European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 13, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday november 13, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 19 military operations chief targets Friendly fire panel system May save lives during combat by Peggy Davidson Kaiserslautern Bureau Kaiserslautern Germany a when Jerry Boggess saw the first american tank get hit by Friendly fire during operation desert storm he knew he had to do something. Fortunately he was in a position to make a difference to the soldiers. A when we lost our first Bradley i said there must be a Way not to shoot our own from behind a said Boggess chief of maintenance operations for the general support Center in Kaiserslautern with the 29th area support group. He had been watching the news on television when he saw the tank hit. Part of Boggess Job is to create items to improve the fighting capabilities of . Soldiers. One of his most recent developments is specifically designed to make sure no More tanks Are hit by a a Friendly fire. His idea to save the soldiers from Friendly fire incidents is an updated version of tank marking panels which Are already being used by the army. Boggess said he has been working on the panel marking system now in use for the past two years. Vehicles that fought in desert storm were marked but the markings were Only visible in Daylight. His newest idea for panels made of steel or aluminium Call for heating coils behind them which make the markings visible in gunfights but not to the naked Eye Boggess said. Boggess is also working on an even maintenance chief Jerry Boggess cent Erwith co workers Martin Geib left and i Irgon Zigahn shows prototypes of tank panels. Newer version that will allow units to change the image on the panels in the event a unit vehicle is captured by enemy forces. That panel is still in the design stages he said. The new panels will save time for soldiers in the Field. In the past soldiers have painted the markings on the sides of the tanks or trucks Boggess said. That Job takes soldiers from six to eight hours time that they often Don t have in a combat situation. The painted markings also tend not to be uniform even within one unit since different people paint in different ways. And once the markings Are on the vehicle they Are there to stay Boggess said. Boggess anticipates that the new panels will be made of pol Carbon that is Black on one Side and desert Sand on the other. The chevrons and numbers also available in the two colors will be in the form of Peel off tape that can be slapped onto the panels in a matter of seconds he added. Pal Carbon panels have advantages Over steel or aluminium panels. A Bullet can go through the panel without shattering or bending it whereas Metal panels Bend and need repainting he said. Poly Carbon markings can also be changed quickly if one vehicle in the unit is compromised. He said. Boggess said if the new panels Are approved by Usa eur. They will be stored in boxes at the combat equipment group Sites in Europe. As units Are assigned equipment they will create the markings they need at that time he said. Eventually Boggess would like to see military vehicles belonging to All nato countries bearing the marking panels. Quot i want it nato wide Quot he said. Quot it does t matter it i can to speak the language just so i know who that Guy  Giessen offers program to illegal baby Sitters by Chuck Roberts staff writer the . Army in Europe is offering amnesty to uncertified child care providers who run their businesses in government housing. A there is a lot of unauthorized baby sitting going on in military housing areas and this is a positive approach for us to Deal with it a said Regina Cooper the family child care director in Giessen Germany who began her amnesty program nov. 1. In fiscal 1990, Usa eur child development services reported that 9,900 children were in need of child care. Usa eur responded in August by encouraging local cd coordinators and family child care directors to establish amnesty programs so that uncertified child care providers could become certified and operate their businesses legitimately. A when you can eliminate hurdles it makes it easier for people a said Deborah Collins family child care director in Frankfurt Germany. Fewer hurdles should result in More qualified child care providers which Means that More children could be provided for. That is the key part of the amnesty program Collins said. About 30 people took advantage of the amnesty program that was offered aug. 15 to sept. 30 in the Frankfurt military Community. Collins said that her office plans to offer the program again because it was so successful. Some of the people in Frankfurt who responded to the program when it was announced in their Community newspaper Are now certified and helping to fill a shortage of child care providers Collins said. Others Are undergoing the certification process. Although the shortage of child care providers caused by the persian Gulf War has been reduced Collins said there is still a waiting list of people needing their services. She said the shortage probably will continue Dur ing troop reductions. People who take advantage of the amnesty program in Giessen will receive free training and certification and could be eligible for As much As $400 a month in subsidies Cooper said. The Money can be used by the providers to buy things such As food toys and Art supplies that Are approved by family child care. 5 acc also helps organize Field trips and parties for child care providers and will loan them toys High chairs cribs and other equipment. Unfortunately Cooper said no one has yet taken advantage of the Giessen program. Unregistered providers Benefit from the amnesty program because they will be allowed to stay in business while they become certified Cooper said. Usually they Are not allowed to continue keeping children in their Home during the certification process which takes about two weeks to a month to Complete Cooper said. The Frankfurt office provided Day care for the children of people while they took the training and helped place the children they were responsible for with another provider. Acc offices will help find a permanent replacement for parents if they do not wish to continue using a provider who is being certified. But Collins said most parents chose to remain with their current providers even when they were told by the acc office that their provider was uncertified. Collins said they chose to remain with the unauthorized providers because they did not want to go through the difficulty of finding another baby Sitter and because Many Felt Good about the service their children were receiving. If someone refuses to become certified and continues to keep children in their Home that person could be penalized by losing their housing privileges. Cooper said. To become certified. Cooper said a person must a Complete an application. A undergo a background investigation. A attend Bun Days of training. A have a medical checkup. A have their Homes inspected and buy liability insurance. Liability insurance costs $60 annually but it could protect someone from a devastating lawsuit Cooper said. The training normally includes classes in nutrition first Aid How to run a business and How to detect signs of child abuse. The procedure is faster for people who have been a certified child care provider before Collins said. However everyone must take courses required annually on giving medication to children and on detecting and preventing child abuse. Regulations allow one child care provider to keep six children including his or her own at Home. Cooper oversees about 60 child care providers in the Giessen area and is training about 35 others. Statistics Are not available about the number of unregistered child care providers in her area but Cooper said she believes there Are a quite a  Many people do not become registered providers because they think it is too much trouble or because they do not want someone coming into their Homes for the required inspection. Cooper said. The inspections Are made to see if the houses have to be modified to meet the minimum safely standards. Homes arc inspected weekly during the certification period. The key to enticing people to take advantage of the amnesty program is simplicity Collins said. She compared the amnesty program to an attractive gift Box. If the program looks Good on the outside and is just As Good on the inside then people will buy it Collins said. A incentives Are important a she said. Quot they need to feel the  a it