European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 4, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and Stripe wednesday december 4,1991 military Field maps give Way to computers by John Millar Wurzburg Bureau a Atzingen Germany the army a tanks can blast across a Battlefield at speeds up to 60 Mph while Apache helicopters shoot and destroy targets too far away to see with the naked Eye. Yet Many commanders keep track of their High tech weaponry the old fashioned Way a with huge maps and charts updated by hand. The 3rd inf div recently fielded a computer system designed to bring commanders and staffs up to Speed on modern fast paced battlefields. But like any new system fielded by the military replacing the cumbersome charts for computers and maps for monitors involves some growing pains said maj. Phil Baker the division s chief of operations and training. Quot we have to learn to do without the Board and map a Baker said. Quot we re not there yet. Guys grew up 20 years in the army looking at that big map. It will take some time to get Over that  for years military masterminds have relied on huge maps and charts to follow both Friend and foe on the Battlefield and determine what move to make next. Traditionally front line units radioed commanders to provide information ranging from the size of enemy forces and casualties sustained in combat to How Well a Battle is going and How Many Beans bullets and fuel they had left. Reports come to the modern Day command Center by radio Telephone and facsimile machines Baker said. But they Are compiled the same Way and the stickers and grease pencils arc still in use. Quot let me Tell you that a time consuming a Baker said. Its also a prone to a amps John Millar Chi. Valeria Wesseler and sgt. George Nusser work at a High tech Man Euver control system terminal during a recent exercise carried out by the 3rd inf div. Mistakes prone to human  not to mention the fact that commanders have to move As campaigns Progress. Baker said stickers have been known to fall off the boards and maps As Mobile command trucks and tracked vehicles move Over bumpy terrain. Enter the Man Euver control system or pcs for Short. Its a network of computers from corps level Down to Man Euver battalions designed to compile current Battlefield information More quickly and More accurately than the age old method involving pencils and Parchment. The divisions individual battalions can still use the radio fax and telephones to update command centers or simply update the system data base. Using the system commanders can get As much or As Little information As they want Baker said. Quot with very few keystrokes Quot a commander can learn How much fuel his units have How Many tanks have been destroyed and which units have suffered casualties Baker said. One of the systems graphics can show a commander if a unit has plenty of fuel is running Low or is in critical need of Gas. Quot maybe he does t need to know we re 16,000 Gallons Short a he said. The combat computer can also show where All of the divisions units Are on a map Baker added. Likewise a division commander can View the entire corps situation or find out what the division to the left or right flank is doing. During a move a did pieces fall off the Board a Baker asked. Maybe so but not off the computer. For the most part commanders and soldiers believe the system is nothing less than a Man Euver Miracle. Quot but just like any piece of complicated equipment it takes time to learn How to use it a said staff sgt. Scott Bennett who is the noncommissioned officer in charge of the system for the division. Quot its not user Friendly a Bennett said. Quot you can to teach yourself How to use it. Quot everything that they did with a stubby Pencil before they can do with this a Baker said about the system. But he also admitted the system is complicated and the skills needed to use it Are perishable. When the division first took the system to the Field earlier this month he said it took roughly five Days to overcome communication problems. But now the unit is Quot Well into teaming what the machine can  despite the complications sgt. George Nusser approved of the system. Nusser works in the divisions Battle control cell keeping tabs on information used to update the maps and status boards. The system Quot automatically updates my Friendly data file a he said referring to information on the divisions own units. Quot i think its great.�?