European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 5, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Monday August 5, 1991 the stars and stripes b Page 3families caught in stateside bound flood by John Millar and David Tarrant staff writers the mass exodus of service members from Europe is placing soldiers and their loved ones in a limbo like atmosphere that could disrupt their plans for a smooth return to the United states. A a there a so Many people going to the transportation office that you really have to get up Early and try to be the first person there a said sgt. Eugene Washington of the 6th in an artillery unit in the 3rd inf div assigned to Larson Barracks in Kitzinger Germany. A a it a like a grand opening or something. You re trying to beat the Rush and be the first person in the Washington is not alone. The draw Down of thousands of . Troops in Europe and the closure of numerous military bases particularly in Germany Are pitying havoc with the department of defense a ability to move families and their personal belongings in a timely manner. A in Kitzinger soldiers of the 6th in Learned their unit would be deactivated after they returned from operation desert storm in april. The unit which has a motto of a Mission accomplished a held its Farewell ceremony Friday. It is scheduled to be gone from Europe by mid september but Odds Are that goal will not be met. The 6th in is Only one of several battalion size units deactivating in the Wurzburg area because of troop cuts. As elsewhere in Germany the result is a bottleneck at the Wurzburg transportation office which schedules moving Days for service members assigned to several nearby military communities. Andy Bienert a transportation official in Wurzburg said it is unclear Jiow quickly men women children couches toys and pets can be moved. Bienert said outbound moving companies Are booked solid through september. A the situation is bad right now a he said a More than Ever movers and packers have been working until Midnight to try to keep up with the huge How of families and personal goods being shipped Home. Spec. Michael Fonticoba of the 6th in said he has no idea when he will get to his new assignment at fort Carson Colo. Fonticoba is guessing that he and his wife Toni will leave near the end of september based Iti he situation is bad right now More than Ever before a Andy Bierner transportation official on the fact that he has a transportation appointment tuesday can project that but its not final a ii said. In reality the transportation office probably will not be Able to Tell Fonticoba or most other service members exactly when they will be leaving Bienert said. Meanwhile the transportation crunch is causing worries for families in units scheduled to draw Down in october and november. Many said they Are on Edge because they cannot make firm plans. A sgt. Sheldon Baker of he co 13th Supply and support in in Stuttgart Germany and his wife Donna Are the parents of two preschool children. Bakery a unit is scheduled to move to fort Benning 3a., in november and the couple Are concerned that the move might be delayed through the Christmas season. A we done to want to be in transit during Christmas a said Donna Baker. A it could be before during or after Chi. John f. Vann also of a member of he co 13th Supply and support in. Said he has barely had time to catch his breath since arriving in Germany a Little More than two months ago. Vann and his wife Stacy Are still waiting for their furniture to arrive but he has already been told his unit is being sent to Georgia As part 6f the draw Down. Quot a for us we re at stage Zero a Vann said. The vanns furniture War packed up in North Carolina in june and it could be in Germany some time this month but they won t bother unpacking. A we re just going to turn it around and ship it Back a he said. Quot Silvia Harris a supervisor for the transportation division of the 29th area support group in Kaiserslautern Germany said her office is also telling service members that they will probably have to wait until sept. Ii or later to have their household goods picked up. Army pack out requests normally 30 per Day have doubled since May she said. A a hams Sard who Rune German moving companies serving Wei Brincken Pir Masens Seiji Bach Ramstein and Kaiserslautern Are working 7 . To 10 . Daily including . A a and there is no Way we can get More carriers Quot she said. A we have a lot of angry a memorandum posted at the reception desk warns soldiers and their families that the larger number of permanent changes of station this summer has a saturated the local Carrier some soldiers Are getting orders to leave Germany before movers can pick up their household goods said sgt. Mark Busalacchi a movement specialist with the 29th area support group. Many agree to give Power of attorney to a Friend but others Are seeking extensions to stay in Germany longer he said. A they would rather extend than have someone else pack out their stuff a he said. Contributing to this report Randy Pruitt in Darmstadt Germany German movers losses Don t help backlog by Randy Mcclain financial writer multimillion Dollar losses suffered by German moving companies last year in a financial dispute with an american transport company May also play a role in shipping problems this summer. Los Angeles based american Ensign Van lines a once one of the biggest carriers used by the military traffic management come for trans Atlantic shipment of military families belongings a went bankrupt last fall. It owed More than a dozen German subcontractors at least $10 million for work performed in connection with military moves in Europe Industry officials said. Hans Volk of the German movers association and Don Minch of the household goods forwarders association a Washington based Trade association both said the experience has left a bitter taste in German movers Mouths. Volk said his group