European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 20, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 b the stars and stripes Friday december 20, 1991 this year s Holiday Mai a cakewalk for Crews by Crystal Laureano staff writer Frankfurt Germany a the steady methodical flow of Holiday mail during the past month had postal officials initially thinking that this seasons mail volume was far lower than last year. Then they took a closer look. What they found was that the volume was Down but Only by 8 percent from a year ago. Maj. David Field commander of the Aerial mail terminal at the Frankfurt International Airport said the ease in handling this years mail traffic accounted for the initial faulty perception. Last month 13 million pounds of mail was received at the facility sorted and sent compared to 14.2 million pounds of mail processed during november 1991. Delivering Holiday mail during the persian Gulf buildup last year was chaotic Field said. Large airliners were taken out of commercial service to move service members and equipment. Commercial airlines facing threats of terrorism and a Sharp drop in tourism to Europe Cut flights and flew smaller planes leaving less space for military mail from the United states to Europe. Military air and ground transport was stretched to its limits. A the mail was coming in spurts a year ago a Field explained. A we never knew what to expect or when. But this year it has been a consistent  during the mid november to mid january Holiday season mail volume doubles. To handle that situation reservists and Volunteer  Are added to the 80-member staff at the terminal bringing the Holiday mail Crew to about 200. The number of truck runs trucks and Drivers increases during the Holiday mail Rush said staff sgt. David Jones of the 37lh trans come in Kaiserslautern. Jones and three cos from his unit arc temporarily assigned at the airmail terminal to oversee ground transportation. A this is a cakewalk compared to last year Quot said Jones who is working his fourth Holiday mail season in Frankfurt. A there was no Way we were prepared last year for so much mail a he said. The terminal was bombarded by a surge of a any service member mail from the states that had to be transferred onto military flights going to the Gulf he said. This year planning has been the key he said. The Normal 44 daily mail runs to Sites throughout three countries have increased to about 70 per Day. More than 120 trucks or three for each mail run Are available to handle mail surges or vehicle breakdowns Jones said. The 24-hour-a-Day operation dispatches trucks to deliver mail and packages to All . Forces stationed in Germany Belgium and the Netherlands. The lot surrounding the mail terminal is jammed with mail containers filled with bags and parcels. Behind the terminal building two semitrailers placed end to end serve As another sorting area. A third sorting area is located on a flight line Field said. Airman 1st class Cindy Orndorff volunteered to work at the terminal for two months As a change from her regular duties with the 52nd Supply so at Spang Dahlem a. A i thought it would be interesting to get away for a while a Orndorff said. But she did no to expect the exhausting work. A at first i Hurt All Over but now in a starting to get used to it a she said. This is the second Holiday mail Rush civilian employee Shirril Fishburn has worked. Her initial aches and pains Are now just a memory. She finds the Holiday season much like the rest of the year except a it seems like the mail bags Are heavier. You just keep a steady Pace and keep it moving a she said. Senior airman Manuel Ducot has worked in the flight dispatch office at the air terminal for nearly three years. He spends much of his time tossing mail cons amps Dawn any Shirril Fishburn left and airman 1st class Cindy Orn Dorff unload mall at Frank flirt International Airport. Trainers onto the conveyor that leads to the sorting area. A a it a real hard work and you be got to get used to it a he said. A a lot of them reservists and volunteers Are surprised when they see this place a they think we re All automated  daily conference Calls Between the major mail departure Points in the United states and mail officials in Frankfurt London and Munich help forecast potential problems and allow time to plan routes and transportation to keep the mail moving Field said. If the weather cooperates and the airlines done to strike a we should continue to keep the mail moving at a Good Pace a he  puts off action on allowance proposals by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington a top Pentagon officials drawing up an amended fiscal 1993 budget request have put off until at least fiscal 1994 a decision on three compensation initiatives that would Benefit mainly Junior