�7 6 soldiers inducted into Morales club Kaiserslautern Germany a the 21st theater army area come has inducted 16 soldiers into the sgt. Morales club. The sgt. Morales club was established in 1973 by it. Gen. George s. Blanchard then Vii corps commander to recognize non commissioned officers who demonstrate the highest Quality of leadership professionalism and regard for the welfare of their soldiers. The club s first selection Board convened nov. 19, 1973. The . Army Europe adopted the program throughout the command in 197-3. Non commissioned officers ranking from Corporal to sergeant first class Are eligible to be nominated by their unit commanders. Inductees were awarded a sgt. Morales medallion and jacket by the non commissioned officers association a scroll of induction a gift certificate from the army air Force Exchange service a 21st theater army area come Coin and an army commendation medal. The following soldiers from the command were inducted stall sgt. Bobst j. Bruch 381 is personnel service co Pir Masens stall sgt Gerardo Coton Berner 60th Ord group  set Bruce e. Boy 70th Trana in sen Hofen stall sgt Chart a p. Dent Usa accent Benj Nahum Notha Rianda . Franda s6th aviation co Sandh fan sgt. Late Lara Jefferay c. Forte 10th chemical co. Kalser Leutem sgt. Tonya  187th personnel service co. Per Manana sgt. 1st a Tara Douglas r. Hathaway 37th Trana come Kaiserslautern stax sgt. Dandro Rahmal 196th of Dan Rhain Dahlen sgt Tat a Tara Mark k. Landry both Flea inca group Kalpa ratautas  stall sgt Loulada Mcarthur staf sgt. Lasatar Ray Mitchal staff sgt Barry w. Speer sgt. Shintay a. Watson 127th Flea inca support unit Chiartas a. Belgium staff sgt William j. Wooi Itoga or. 10th chem co Kaiserslautern 512th Maint co Gailen Korchan 95th my in Forth 23d Ord co Kaiber Alauta 20th Ord co. Firm Alana Safe hails improved safety rate by the stars and stripes Ramstein a Germany a the . Air forces Europe has enjoyed its safest year Ever because of attention paid to human factors a Safe spokesman says. Such factors Are Quot All those things that go into providing inattention when you go about flying Quot said col. Don Muller director of safety for Safe. Flown by fighter aircraft compared with the number of sorties flown by heavier aircraft Muller and said. Or six or 10 hours. One f-15 or relate to 1.3 hours a he said e sortie of a c-141 Quot will probably equate to five f-16 sortie win typically a we change the flight to fit the proficiency level of the Guy a he said. A if he Hasni to been flying for a while then he will go Back to the basics and Fly a less tasking Mission. During fiscal 1991, Safe pilots flew More than 234,000 hours including sorties during the persian Gulf War. Separate numbers Are not broken out he said. Nine aircraft were lost during the last fiscal year. Six were combat losses but no one was killed. Muller credits those lives saved in combat to a the right decision to get out eject and a search and Rescue Mission that  three aircraft were lost to non combat related incidents. Two lives were lost a Pilot and a weapons systems officer Muller said. The planes involved were an full an f-16 and an f-15, he said. The incident rate for Safe was 1.28 per 100,000 flying hours. The total . Air Force rate was 1.11. The higher Safe number is misleading since it does not reflect the More frequent number of sorties a the Quarter of a million flight hours that we have is a lot More sorties. Because of the Type of flying that fighters do Shorter duration More sorties More takeoffs and landings the rate of 1.28 is extremely significant a he said. Quot that a the Best rate that Safe has Ever  Over the past 10 years three has been the average Safe rate Muller said adding that the rate is a measure that makes All aircraft  attending to human factors is credited for the rate drop Muller said. Three categories describe the types of losses he said a class a refers to a damage exceeding $1 million or a fatality. A class b refers to damage or rebuilding costs of Between $250,000 and $1 million As Well As a permanent disability such As a a loss of an Eye or the loss of an Arm something like  a class c refers to damage or rebuilding costs of less than $250,000 and injuries not resulting in permanent disability. Army to review promotions Jan. 14 the army will review promotions for several categories in a meeting Jan. 14 at fort Benjamin Harrison ind. The categories include a command sergeant major All sergeants major promotable master sergeants and master sergeants whose birthdays Are not earlier than Jan. 14, 1944, and who did not enter Active duty before Jan. 14,1966. A sergeant major All first sergeants and master sergeants promoted before july 31, 1989, and who entered Active duty before july 1, 1982. The candidates must have a High school diploma. A resident sergeants major course All first sergeants and master sergeants with a Date of rank of dec. 31, 1990, or earlier a service Date of Jan. 1, 1969, or later and a birth Date of Jam 1,1941, or later. A non resident sergeants major course regular army command sergeants major sergeants major master sergeants and promotable sergeants first class with an Active duty service Date of Jan. 1, 1969, or later and a birth Date of Jan. 1,1942 or later