European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 29, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Navy retailers visit ships shores to help sailors plan careers by Gary Miller Mediterranean Bureau Naples. Italy chief Petty officer Rafael Marline had his customer s full attention As he Leafell through his computer printout. Me was searching for assignments for Hull technicians in the Li-6 pay Grade available next june. Mis customer. Petty officer 1st class ferry Owen waited jotting Down whatever Martinez found. A a that Sall i have Here but this does no to include pre commissioning units a Martinez said after finding a frigate and a submarine tender. A a thai a what i really need career Wise chief. Ill take a a pre corny  Owen said. The discussion Between Martinez a a Hull technician assignment specialist a and Owen took place in a Barracks lounge at the Naples naval support activity. A team of assignment specialists known in the Navy As retailers visited the Naples area for three Days in mid september As part of a 26-Day trip that took the group from Sicily to Scotland. Teams of Navy retailers leave their Washington offices in the Spring for the Pacific. Each fall they visit Europe. Rather than Send All 237 enlisted assignment specialists most of the 20 or so retailers in a team negotiate orders for several Navy occupational specialities called ratings in the sea service. The news retailers brought with them varied from rating to rating. Senior chief Petty officer Bob Shirley had bad and Good news for his fellow boiler technicians. Their skills very important on steam powered ships Are becoming increasingly outmoded in the age of Gas Turbine powered vessels. But the new amphibious assault ship Wasp and Al least four subsequent ships of its class will be steam powered and require More than 50 boiler techs each to keep their Power plants shipshape. At i lie same Lime All but eight of the 46 of a class of steam powered frigates that kept so Many of Shirley a colleagues gainfully employed Are being decommissioned. To keep the boiler technician Community in balance the number of people being allowed into the Field is being slowed and scats at some schools Are being drastically reduced Shirley said. A my rating in particular is Over manned a senior chief Petty officer Neal Galbraith said of his specially data systems technician. A retention is Way up while we re losing ships. A a we re trying to keep people in because they have experience and we put a lot of Money into training them a Galbraith said. Situations varied for members of each of the other ratings Galbraith represented while on the trip. A data processors have too Many women in the rating so women finishing their first enlistment have to have permission to re enlist As data processors. A Ocean systems technicians arc sitting pretty Good a Galbraith said. Although the news they received was i always Good sailors who met their retailers face to face avoided what most service members in Europe must usually tolerate to reach their retailers in Washington. They must accept either communicating by mail or dealing for hours waiting on hold for nearly As Long and often being preempted once they do reach their retailers. By tuesday afternoon Owen found out that he had managed to get his Point across. A amps Gary Miller chief Petty officer Rafael Martinez a Navy detailed talks with a Naples area Sailor. Martinez Owens detailed found an assignment for Owen on the amphibious assault ship Kearsarge that is still under construction a pre commissioning unit. Helping to put a ship into commission is considered in the Navy to be a Carcer enhancing assignment. Getting the retailers to the sailors overseas or at sea is the Job of master chief Petty officer Bob Schneider. He determines which retailers will comprise a team and How to get them where they have to be. As the detailed trip coordinator Schneider plans teams missions to the Pacific Europe and Carrier Battle groups that Are about to deploy. He spent More than 240 Days travelling during the past year either As Advance Man or with teams making sure last minute glitches do not interrupt their itineraries. Quot this is How i decide w to to bring on a trip a Schneider said As he unfolded a computer printout listing the specialities at the Navy installations the team was visiting during its european trip with a tally of More than 11,000 at the Bottom. Quot gut feelings also play a part in these decisions a Schneider said. Quot there a no Navy instruction that tells me How to do  Radical changes occurring for single gis by Peggy Davidson Kaiserslautern Bureau staff sgt. Eldon Ball has a comfortable sofa facing Bis television set in his one room accommodations. A Rug warms the floor and snack foods arc piled atop his refrigerator nearby. Bait is at Home