European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 1, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Draw Down Kuk Okan acini a amps Ken George senior airman Robert Blagg studies a list while airman John Bliss does the heavy work As troops begin moving out of  Home to stay by David Tarrant staff writer the Long awaited massive draw Down of . Forces in Europe delayed by the Gulf War finally began in Earnest during the summer As the army announced that two of its four combat divisions in Germany a plus some other units a were being withdrawn. About 150,000 . Troops will leave Europe Over the next several years halving troop strength As part of a general draw Down of american forces overseas with the end of the cold War. Most of the reductions will occur in Germany where the number of . Troops is expected to drop to about 152,000 by sept. 30, 1992, according to officials at the . Army Europe Headquarters in Heidelberg. The goal is to reduce the number of soldiers to 100,000 by 1995. There were 183,000 soldiers in Germany when the first withdrawal announcement was made in september 1990. The announcements have drawn a mixed reaction from soldiers ranging from Joy at the Prospect of returning to the states to sadness that venerable units were disbanding. As summer arrived in Germany thousands of soldiers including Many just Back from the Gulf War found themselves wrestling with More mundane practical problems like packing up household goods and shipping family cars and pets Back to the states. The exodus of soldiers and their families including virtually All of the 70,000-Strong Vii corps in Stuttgart quickly caused a logjam As transportation officials could not find enough German transport companies to move the hundreds of thousands of pounds of furniture. Personal property shipments were running two to three times above the usual rate during the summer and fall months Usa eur officials said. Complicating the army a moving problems was the lifting of the a Stop loss provision that it instituted in the fall of 1990 in order to meet the Gulf wars personnel needs. Soldiers who were scheduled to leave the army retire or move on to other assignments were Frozen in place either to fill jobs in saudi Arabia or to provide a Pool of trained replacements for potential War casualties. These troops added to the stateside traffic flow. All of those people came up in the rotation Pool at the same time As troops that were part of draw Down units and Many More movers had to be found for them. The air Force and Navy faced lesser challenges because of smaller reductions. The draw Down also spurred philosophical questions about what role would be played by the . Troops remaining in Europe. With the Warsaw pact dead and the soviet Union disintegrating would americans continue to spend billions of dollars per year to station 150,000 . Troops in Europe indefinitely or would the europeans ask the americans to leave so they could get on with the task of forming their own defense pillar after 50 years of americans dominating the scene such fundamental questions Are among those facing Usa eur Gen. Crosbie e. Saint and other top . Military officers who until recently have planned trained and equipped for an All out War in Central Europe. Now As the military proceeds with the draw Down a the Pentagon has already announced the closure of 364 . Military installations in Europe since january 1990 a they also wrestle with the question of their new role. Meanwhile Many germans began to look Forward to the return of property at army garrisons. An already tight housing Market in Western Germany was aggravated by an influx of immigrants from Eastern Germany and other Eastern european countries after the fall of the Berlin Wall two years ago. About 99 percent of the real estate occupied by . Bases belongs to the German government which will assume control when the troops depart. On the other hand smaller German towns where . Soldiers have been stationed since the end of world War ii worried about the economic Impact of the withdrawals. Many base Side businesses Cater to the americans and thousands of germans who work in supporting roles for the military faced the Prospect of losing their jobs. Meanwhile draw Down units began holding closing ceremonies. The two divisions slated for deactivation were the 3rd army div and the 8th inf div. The two remaining divisions in Europe would be designated the 3rd inf div and the 1st army div. Known As the a a spearhead divison Quot the Frankfurt based 3rd army div first gained Battlefield glory fighting the germans in world War ii. In the Gulf War it played a key role crushing the iraqi Republican  right discrimination complaints stir military command by Janet Howells Tierney Washington Bureau August was an uncomfortable month for military leaders in Germany who faced allegations of widespread racial discrimination in the ranks following a much publicized visit by Arthur Fletcher chairman of the . Commission on civil rights. During a 13-Day visit Fletcher spoke to military and civilians on six bases in Germany. His visit was sponsored by the National association for the advancement of coloured Peoples european conference of branches which featured him As a guest speaker. A a in a taking Back hundreds of complaints a Fletcher told the stars and stripes adding that Many military members feared they were risking their jobs by talking to him. The complaints charged that the military a equal Opportunity offices were ineffective and that the inspector general was a a fraud a Fletcher said. Complainants allegations ranged from unopposed Kun flux klan activities to Black children not receiving equal treatment in overseas schools. Fletcher a comments sparked a letter from Gen. Crosbie e. Saint Usa eur commander asking the commission chairman to cite specifics to support his report that the command is riddled with discrimination. During a press conference in Early september Fletcher told reporters he was forwarding to the commission for investigation 33 documented allegations of racial and sexual discrimination from service members and civilians in Germany. Some complaints claimed that the ratio of Black to White prisoners in military jails averages about four to one and that More Black youths than Whites Are forced to return to the United states when they have disciplinary problems overseas he said. Other allegations focused on unfair hiring and firing practices of civilian employees and biased military officer evaluation reports that resulted in lost promotions or shortened careers. A preliminary report on the complaints from Germany prepared by Fletcher was delivered to president Bush defense Secretary Dick Cheney Gen. Colin Powell chairman of the joint chiefs of staff the service secretaries and congressional leaders. The report prompted the army to conduct a review of All equal Opportunity issues at posts around the world although officials said the primary focus was on Europe. The Pentagon named a 9-member task Force to Analyse reports from the military communities continued on Pue 14 wednesday thursday january 1/2, 1992 the stars and stripes Page 13