enlisted personnel. Christopher Jehn the defense departments personnel chief had championed the three proposals a a stateside Cost of living allowance a revamped stateside housing allowance and an Extension of the temporary lodging expense. But Pentagon comptroller scan of Keefe rejected them and Deputy Secretary of defense Donald j. Atwood or. Upheld that decision in a dec. 6 statement to the service secretaries. Air National guard it. Col. Doug Hart a Pentagon spokesman said Atwood wants to wait until the 7th quadrennial review of military compensation completes its extensive study of military pay and benefits probably next Spring before advancing any proposals. Of the three proposals which would have Cost More than $250 million the stateside cola and the housing allowance merger were the most significant Jehn said. A the idea behind the stateside cola is that it does no to make sense to pay an individual assigned to the Washington area the same As an individual with the same Job and rank who is assigned to fort Riley Kansas a he said. He noted that Congress has already set up a site based pay system for Federal civilians for Chicago new York and los Angeles and will have a nationwide system in place by fiscal 1994. A the stateside cola is similar to that a Jehn said. A it  work exactly the same Way and it  because military personnel move around so much. A but its justifications Are based on the same premise a that an individual who is paid $30,000 a year and works in Washington is not achieving the same real compensation As someone making $30,000 a year say in a Rural area in the  the housing allowance proposal envisions a merger of the Basic allowance for quarters and variable housing allowance into a single monthly payment to be adjusted annually based on housing costs tracked by the consumer Price Index. A the Way it is now we wind up not Al ways being As fair As we should be a he said. The third proposal Calls for extending the temporary lodging expense designed to cover costs of temporary housing for personnel returning from overseas Tours from four to 10 Days. A Hie current allowance is unrealistic a Jehn said. A people Are often forced to live in temporary lodging longer than the few Days that Are currently  Jehn said he is confident they will be ultimately approved. A but i1 think its a legitimate argument to say that we Are in the midst of a wide ranging look at military compensation by the 7th a rec and that perhaps we should wait and see whether there Isnit something bigger or More comprehensive that we ought to do a Jehn said. Pageant founder drops suit against Tyson citing lies Philadelphia a the founder of the miss Black America pageant who accused former heavyweight Champ Mike Tyson of ruining the pageant s reputation by molesting contestants has dropped a $607 million lawsuit against the Boxer. J. Morris Anderson who called Tyson a a serial buttocks fondle re when he filed the lawsuit in August said wednesday that some contestants lied when they accused Tyson of fondling them. Anderson said he met with Tyson a lawyers and agreed to drop the lawsuit. He declined to say whether any Money would change hands. In the lawsuit Anderson accused Tyson of molesting the 1990 miss Black America Rosie Jones and 10 of 23 contestants at the 1991 pageant held in july in Indianapolis. Anderson a Philadelphia businessman who acted As his own lawyer said he dropped the suit because some of the contestants made up stories about Tyson to promote themselves. Jones has filed her own $100 million lawsuit against Tyson accusing him of fondling her. Tyson also has been charged with raping an 18-year-old contestant in his hotel room. His trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 27. Bulgaria to cooperate with . On terrorism organized crime Sofia Bulgaria apr this former East bloc nation plans to have the United states train its intelligence officers and will cooperate with the West in fighting terrorism and organized crime officials said. It. Gen. Stoyan Andreev the National Security adviser for bulgarian president Zhenyu Zhelev made the announcement wednesday after a first Ever meeting Between intelligence officers from former communist nations and . Intelligence experts. The session was attended by former Cia director William Colby and senior officials from Albania Bulgaria Czechoslovakia Hungary Poland Romania and the russian federation. Rumen Danov another Security adviser to Zhelev emphasized that despite the training program Bulgaria would never again become a a superpower satellite a referring to the United states. A sinister link Between the May 1981 shooting of Pope John Paul ii and bulgarians former communist government has Long been alleged but never proved. An italian court in 1986 acquitted three bulgarians of attempted murder