in a Pirn ascus Germany army Barracks which he and his fellow soldiers recently revamped. Ball and the soldiers in Parma sense he Del have simply taken Quick advantage of a change in . Army Europe policy. In he new policy states that Quot we no longer can treat mature adults As children. Single soldiers and married soldiers must he treated the  the policy has some commanders and first sergeants in the 21st theater army area corny uneasy about the changing nature of their once Complete control of the single soldiers lives said command sgt major Ronald a. Anderson the 21st�?Ts command sergeant major. A a it a a mind set that we the command sergeants major put into them first sergeants that they be got to inspect their troops every Day they be got to make sure that everything a dress right dress that you can flip a Quarter up and it la Bounce up on the  Anderson said. Quot its Radical what we re  a a lot of commanders and first sergeants Are dinosaurs Quot said capt. Pat Taylor commander of the Parma Sens unit agreeing with Anderson s assessment. A a they re afraid to make  first sgt. Kim Gillen first sergeant of Taylor s unit is delighted with the changes. Quot As a first sergeant. In a out of the Barracks business a he said. A i Don t have to Check rooms make sure Beds Are made and so  the policy changes that Usa eur has sent out to its units include approximately 70 recommendations in four categories according to maj. Mitchell c. Marlain chief of the 2lst s single Soldier task Force. The categories Are command treatment billets dining facilities and mar activities. The changes Are supposed to take effect throughout army installations in Europe by tuesday said Anderson quoting a draft policy statement from Usa eur Headquarters in Heidelberg Germany. On thursday Usa eur officials did not respond by press deadlines on whether or not the policy would take effect by tuesday in All its commands As planned. V corps will adopt the program on tuesday a corps statement said. Soldiers living in Usa eur Barracks Are now allowed to have microwave ovens in their rooms use personal blankets rather than the army Green Wool blankets install telephones have Small pets such As fish and drink alcohol in their rooms. Units will move orderly rooms and the charge of quarters offices out of Barracks the policy says. Duly rosters will be formed from both married and single soldiers to eliminate what single soldiers Call Quot Hev you Quot details. A statement issued thursday by v corps commander la. Gen. David m. Maddox however emphasized that the greater freedoms did not mean lowered behaviour standards adding a in fad 1 want them standards rigidly  within the Barracks the soldiers elect councils to set up rules on standards of conduct and work together to enforce them. The policy is attempting to ensure that Junior enlisted soldiers and non commissioned officers done to live in the same Barracks. Some of the other changes the policy endorses Are a room inspections not More than once a week and Only to ensure health standards Are met. A elimination of Standard room Layouts. A replacement of old furniture. A having consistent dress policies in dining facilities. A More variety in dining facility menus. A  Mailbox for every Soldier regardless o marital status. A allow All soldiers to get licenses unless restricted Lor privately owned vehicles without regard to Marita status. One problem that Anderson admits is having an Impact on implementing the policy is time and Money Many of the improvements the command wants to make such As painting and refurbishing rooms in Thi Barracks Are expensive. In some locations ingenuity and a Little work on the part of the Barracks residents can bypass the Lack o Money. In Pir Masens Gillen and his Supply Soldier vis led nearby Wei Brincken Abas it began closing Down. They were Able to get almost new furniture for tin Barracks a cabinets chests of drawers and desks a a Well As refrigerators for each room and stoves for thai Barracks kitchens Gillen said. The soldiers even fount paint that they used throughout their Barracks. Gillen s soldiers used unit trucks and their own mus Cle to move the items from Wei Brincken to Pir Masens Gillen said. The air Force did not charge them for tin furniture he added and in some cases tried to get tin soldiers to take More to Speed up the base closure. Spec. David Fruge Gillens Supply Soldier said tin unit turned in All their old furniture a More than 16 items that was valued at $18,487. Of the item turned in Fruge said that fully one third of them wer unserviceable. A visit to the Barracks now shows rooms with Small ing areas separated from the Beds by lockers. Plant1 pictures and stuffed animals give each room personal Ball summed up the feelings of everyone in his Bat Racks when he said a now its like having an apart