European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 21, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A the impossible Bridge a continued from Page 15 was t scared at the time Quot he recalled. Quot i was t smart enough to be  Meyer said he saw Many casualties but none of his friends died there. Meyers also witnessed the collapse of the Bridge 10 Days after it was taken. Quot i watched the Bridge fold i could see the people falling off it Quot he said. Twenty eight men died All engineers with the 276th Engineer combat in and 1058th Bridge construction and repair group. Eighteen bodies were never recovered from Rhine. Sixty three men were injured. Many troops and Armor that eventually crossed the Rhine near Remagen used Pontoon or Treadway Bridges. David pern Igran then a 26-year-old lieutenant colonel who commanded the 291st engr combat in got the assignment to build the first assault Bridge across. The 1,080-foot Treadway Bridge begun at 9 30 , March 9, was completed in 32 hours. Quot under murderous fire Quot said pern Igran author of the Book first across the Rhine. Pern Igran said his company nicknamed Quot the damned engineers a is probably the highest decorated Engineer battalion in the United states. In the invasion of Normandy the group cleared mines from the beaches and built a Bridge which linked the two Beach Heads. In the Battle of the bulge it stopped the 6th Panzer army the leading armoured column by blowing up the Bridge. At Remagen 32 casualties were reported during the Bridge construction he said. Thirty six of 86 Treadway floats were knocked out under fire. Quot you have to have guts you have to be almost Sas Randy Pruit plaques on tha Remagen Side of what was the Ludendorff Bridge commemorate the efforts of the army s 78th and 99th inf ohm. Fearless to be a combat Engineer a said pern Igran who after his military sen  worked As a civil Engineer with the Pennsylvania Railroad. Pern Igran s lectures and videos produced by the . Information Agency Are used to train combat engineers. One presentation includes footage of the Treadway Bridge under attack. Quot people who see this video Call it a the impossible Bridge a a a he said. The importance of combat engineers is often overlooked he said. A a combat engineers have been the key to every War All the Way Back to Washington Quot pern Igran asserted. During a Brief ceremony at the Bridge site German col. Jurgen Raths of Bonn Rottgen an artillery commander at Remagen recalled the Day the americans crossed the Rhine. Quot from my Forward observation position i remember the astonishment of my soldiers and me of How courageous you americans were continuously crossing the Bridge Quot he said. Noting that 70 percent of the City was destroyed in Allied bombing raids during the War Remagen mayor Hans Peter Kurten told the veterans Quot the Surprise attack of the american forces and the rapid Conquest of the Bridge of Remagen meant Early release. The a . Army the Bridge fell 10 Days after a capture killing 28 americana. Reign of terror was Over. The people were spared saved from immense  this return to Remagen was not the first for Many of the americans. It was the 10th for Meyer. Quot i done to know Why i keep coming Back a he said. Quot each time i say this is probably my last trip but i keep coming Back and in be come to Remagen every time. Quot i guess a Little bit of me is  Quot i Don t know what but something draws me Back Quot said Hood who was making his fourth trip. Quot sometimes i think i m supposed to be Over Here with some of those boys in one of these cemeteries Quot readers action line cola rates set by duty station it a Why Aren t we allowed to receive cola Cost of living allowance for the area where we live instead of receiving cola for the area where my husband s company is stationed my husband arrived in March 1990 in Nurnberg he was ordered to a Field office in Grafe Wohr then to a Field office in Vilseck. His five dependents arrived in july 1990. Living in Vilseck is a higher Cost of living than living in Furth which is what his cola is rated on instead of Quot other Germany Quot or Quot Bavaria Quot which other people s Are so in a told i be been told that there Are some with three dependents getting More than $50 a More than we Are with live col a should be More in Vilseck because of non availability there is nothing Here compared to Furth. Carolyn Johnston Vilseck Germany sgt. 1st class Michael Donohue staff finance no office of the Deputy chief of staff resource management has Usa eur replies All station allowances a Cost of living col overseas housing Oha and variable housing via a Are based on the Soldier s duty station and not on the location of housing there Are two exceptions. The first concerns via which is based on the housing location when the Soldier is assigned Uconus outside of the Continental United states and the family remains in conus Continental United states. The second concerns Oha and col a which May be paid at the old station rate if the Soldier is moved to a new location and the family is prevented from moving to the new station. The approving authority Lor this is department of defense. There Are two reasons for using the duty station instead of the housing location. The first is administrative defining a duty station is easy a the City in which it is located is the duty station. Defining what rate of allowance to pay each Little overseas Village our soldiers live in would be extremely difficult. Dod would be faced with the situation of saying for example that a Village six Miles from an installation is authorized a certain rate but the next Village is authorized a different rate this could cause numerous problems and complaints the second reason is Cost. It is believed that if allowances were established by housing location that Many members would live in higher allowance areas simply to receive More Money. Accordingly the decision was made to establish the allowances at the duty station rate. In your specific Case your husband s cola should be recorded at his duty station. If he has orders assigning him to Vilseck he should give them to his personnel services no and ask that finance be informed to change his locality code however it will not mean any More Money. Nurnberg Vilseck and Grafe Wohr Are All classified As full support areas . Have commissary and Exchange facilities and As such All have the same cola Index. For your information 96 percent of soldiers in Germany Are assigned to full support areas. To write us readers action line is the readers a court of last resort Quot striving to answer some of the questions about life overseas in a military environment 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 a action line co the stars and stripes. Apo 092ii-4211. All letters must be signed and preference will be Given to those seeking information of general interest to our readers. Page 16 b the stars and stripes monday. October 21. 1991