European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 9, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 20 military b the stars and stripes saturday november 9,1991 policy change affects mothers of newborns put Washington a amps women on Active duty can be deferred from any duty away from their Home station for four months after the birth of a child a new Pentagon policy states. One member of a military couple or a single Arent who adopts a child is also eligible for the our month deferment. A your experience in operations desert shield desert storm revealed the services varied in their treatment of military mothers of newborns a Christopher Jehn the Pentagon a Force management and personnel chief said in a memo on the new policy. During the persian Gulf deployments the Media and Congress focused on a number of cases where Active duty and Reserve mothers were separated from their newborns after four to six weeks of convalescent leave. The policy change is meant to provide More stability for military families at the time a child enters the Home officials said. A this change standardizes policy at four months. Because the Navy has shown that a four month deferment effectively balances family needs with the needs of the services to maintain a worldwide deployable Force a Jehns memo said. The directive reminds military parents that they must maintain an effective family care plan so they remain available for worldwide duty including assignments to imminent danger or hostile fire areas. The deferment applies to assignments that restrict family member travel such South Korea or accompanied Tours when concurrent travel is denied. Also those deferred will not be allowed to attend service schools or be assigned to temporary duty during the four months. Normal convalescent leave granted to military mothers after a child a birth will be counted As part of the four month deferment officials said. The deferments apply to members of Reserve components when involuntary activations Are necessary. Service members May waive the deferment officials  Loans offered Washington a amps the retired officers association is offering educational assistance Loans of up to $1,750 for the dependent children of Active Reserve and retired military personnel for the 1992-93 school year. Applicants must be unmarried and younger than 24, association officials said. The no interest Loans can be awarded for up to five years of undergraduate study. The association awarded 700 students Loans which totalled More than $1 million for the current school year officials said. To apply or to receive More information write Troa scholarship administrator 201 n. Washington st., Alexandria va., 22314-2529. Applications should be requested before March 15, 1992, and once completed be postmarked on or before april 1, 1992.blood Bank Leader named Washington a amps the director of the armed services blood program has been selected to assist the american red Cross in an ambitious overhaul of the organizations 52 blood centers. Army col. Anthony j. Polk will retire Early next year after More than 26 years in the military and immediately begin working for the red Cross As director of transformation operations officials said. In his new Job Polk will coordinate the re equipping of blood centers the training of staff the Transfer of All blood testing to Central labs and the expansion of the organizations services. Polk 49, oversaw blood Bank operations during the Vietnam War and was the blood Bank manager for the military Hospital at fort Hood Texas. In 1979, he worked in Lan Stuhl Germany As the commander of the Usa eur blood Bank. Later Polk was named director of the european come joint blood program and was a special staff officer in 1983 at shape Headquarters in Mons Belgium where he evaluated blood programs of the 16 nato nations. Polk in his current position directed the shipment of More than 120,000 units of fresh and Frozen blood to troops in saudi Arabia Europe and the United states during operation desert storm. Judge asked to overturn military s policy on Gays Washington a simple prejudice is to blame for the military a ban on homosexuals says a lawyer who wants a Federal judge to throw out the policy and order the . Naval Academy to graduate a Gay Man who was forced to resign. But a government lawyer told . District judge Oliver Gasch this week that courts Are expected to defer to such military decisions. A this court or any court should be very hesitant about overturning the military policy toward homosexuals a said David Glass. A the military a policy on homosexuality is  Joseph c. Steffanus military performance Grade was dropped from an a a minus to an a of a the Day after he disclosed to naval Academy officials that he was a homosexual his attorney Marc Wolinsky told the judge. A the Only thing that changed was the perception of him a Wolinsky said. A what underlies the military regulation is prejudice. The military has never answered the question of Why Good order and morale and discipline will be served by this exclusion of homosexuals. But Gasch asked a who should make the decision a the courts or those who run the military. Steffan resigned from the naval Academy in May 1987, six weeks before graduation after Academy officials told him he would not be allowed to graduate because he had disclosed Days earlier that he was Gay. He