European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 2, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday a Gist 2, 1991 the stars and stripes b Page 3 yes no maybe say male Warrior women s combat role becomes hot Issue by the stars and stripes a a fighter pilots come in All shapes sizes and temperaments a said someone who knows an experienced f-15 Eagle fighter Pilot assigned to the 36th tac fighter Wing at Pitburg a Germany. A they Are intensely competitive and Success oriented. You re either in first place or  but Many combat fighter pilots believe that women. Wont make the Grade under a Senate proposal to allow women to go to War in combat aircraft. Those who oppose the Senate a action on wednesday to remove the Legal barriers that have kept women out of combat aircraft cockpits cite the possibility of quotas lowered professional standards and loss of male camaraderie As reasons to continue the ban on women in combat jobs. A i feel i speak for 99.5 percent of pilots and they want no part of this a said an f-15 Eagle Pilot assigned to the 36th tac fighter Wing at Pitburg a Germany. The Pilot a persian Gulf War Veteran with 10 years flying experience requested that his name not be  went on to say that women a presence would disrupt a Esprit de corps and the Way we do business. I done to think women will fit  an air Force f-15 Pilot assigned to the 57th fighter interceptor so at Nas Kef Lavik Iceland believes however that the move to put women in fighter aircraft a cockpits is a natural progression. A a they re already performing a lot of missions in the air Force that Are demanding and difficult a said capt. Mark postgate 30, from Erie a. A if they re qualified and they meet the standards required to perform the Mission i done to have a problem with  an army tank commander and platoon sergeant with the 1st army div in the persian Gulf War also was optimistic that women could handle ground combat  i have met women who Are Well qualified a said if they re qualified and they meet the standards required to perform the Mission i Don t have a problem with it �?capt., Mark postgate m 5 Pilot staff sgt. Michael Hayden who is with the 1st in 35th army regt based in Erlanger Germany he was confident that they could perform a combat Job  a they have initiative and Are not easily frustrated. They have a drive to achieve that some male soldiers do not Hayden added. But Hayden acknowledged that six or seven out of 10 of his soldiers would probably not want a female Soldier on their tank team even if she met All of the qualifications. A tank team consists of a tank commander Driver loader and gunner. Cpl. Jerry Bland of the same army unit in Erlanger said he was concerned about having women in combat units because of trouble that he had seen in support units. A they have a lot of sexual harassment problems a he said. Maybe if a female tank Crew had its own tank it would work out better Bland said. Sgt. Fredrick Germer agreed that female soldiers might not do As Well on a tank unit. The tank commander is a nine year Armor Veteran in the same  a it a not like the air Force where you Fly a Mission and there come Back. When we went into Battle it was four or five Days pushing hard without sleep a he said. That was after months in the desert living in a space smaller than a family station Wagon he said. A a it a pretty tight quarters. We had to Shower sleep and eat together a he said. A a tank team lives in their  among the concerns mentioned by other fighter pilots who also requested anonymity were alleged differences in How men and women think and that both partners in a married couple could both be pilots with combat  a if the Man goes its discrimination. If the woman goes its a quota a said a Pilot with 16years�?T flying experience. He also said that More study should be done of women a physiological tolerances for High altitudes and decompression. A desert Storni Veteran who went through the air Force Academy with its first class of women predicted that different standards would apply to women if they were allowed to become combat fighter pilots. A the ads said that there would be no dual standards at the Academy but there were particularly physical standards. I think this will be the same thing a he  dual standards Are applied the air Force Academy graduate said a i can to tolerate  others were concerned that men will become protective of women pilots in combat situations. One said a women arc viewed As something to be protected cherished and looked after. Wco re raised with  but another desert storm Veteran with 16 years flying experience said he thought he could support the idea of women flying fighters in combat Given a certain caveats of no quotas no special handling. The Bottom line is that you re not making a fashion statement. This is deadly  contributing to this report were staff writers Ettle Bathon in Nurnberg Germany Lynda Davidson in Kalser Slauto Gormany and Amy Gol Izlor Jonos in England House panel oks go unemployment benefits Bill last week the Senate finance committee passed an unemployment benefits Bill sponsored by sen. Lloyd Bentsen