in Europe discussed i was talking with a Friend and the subject of Auto insurance in Europe came up. The question that really came out of the conversation was docs the department of defense consider the High Cost of Auto insurance compared to stateside when figuring cola Cost of living allowance. We Send soldiers Over to Europe and Force some to live on the Economy of in government quarters sonic times 10-20 Kilometres away from their duty assignment. Although buses Are provided they do not run during the Early hours in which the soldiers would have to catch the bus for that Early morning it formation this does not include those who Are forced to live on the Economy for some reason or another. These soldiers Are forced to reach deep into their pockets for Over the Normal stateside Cost of insurance in order for them to drive their car to their place of duly. This Money should be used on food clothes and other necessary items. Lets face the cold fact that if these soldiers done to have a car they will end up missing formations medical appointments Etc. Has the department of defense considered an allowance to equal the Cost of Auto insurance in Europe to that of stateside Auto insurance the allowance could be figured by taking the average Cost of insurance by Ajoc sex and subtract that from the individuals Cost of insurance in Europe. The stateside figures would have to be based on the Normal Driver. Take the additional Cost for insurance in Europe and Divide it by 12 months. This allowance would apply for any Soldier who has a car in Europe. I know in times of budget cuts it is almost ridiculous to imagine that the department of defense would Institute a program to subsidize the Cost of Auto insurance in Europe. All we Are doing is forcing the Soldier to come to Europe and say a sorry you re on your own for Auto insurance although you could have afforded to have a car  we need to help our soldiers not hamper them. �?2nd it. Scott k. Frye Pir Masens West Germany editors note a sgt. 1st class Michael f. Donohue staff finance no office of the Deputy chief of staff resource management he Usa eur replies you Are right we have to help our soldiers and the chances for new allowances Are slim. The Cost of Auto insurance is one of the 12 categories of items used to calculate cola. The others Are transportation food at Home tobacco and alcohol personal care laundry household operations clothing medical recreation Domestic services and food out of Home. The list of goods and services that Are priced each year is More than 25 pages Long. Recently the overseas commands Usa eur usage and Nav eur coordinated with the per diem committee and state department to update the cola Survey forms. We have asked that compact discs vhf tapes and child care be added to the Survey. We have also asked that the clothing lists be updated to reflect current trends and styles As always i ask each Reader who is tasked to Complete a cola or Oha Survey to return a timely and accurate Survey. These surveys Are used to determine the amount of cola and Oha paid to us and their importance cannot be overemphasized. A driving too fast on autobahn wastes fuel did you Ever wonder where All the fuel goes for our military vehicles try driving on autobahn a6 anytime during the Day. Other than 37th group semis you will see All manner of Cucvas and top vans with both military and civilian Drivers army and air Force blowing your doors off if you drive less than 120 Kph. In a glad they upped the Speed limit for commercial vehicles to 105 Kph  Are Only speeding by 1525 Kph. But 1 have heard that Cucvas Are limited to 75 Kph because of the tires. 1 have reported several of these demons of the Highway and have also asked the maps. Their response is that they done to have enough people to patrol the roads. Well if the command someplace could put out a patrol and just Lake Down the numbers and Lei these grand prix Drivers hear it coming Down the Chain of command maybe something would happen. So How about one of the major commands taking the Ball and pen pals running with it. Lets save fuel that could be used for something better. A name and location withheld editors note a maj. Lee red to it my policy staff officer office of the Provost marshal he Usa eur replies speeding not Only wastes fuel As the writer indicates but is also a major contributing Factor to military vehicle accidents. Usa eur Aea cd Mac in to message 241100z february 1989 and Usa eur bulletin april 3, 1989, list the new Speed limits for the various non tactical vehicles nov. The Speed limit for most tvs on the autobahn is 65 Mph or approximately 105 Kph. The Speed limit for the Cucu is 50 Mph or approximately 80 Kph. The proponent for military vehicle Speed limits is Usa eur Deslog Deputy chief of staff logistics. Primary responsibility for off Post traffic enforcement belongs to the Host nation police. Us. Military police assets Are very limited in Usa eur and Are not available to patrol the autobahn for speeding military vehicles. However All Usa eur personnel Are encouraged to report incidents to the appropriate Chain of command or to the nearest my station. Reports should include As much detail As possible i.e., Type of vehicle bumper number or License number Date time the observation was made location of the speeding vehicle and the approximate Speed of the vehicle. Commanders senior occupants of vehicles and Drivers have specific duties and responsibilities regarding traffic rules and Laws. One of the most important responsibilities is being aware of the Speed limits applicable to their vehicles and abiding by them. Safe operation of military vehicles will assist in reducing the number of military traffic accidents and in conserving fuel. 4 am 25 years old and my hobbies ate Reading magazines and going to the movies. A Jocelyn say son 011 Lumho drive Street kid Apawan. Cat Abalo Philippines 9400 i am a 26-year-old algerian Man. I enjoy swimming cycling listening to music and travelling. I can write in French of English. A med Cher if Ayed Meniaci 33 Rise Emir Abdel Kader Al Hadjar Annada 23200 Algeria i am 23 years old and i enjoy cooking and gardening. A Salve a. Manana i Tirad pass St a 6204 Tanjay Negros Oriental Philippines i am 32 years old and would like to have pen pais pm an Lou p pasague. San Miguel St. Look Cardona Rizal metro Manila Philippines i am a 24-year-old filippa living in Kuwait my interests include watching to writing pen pals and cooking. A Luz s. Salas Street no. 2, Block no 11. House 26 43606 Bayen a stale of Kuwait i am a 32 year old pharmacist a Don Tula Marasigan co Buol telecoms Muntin Lupa. Metro Manila Philippines i am 35 years old a Josie Medina 332 holy family sub Talon. Las pinos metro Manila 1701. Philippines i am 16 years old and would like to have pen pais. 11 be to play Cricket. A Christopher Brown 17 Nugent re Ewart on p.o., St Catherine Amacla. West indies a please place my name on your list of pen pals. I am 43 years old. A Imelda Galvez Aurora hts. Sub. San Pedro Laguna Philippines a 1 am 50 years Aid and work As a cashier �?flo5emay Zola Var by. Of telecommunications Muntin Lupa metro Manila Philippines f am 24 years old and work As a Vidu operator. I enjoy music and Gong Oul especially to concerts. A hels Marchant. B Elliott close Wath a on Dearne Rotherham  s63 6pb England i am 26 years old. My hobbies Are playing Ball games and Reading magazines. A Neilia catalan co is. Nilda Jamili scholarship office Uno a Bacolod City Negros Occidental Philippines i am a 24-Yearold fill Ina working in Kuwait. I enjoy Reading magazines and writing to pen pals. A Sarah Alba Block 3. Street 35 House 6 72703, Al Kasha Kuwait i enjoy swimming biking going to Church watching movies and to cooking gardening and going on outings i am 28 years old and my Zodiac sign is Leo a Emma n. Cruda be bogey Beach. Sta. Cruz. Davao Dei sur Philippines