European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 9, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 a the stars and stripes saturday november 9, 1991 Forrestar picked to replace Lexington As Trainer Carrier military policy change affects mothers of newborns 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 Parent who adopts a child is also eligible for the four 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 As 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 tem Moraty 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 a the director of the armed services blood program has been selected to assist the american Rea 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 pork 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. By Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington a the aircraft Carrier Forrestar currently on a six month deployment in the Mediterranean will replace the Lexington As the Navy a training Carrier Early next year a service official says. The Forrestar will become the new training Carrier in february after it finishes its deployment Navy spokesman it. Tom  Leunen said thursday. The Lexington was due to be decommissioned Friday at its Home port in Pensacola fla., after 48 years of service that includes More than 30 major campaigns in the Pacific during world War ii  Leunen said. The Forrestar will spend six months operating out of Pensacola As the new training aircraft Carrier then will go to the Philadelphia naval shipyard in september for a 14-month refitting  Leunen said. A we wont have a specific Carrier designated As a training Carrier during the time the Forrestar is in for refitting a he said. A a we la use some of our other Active 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. Quot there have been direct requests from More than one of the Gulf countries for joint training Quot Clark said. A we Are discussing possible  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. 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 seat each. Thirteen states will lose seats 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, Fox Chapel a. Apr retired Gen. Matthew Bunker Ridgway who jumped behind enemy lines with his a Day troops and took Over a troubled army in the korean War was honoured thursday with the congressional Gold medal. Ridgway 96, the last surviving prominent world War carriers in that role on a rotating  the Lexington is the oldest Carrier in the Fleet. The Midway scheduled for decommissioning in april is second in seniority. Once those ships Are retired the Forrestar will be the oldest among the 12 remaining carriers. The Lexington was commissioned in february 1943, during world War ii the ship was involved in the Battles for Tarawa Kwajalein Okinawa and iwo Jima among others. The ship and her air Wing shot Down or destroyed More than 1,000 enemy planes and sunk or damaged More than 1 million tons of japanese shipping. Despite repeated japanese claims of having destroyed the Lexington the ship continued to fight earning the nickname a the Blue  it was the first Carrier to enter Tokyo Bay after the War in september 1945. The Lexington assumed its duties As a training Carrier under the naval air training come in 1962. More than 42,000 aviators have qualified off its decks. 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. Clark arrived in Dubai late wednesday to revive his contacts with the government and to support British companies whose displays form part of the Dubai �?T91 International aerospace and defense exhibition. 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. Ii general accepted the medal from joint chiefs of Stan chairman Gen. Colin Powell in a Brief ceremony at his suburban Pittsburgh Home. A i always Felt it was the place of a commander to be there when a crisis is going to erupt a that is a Tenet of my Faith a a witness quoted Ridgway As telling Powell. Reporters weren to allowed to see the ceremony. British . Troops May begin training in Gulf minister says census figures Lead to shifting of 19 districts in . House Ridgway honoured with congressional medal