European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 26, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Readers action Lin questions on overseas extensions it Over the past Tive years in the Usas Etaf army Southern european task Force command we have had commanders and chiefs of staff who have made major decisions in approving and disapproving overseas extensions cots consecutive overseas tour s for enlisted personnel. The decisions that each one of those officers has made in the past were based on a. Number of reasons for approval. Overall they were a. The needs of the command and the army a if you Are in an authorized duty position there is no one else currently on orders to come and you have a Bona fide line number then you Are Good to go so far b. Individual Soldier qualifications a How Well does the Soldier score on his yearly skills qualification test common task training army physical fitness test weapons qualification is he average or above average is he a major contributor and an outstanding Soldier if you Are Well above average in All these areas then you Are again a go so far. C. Daily work performance dedication and supervisor company commander s recommendation a is the Soldier an excellent worker at his work place dedicated to improving the command and the army who would know ask his supervisor or his company commander. If they agree and approve his Extension or cot then you Are a go again so far. D. Does the individual have any disciplinary or derogatory information in his military file that would prohibit the approval if none then you Are a go again. The final approval must come from the unit commander or the chief of staff after he reviews the above information. Most commands seeing an individual in this category would not hesitate to approve a soldiers request if he a exceeded above the average. But in our current command the individuals who have put in a cot or Extension at their current duty position Are getting disapproved if. A. They have More than five years already in the command regardless of Ariyo of the above. V. B they Are married to a local National. V c. They have Over 20 years in service and Are planning on retiring in place a regardless if you. Are saving the government Money by not having your household goods car or family sent to the Usa. How can new commanders make it a personal decision of disapproving an individuals request when in fact the . Army and the government is looking to retain Good soldiers and save Money in the Long run there is no one standing in line wanting to come overseas believe me so the Only outcome for a commander or chief of staff to disapprove a cot or Extension is because he does not like 0 and for those of us who prefer to be assigned overseas what do you Call soldiers who have been assigned to the Continental United states conus for five or More years landowners name withheld it. Col. Robert h. Brown adjutant general Southern european task Force replies the writers initial analysis of the Usas Etaf foreign sen ice tour Extension Ste policy is Correct the policy focuses on accomplishing the Mission and tour equity. An equal Opportunity for soldiers to have a professionally and personally rewarding tour in Italy. The primary factors used in considering a Soldier s request for an Ste Are a. The Soldier s value to the command Overall performance position and contribution s to the v b the command s current and projected strength. Levels in the soldiers specially and Grade. C the Soldier s individual career development. Usas Etaf and 5th theater army area come has never had an Ste policy written or unwritten that has included the last three items mentioned by the Usas Etaf enjoys a High Ste a. Submission rate. Unfortunately not All requests can be. Approved. Presently 6 percent of Usas Etaf s soldiers. Assigned to Italy Are serving an extended tour with More than four years time on station. Many of these soldiers have special skills and their continued service benefits the command,.their unit and themselves. A a a a a. Many stateside and Usa eur based soldiers request a tour in Usas Etaf. However there Are often Many More requests than Usas Etaf has vacancies. Therefore to offer the Best Opportunity for All who wish to serve in Italy the Ste program is monitored very closely by the Chain of command. Each request is weighed on its own merits and there Are no quotas. A. Thank you again for allowing us. This Opportunity to clarify our Ste policy. No to write us a a readers action line is the readers a court of last resort a a striving to answer some of the questions about life overseas in a military Erivin Rosment or questions about policies and guidelines when other avenues for answers Are not readily available. If you have a question and Don t know where to turn for the answer write to readers action line co the stars a and stripes Apo 09211-4211. A letters must