a Texas that contains the same provision for service members. A a it a Only fair that we do this a said an aide to Downey. A a we re putting people out of the military. Why should they get less than anyone else who loses their Job a the House and Senate armed services committees also support changing current policy. Those two panels tried last year to get the unemployment benefits provision included in the package of transition benefits for separated service members. A it turned out that unemployment Ben inf div Bucks trend fits was an Issue that could not be addressed by the armed services committees in a defense authorization Bill since its really a financial matter a said a House armed services committee staffer. But such jurisdictional concerns did not Stop members of the Senate armed services. Committee. From speaking out again this year to urge their colleagues to support equalizing the benefits. A military personnel and their families deserve the same safety net As civilian personnel and their families especially during this period of substantial reductions in military strength a said the report accompanying the committees version of the fiscal 1992 defense authorization Bill. The initiative still has a Long Way to go and faces stiff opposition from the Bush administration which wants to limit the enhanced unemployment benefits to involuntarily separated service members. Bentsen chairman of the Senate finance committee also faces White House resistance to the Way he wants to finance his Bill a benefits increase. Bentsen wants to declare unemployment benefits to be an emergency expense not subject to Tough Federal spending guidelines hammered out last year a committee staffer said. Activates new brigade by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington a the House ways and Means committee has agreed to the notion that service members who leave the military should get the same unemployment benefits As All other workers. The House ways and Means committee approved the unemployment benefits Bill tuesday sponsored by rep. Tom Downey . It would allow military personnel to Start drawing 26 weeks of benefits one week after separation. Currently service members must wait four weeks after leaving the military to Start drawing Only 13 weeks of benefits. 3rd by John Millar Wurzburg Bureau Wurzburg Germany a while Many Europe based units deactivate relocate and realign As part of Force draw Downs and base closures the 3rd inf div in Wurzburg activated a new brigade wednesday a division official said. The 3rd inf div engr brigade was activated in a ceremony at Leighton Barracks effectively increasing the units Engineer strength by two battalions said maj. Joe Schroedel chief of the divisions engr brigade transition team. The activation is the first of its kind in the . Army As part of a program called the Engineer restructure initiative. Schroedel said the plan is designed to beef up Engineer support available to army divisions. Combat engineers Are the army a builders and destroyers supporting front line units by destroying obstacles in their path and building new ones m the enemy a Way. They also help Friendly forces survive by constructing fighting positions for infantry Armor and cavalry units and by Clearing Landing zones for aviators. Traditionally each of a divisions three ground combat brigades was supported by Only one Engineer battalion Schroedel said. With the initiative each division will have a three battalion Engineer brigade so that each Man Euver brigade will be supported by one battalion of engineers he said. With the activation the 3rd inf div picked up the 16th engr in which was assigned to the 1st army div in in Ornburg and the 82nd engr in a Vii corps unit which normally supported the 2nd army Cav regt in Bamberg. The 3rd will also retain its own 10th engr in stationed in Kitzinger. All three battalions sent elements to the persian Gulf for operation desert storm. Officials with the 3rd inf div did not know what effect the loss of the engineering unit would have on the 1st army div. The 2nd army Cav regt still has an engineering unit. The new brigade commanded by col. Jerry sinn w ill Complete its reorganization next february Schroedel said. Each of the three battalions will be restructured with fewer soldiers a and in some cases More equipment a he said. For example he said the division currently has 12 bulldozers to support the entire division. By february the division will replace those with 63 new m9 armoured combat Earth movers. The divisions inventory of equipment such As combat Engineer vehicles and armoured vehicle launched Bridges will also increase. A what you la wind up with is a smaller but very capable Engineer battalion a Schroedel said. He said the initiative will improve engineering command and control because an Engineer battalion commander will support just one brigade commander instead of three. Increased equipment will better the engineers logistical capabilities he said. The next organization to fall under the initiative will be the 8th inf div which will activate its Engineer brigade in october Schroedel said