European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 17, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday september 17, 1991 the stars and stripes c Page 3navy copter crash kills 6 in Gulf Manama Bahrain apr a . Navy sea dragon helicopter crashed in the persian Gulf killing All six men aboard the Navy said monday. It was the most american fatalities in a single incident in the Region since the persian Gulf War. The men whose bodies were recovered from the Gulf about 40 hours after the crash were All based at Nas Alameda in California said it. Cmdr. Tim of Leary the naval come spokesman. The Pilot was identified by his family As it. Craig Valentine 26, of Kalamazoo Mich. He was assigned to the persian Gulf in july. The crash occurred at 9 05 . Saturday minutes after the Mh-53e helicopter took off from the amphibious assault ship Pel Eliu 40 Miles North of Bahrain. No details on the crash were made Public until an american newspaper the Kalamazoo Gazette reported on it in mondays editions. A it was taking off from the ship and it crashed shortly thereafter a o Leary said. A a we be just recovered the six  the bodies were taken to the military Hospital in Dhahran saudi Arabia and will be returned to the United states he said. He said the cause of the crash was not known. The Mh-53e, the largest helicopter in the Navy a air service is mainly used for towing mine sweeping detectors. Later monday the other five victims were identified As it. Thomas Larson 30, of Oakland Calif. Petty officer Michael Butch 25, of Auroroa Colo. Petty officer George finneral 21, of Lowell mass. Petty officer William Holt 27, of Sand Springs okla. And airman Jorge Guerrero 22, of Chicago army to make address changes oct. 1new zip codes these Ere the new format for people serviced by military Post office overseas. Army Post offices staff sgt. John Doe military unit car or unit xxxix Box number Apo a 09xxx air Force Post offices Dign number tech. Sgt. John Doe military unit pc xxx Box number Apo a 09xxx Navy Post offices 3 digit number Petty officer 1st class John Doe military unit pc xxx Box a Rupber fpoae09xxx a r 3 a Lek number patrons have months to Send notices source military postal officials a amps by Crystal Laureano staff writer rheingau Germany a army Post offices in Europe will begin implementing the new overseas address and zip code changes oct. 1, but officials emphasize that customers need not Rush to make address changes. A they should change during the Normal course of events a when their Bills come the next time they write their parents when they renew subscriptions a said Barbara Lutz spokeswoman for the army postal group in Europe. The old addresses can be used until july 15, 1992. Patrons scheduled to leave Europe by the end of the year do not need to change their addresses postal officials said. But those scheduled to leave in 1992 should make the address change to ensure that their mail will be forwarded or in Case their departure is delayed. Postage paid change of address cards Are already available at army Post offices. A nobody should have to pay postage to change their address a said col. Elizabeth Gibson commander of the army postal group Europe. A fall Apos army Post offices have or will Nave a sufficient amount of the cards and if someone needs More they should come Back to their mail  the change in military address formats and some zip codes began worldwide july 15. Army officials in Europe delayed the implementation until october because of Large numbers of people returning from the persian Gulf summer rotations and unit draw Downs. The format change will enable electronic sorting machines to read the addresses eventually speeding up mail delivery . Postal service officials say. These Are the first Steps toward fully automating overseas military mail a process that will take several years to Complete. There Are two key changes in the four line address format. One is the army Community mail room car number or the unit number. Army postal patrons will have either the car number or the unit number which must be on the third line of the address in front of the Box number. The air Force and the Navy Post offices that began the new system in july use postal service Center pc numbers before the Box number. The unit number is a mail room identifier Lutz said. Therefore soldiers assigned to different units will have the same unit number if they Are serviced by the same mail room Lutz said. The other change is in the last line of the address. All mail destined for Europe the Middle East Africa and Canada will use a in place of by. Mail bound for the Pacific should be addressed with an a and mail heading to the americas other than Canada will use a in place of by. Air Force and Navy postal officials in Europe have received complaints from customers who met resistance when trying to make address changes. A some Post offices in the states and some companies Are not recognizing the a designation a said tech. Sgt. James Lane of the 7025th air postal so at Ramstein a. A there have also been some problems with companies not accepting a four line  postal customers encountering such problems should Tell their local postal officer or postmaster. Authorities will then Forward details of the problem through the services postal Headquarters in Europe and on to the military postal service Agency the military mail Liaison to the . Postal service. The postal service will con tact the organizations to resolve the situation. A we ask people to come Forward with their problems a Gibson said. A we done to want our soldiers or their family members to sit festering Over a problem. There Are those standing by to fix situations and make them better. A there is no alternative to the Apo. And we need to make ourselves the Best for our customers Quot Gibson said. A but if no feedback comes to us a if we done to hear about it a we can to fix  care coupons May be redeemed off base by Amy Geiszler Jones . Bureau free child care coupons that were Given to parents who rang up extra care costs because of the persian Gulf crisis May now also be redeemed off base according to the . Air forces in Europe Stop child care official. That a if those centers and care providers Are willing to accept them said Bev Houston the commands child development specialist who is based at Ramstein a Germany. When the coupons were first issued in August parents could redeem them Only at military child development centers youth activities centers and licensed family Day care providers. Recently the defense department made a policy change allowing the coupons to be redeemed with off base centers and off base providers As Well Houston said. Many military child development centers Are full with lengthy waiting lists forcing parents into using alternative child care said Houston. More than 3,000 children for example Are waiting to get into a Safe scenters she said. A there Wasny to any intent to penalize any military member who could not use a child development Center because it was full a Houston said of the initial limitation on the coupons use. But off base care givers and centers a would have to be willing to accept the coupons. In lieu of Cash from the Parent a said Houston. The off base recipients then would need to return the coupons to the issuing bases non appropriated financial management office Branch to Cash them in. Although the coupons have a Dollar value the care givers May receive them in their own currency she said. According to a Safe spokesman the command is allowing local base or non appropriated financial management office Branch authorities to determine their conversion rate. In England 3rd air Force is allowing its bases to Issue the coupons value in either dollars or the British Sterling value of the coupons at the daily Exchange rate said Leslie lips child development specialist for 3rd air Force. A spokesman at the Medit Teranen based 16th air Force said monday that local National care givers should provide Bills for the extra care to the servicemen Bers which then should be Given to a bases morale welfare and recreation office. Mar finance officials then will Cut a Check to the care giver not to exceed $100 and for not More than $2 per hour in local currency based on daily Exchange rates. The 17th air Force which incorporates Germany and the Netherlands Hasni to issued a guidance policy on whether the non appropriated financial management offices at its bases should use the daily conversion rate or a predetermined rate said a command spokeswoman. And there a one other Factor to consider Houston pointed out. A if the care givers done to have Access to the base the Parent would have to agree to take them on the base a said Houston. The coupons must be redeemed by sept. 30, the end of the 1991 fiscal year. Congress passed a Bill in april giving the department of defense $20 million to operate the Coupon plan. Safe which received $280,000 of that allocation directed All base commanders to establish How they would allocate the coupons to eligible parents but said each eligible family can receive no More than $100. An article in the stars and stripes Iasi month on the Coupon program incorrectly said that a Safe a allocation was $208,000. Those eligible include people who deployed As part of the persian Gulf War operations As Well As those who stayed behind Anil worked extra hours to support the efforts. Verification of deployment or extra duty hours is required to apply