be. Signed and preference will be Given to those seeking information of general interest to our your health drying out inthe desert service. But Many believe alcohol abuse is still widespread in the armed forces Pentagon officials say that because of the saudi prohibition on alcohol they have noted far fewer disciplinary problems among american troops than were seen in the Early stages of the War in Vietnam where liquor and illicit drugs were easy to obtain. In the army the rate of disciplinary problems among soldiers in saudi Arabia is less than a third of that for army troops stationed elsewhere in the world. A everything i hear is that disciplinary problems a Guys going out and fighting or getting into some other sort of trouble a t exist in saudi Arabia Quot said maj. Doug Hart of the air Force National guard a defense department spokesman in Washington. Air Force col. Robert p. Belihar. The military s command surgeon general in the Gulf said in a statement a soldiers appear to be dealing Well with being away from alcohol. Any problems relating to withdrawal have been rare and have been dealt with at the unit asked about reports that some soldiers had been evacuated from saudi Arabia because they were alcoholics and had been unable to Deal with the withdrawal symptoms a spokesman for Belihar said such evacuations if they had occurred. Were a very very rare Quot and would be. Difficult to confirm because they might not be listed in medical records As related to liquor or drugs. A a. A be purchased on the Black Market at great risk. A a a. V a the penalties for a saudi caught consuming alcohol can include a. Imprisonment and a harsh Fine. For an american Soldier the penalty could be demotion. have been reports that some alcohol and marijuana has been smuggled into saudi Arabia aboard military transport planes and that some soldiers have tried to set up stills to make liquor. Eight american soldiers serving with an army transportation unit in saudi Arabia were hospitalized in december after drinking a poisonous homemade brew. Yet Many soldiers who have been living at Remote desert Camps for several months insist they have not seen alcohol or illicit drugs since they arrived. A a there a nothing a no Beer nothing Quot said spec. Kirk Swartz 22, of Omaha neb., a military policeman. He said he had not had to arrest one Soldier on an alcohol related charge. Quot i see Guys letting off steam in other ways Quot he said. Quot people Are playing a lot of volleyball and football. t see any. Problems with pvt. Barry Mitchell of Burlington vt., said he had not heard of a single fight Between soldiers since his army unit arrived in saudi Arabia from a . Base near. Stuttgart Germany. Quot Back in Germany a lot of people get off. Work and go drink and on weekends they office was unaware of significant problems go crazy Quot he said. A alcohol can change. Involving withdrawal from dependency on your personality real Quick and there were. Alcohol or drugs. Lot of fights in the Barracks. You Don t she said that such cases would be see that handled by military hospitals in the Gulf. Quot i first it. Anthony Gortemiller 27, of. Haven t seen anything that s come my Way. Russellville ark., said a people Are to indicate that this is a Maior problem Quot learning to Deal with their problems Here Hanson said and a lot of soldiers Are seeing the Best liquor is civil dbl in a duct Armbis it con a part of Thern salvos Quot a by Philip Shenon new York times the ground War in the Gulf is under Way and one Hopes Victory is near. But Many american service members stationed in. Saudi. Arabia for several months say they. Have already won a decisive Victory a Over alcohol and drug Abue. Because strictly Muslim saudi Arabia bars the consumption of liquor and because illicit drugs Are All but impossible to find soldiers who had a problem with drinking or drugs have been forced to do without. And Many have Learned that they can. A a a a a a Quot spec. Keith Betterton 26, Sid he did not believe that he had a drinking problem. Yet on a typical Friday or saturday night Back Home in Oklahoma City he said he might consume 20 or 25 Beers. At age 16, he was placed on probation for a year and fined $3,000 for Drunken driving. He says that he has Learned to go without drinking in saudi Arabia and that he likes that. A Quot it s definitely been a Good drying out period Quot he sad a the Only Good thing alcohol Ever did for me was to make it easier for me to dance in Public and to talk to women and in saudi Arabia i can t do either of those things routine drug tests required by the military have forced Many soldiers in recent years to either confront their problems with illicit drugs or leave the no Beer no wine a but plenty of water for thirsty soldiers. A Pentagon spokeswoman in. Washington. Susan Hansen Saih that her Page 16 a the stars and stripes tuesday february 26, 1991