was not accused of engaging in homosexual conduct. Steffan wants Gasch to declare that the military policy barring homosexuals from the service is unconstitutional and order the naval Academy to Grant him a diploma. All branches of the military service ban homosexuals. The defense department policy says the presence of homosexuals in the military harms discipline morale and Trust among service members and the ability to assign them to places where they must live and work in close quarters with Little privacy. Wolinsky argued that a similar rationale formerly was used to exclude Blacks from the military. But Glass said other courts have ruled that the military policy is not based on prejudice and that Blacks Are entitled to a stricter Standard to protect their rights in such cases. The supreme court in 1986 upheld a military policy barring jewish service members from wearing Yarmulke Glass noted. Under that logic he said the military a surely has the authority and discretion to make rules about homosexuality among  last Spring Gasch denied Steffanus request that he remove himself from the Case after he referred to Steffan As a a a Homo three times during a hearing. He said his use of the word does not mean be is biased and an appeals court upheld his decision. Gasch did not indicate when he would Rule on both sides requests for summary judgment. Gasch first dismissed the suit in 1989 after Steffan refused to say under oath whether he had engaged in homosexual conduct while attending the Academy or after he left. An appeals court reversed the dismissal in december saying that Issue was not relevant. British . Troops May begin training in Gulf minister says Dubai United Arab emirates up a Britain May begin regular deployments of troops to the persian Gulf Region on training missions As a permanent feature of its Post War relations with Gulf countries a British minister says. Alan Clark Britain a minister of state for defense procurement said thursday that British and possibly . Troops could be sent to two or More Gulf countries for joint training purposes at the request of the Host governments. Clark was responding to questions from reporters requesting confirmation of reports that British and american troops had been asked by the kuwaiti government to remain in the emirate for training purposes. Clark said that the arrangement could include . Troops and that the plan is under discussion with two or More Gulf countries which he declined to identify. Some reports have suggested the countries Are Kuwait and Bahrain. A we consult with the . About All such matters a said Clark. A we can to predict what form it will  Clark made his comments on the closing Day of an International Trade fair in Dubai where More than 100 British companies exhibited military equipment to Middle East buyers and defense officials. Clark emphasized that regular deployment of troops for training was not the same As the establishing foreign military bases. Britain ended its military presence in the area at the beginning of the 1970s after it granted Independence to the Gulf Sheik Doms that Are now known As the United Arab emirates. Census figures Lead to shifting of 19 districts in . House Washington a amps a Nineteen of the 435 seats in the . House of representatives will be shifted As a result of the 1990 census which included Many americans living overseas. Eight states will increase their representation in the 103rd Congress which convenes in january 1993. Gainers Are California with seven seats Florida with four Texas with three and Arizona Georgia North Carolina Virginia and Washington adding one scat each. Thirteen states will lose scats based on the census. They Are a new York which loses three seats. A Illinois Michigan Ohio and Pennsylvania which lose two seats each. A Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Massachusetts Montana new Jersey and West Virginia lose one seat each. However several states including California Illinois and new York have filed suits seeking to have the census Bureau add people to the counts to make up for those who were missed. Washington and Wisconsin have sued to prevent an adjustment. In the 10 years since the last census the . Population has grown More than 10 percent to 249,632,692, officials said. Service members and their families stationed overseas were counted for the census primarily based on their Home of record usually the state where the sponsor entered the military. About 810,000 Active duty members and their families assigned overseas were identified by their Home of record said Phyllis Taylor Deputy director of the Federal voting assistance program in the Pentagon. The figures were supplied by the census Bureau she said. When a Home of record was not available for a serv ice member and his or her family the Legal residence was used. About 77,335 americans overseas were identified this Way Taylor said. For about 2,792 service members and their families a Home of record or Legal residence was not available and the census Bureau instead counted them As residents of the state where they were last assigned. Federal civilians were counted according to their Legal residence but no firm figure was available on How Many were counted overseas Taylor said. An estimated 2.5 million americans who live overseas but Are not affiliated with the . Government were not counted Taylor said