European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 7, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday August 7, 1990 the stars and stripes Page 9over Here ing eases stress of soldiers Sieg Elsbach army depot by Vince Crawley Nornberg Bureau Sieg Elsbach West Germany a the Sieg Elsbach army depot is one of those Remote ammunition storage Sites. The soldiers there Arentt allowed to say what they guard Only that the Job is a grueling mix of stress and tedium. A when i came to Sieg Elsbach it looked like it d be a dead end Quot said spec. William Connor 20, whose daily uniform includes a helmet loaded Rifle and bulletproof Kevlar Vest. A some people come Here and lift weights a said Connor who s from Omaha neb a some get into sports. Some done to do anything. And i take  he s taken close to 40 semester hours of classes since he came Over Here about 18 months Autv nearly the same course Load As a full time student Back in the states. Connor is not alone. The officers of the depots 556th my co said that up to 95 percent of their eligible soldiers Are enrolled in College or military correspondence courses. The figure does no to count people just arriving or those getting ready to leave. The places monastic atmosphere May account for some of those Learned troops. A half hour drive from Heilbronn Down winding River roads Sieg Elsbach is a Remote site where soldiers live with a Long hours of Solitude sleep deprivation and boredom a said the company s commander capt Terry a Wilfong. And with the new political climate in Europe some troops Are getting tired of guarding the ammunition. A a lot of Guys Feci like they re being held hostage by the stuff a one military policeman said. Another sgt. Bryan Lynch 25. From Long Island n.y., said he was used to such assignments having previously been a prison guard at fort Leavenworth Kan. Most of the classes Are limited to Law enforcement subjects so that the soldiers can get Job related tuition assistance. That is Fine with pfc Michael Woodside a 20-year-old from Evergreen colo., who said he joined the military police so he could qualify later for the Fri. But not All the Soldier students have police ambitions. Pfc. Jovan Lazar Vic who moved from Yugoslavia to Illinois when he was 2, said he wants to serve in an airborne unit after finishing his tour at this hard Core compound. The 21-year-old said he wants to Quot live dangerously for  later when he gels out and finishes College hell quiet Down. He wants to be an accountant. A i guess Sieg Elsbach kind of grows on you Quot Lazar Vic said. A went on leave for 30 Days and i guess i kind of missed the  with 250 heavily armed soldiers including some women the my company looks More like a swat team or infantry unit. Instead of wearing White gloves and writing parking tickets they re wearing Field gear on 24-hour year round guard duty. A a it a not a glamorous Job a said 1st i. Jim Gunson 23, the. Nearly 100 percent Edu Eatton enrolment he Sard is a Cam Over from last years attempt to get the . Holland award for the Best my company in the army. The company won. Gunson also wan cd to make sure that. Diedra Adams the depot s education Counselor got her fair share of credit since she acted As the units go Between with local colleges. Some people find the depots atmosphere to be less than collegiate Gunson said. For instance visiting professors done to have Security clearances so they have to be escorted under arms when they Leach inside he do Poi a Ultra secret compound. Quot one student just sits there with a loaded m-16 Rifle because we have to guard the instructor Quot said Gunson who a from Trenton . At other times the depot s emergency Siren has sounded an Early end to classes As military policemen dashed to their guard posts around the installation. The company also solved a teacher shortage by getting a lice of its five lieutenants Cert tiled As College instructors. They follow the University lesson plan and even draw a part time salary gun son said. Connor the my who a chalked up 39 hours of College As his Hobby said he figures the duly might seem Tough now but sometime Down the Road he might  and say it was a Good experience. A i joined the army because i did no to want to go to College a Connor said. "1 thought i d had enough of school a Sis a map on Tey spec. William Cnnon combat gis Welcome off to the classroom week by Vince Crawley n urn Berg Bureau Schwabach West Germany a o Brien Barracks about 10 Miles South of Nurnberg a a main Post Exchange Isnit a Remote site. But the combat troops stationed there say going to College is still Tough. A you see commercials on to about see your career Counselor or your education Counselor a a said sgt. 1st class Michael Deveault an air defense artillerymen from Orlando Fla. A those commercials to me Are designed for someone who is not in a combat arms mos occupation Quot Deveault 34, said Long hours Field duty and commitment to his Job done to leave much time for night or weekend classes. When he does get Lime off he spends it with his family. The platoon sergeant and weekend sky diver acknowledged that he a not the College Type. The army however wants him to develop his management skills preferably by working toward a degree. This dilemma is partly solved by something called education week at Devea ifs unit the 6th in 3rd air defense arty regt. When they re not firing artillerymen spend a lot of time in the motor Pool. By cutting Back on this maintenance time Deveault a leaders arc Able to pry Loose an extra week and Send the troops to College. So once every three or four months Deveault holds a formation in civilian clothes and sends his troops a himself included a off Quot to the classroom. About k0 percent of the units eligible troops took some kind of class during the previous year. Popular this past semester was a political science course on German Unity. Also offered were management Job related and first Aid courses. The 770-Man battalion filled 1,200 class slots. The classes taught by overseas colleges catering to the military Are tailored to fit the we Klong schedule. Troops just report to the classroom instead of the motor Pool and stay there most of the Day. Quot i wanted to give my soldiers something that no a body could Ever take away front them a said i. Col. J to it a Lufti f spec. John Crowe a stinger missile crewman from Boston takes a computer course during education week. Edward j. Murphy the battalion commander who started the education week program about a year ago. He rotated to the states last month. Quot there a a lot of physical stress at the battalion Murphy said. A but in terms of learning new things and becoming a better human being there s not a lot of Challenge when you re out there pulling out the dipstick on your vehicle Quot Mun. Lei s he honest. You re not talking Bram surgeon . Bui Murphy said �?�1 Waul these Guys to he challenged. 1 want them to think about their Lulu re. I want them to be better human beings. And therefore the gain for the army is tenfold Over what they would gain spending another week pulling Mainee Nence on a vehicle school in t mandatory during id Neutron week. I Here Are plenty of mops and brooms Tor troops who Don t want to get smart