no longer thinks it will be Able to collect a dime from american Ensign but the companies would still like to be paid under a . Law that allows the american government to compensate subcontractors Jin such cases if it is deemed in the country a Best interest. So far the government is sticking to the argument that it docs not have to pay what a private contractor owes a third party. But Volk said he is counting on the governments a a generosity to Lead to a change of heart. The biggest fallout from the american Ensign affair though May be How it has damaged overseas movers ability to accept new business. Volk and others familiar with the situation said the Steep losses tied to the Case forced some German movers to reduce staff and sell equipment to stay afloat late last year. That has Hurt the Industry a ability to handle the increased volume of military moves occurring now. A i done to know of any German companies that were forced out of by Siposs by their losses but the attitude toward this business has changed of course a he said. Military transportation officials Are attempting to sign contracts with additional German moving companies this month and several companies said the military is promising direct payment from the government to ease concerns about going unpaid in the future. But Volk said he is not convinced that hiring More movers will be enough to solve the household goods dilemma. A it will take firms some time to build up the work Force they need and meet All the other requirements they need for this specific . Business a he said. Traditionally German moving companies handling military shipments have had to provide such extras As English speaking Crew members and English inventory lists. Companies have also been required to follow strict guidelines on packing and temporary storage of household goods in transit. Volk said there has been some discussion about Many of those special requirements being lifted to Speed overseas moves. But he thinks the Only Way to guarantee Quality moves for servicemen Bers is to take More time than military authorities would like. It could take As Long As four More months to eliminate the glut of household goods shipments bound for the states he said. Quot its difficult to sell that to military people but even the logistics in the Gulf War took longer than planned particularly the withdrawal of the glorious army a he said. A a they re still trying to get the stuff Page 1 out has not led to any new contracts yet. Leon said the transportation crunch is made worse by the department of defense a push to handle As Many troop withdrawals As possible this fiscal year. A when you look at the announcements of draw Downs and the dates they want to move by a in essence you re creating your own problem a Leon said. The lifting of Stop loss orders in effect during the persian Gulf War has also added to transportation woes As More service members carry on with assignment changes leave the military or retire As planned. That adds to the stateside traffic flow military transportation officials said. A a we re asking individuals to give us their desired pack out Date and Well try to work with it As Best we can a said Fred Jones an army transportation officer in Darmstadt Germany. Jones said he is telling service members his office will pass on requests for particular moving Days to a Frankfurt booking office that lines up German movers. The goal is to give a customer a moving Day within 14 Days of the one they want but a in most cases that wont happen Quot Jones said. Quot our hands Are army and air Force officials say German moving companies Are unable to keep Pace with the huge volume of american moves in Large part because capacity in the Industry As a whole has shrunk since january. Hans Volk chairman of the . Committee of the German movers association said member firms Laid off workers earlier this year when the International moving business slowed to a crawl during the persian Gulf War. Efforts to rehire workers Are hampered by the fact that Germany a labor Market is near full employment in the Western states and Many of the employees let go a few months ago Are now employed elsewhere. A the German Economy is booming and the lab of Market is empty. You just can to build up the necessary capacity overnight Quot Volk said. Those germans who Are unemployed Are not necessarily attracted to the moving business either Volk added. A a it a unloved heavy work. A it. Col. Gene Schneck is chief of the consolidated personal property shipping office in Frankfurt which handles moves for service members in seven army and air Force communities. Schneck said last week he has personally called on 14 German moving companies in the last Lew Days to solicit bids on new moving contracts. A we gave it our Best sales pitch a Schneck said but so Lar no company has come Buck with a until new companies Are added Schneck said the communities he oversees will be Able to ship no More than 73 percent of the household goods that need to be moved every month. One mover approached by military authorities last week was Giesener a Mph of Frankfurt. A spokesman for the firm declined to reveal contract terms being discussed but said a bid May be submitted to military authorities Tor household goods pickups later this week. Whether or not we accept a contract will depend upon the conditions uttered a the spokesman said. Michael p. Cress Deputy director of the personal property division for the military traffic management come in Europe said his Agency is also attempting to draw up a list of non German May he willing to Send Crews from nearby countries. A a we re still in the very Early stages but we Haven t come up with much a Cress added. . Army Europe officials in charge of the draw Down of troops in Germany would not comment on the household goods logjam. Contributing to this Story Mary Neth in Darmstadt. Germany and Chuck Vinch in Washington d c
