European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 23, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday february 23, 1992 the stars and stripes a Page 3 super troops without super options air Force Captain forms super support group by Vince Cimeley and that the super group is in no Way connected with allowed 10 Days of free leave a called staff writer his duties As a Public affairs officer. Nomm a nov Quot i. W. By Vince Crawley staff writer an air Force Captain says overseas service members wont be Able to take full advantage of the military a Early out benefits and he is forming an informal support group to help service people share ideas about getting out capt. Jerry Todd who works in Naples Italy also says his group is coming up with Cost free or Low Cost suggestions that would help service members who arc in a not directly affected but i m concerned because its my air Force a master sgt. Rosemary Connolly accepting the Pentagon a discharge bonuses explore their options. The special separation Benefit gives army and air Force careerists a Large one time payment if they qualify for and accept Early discharges. The voluntary separation incentive is similar but spreads the payments Over several years. Eligible people who done to take advantage of the separation bonuses will Likely be the first ones targeted for involuntary separation Todd said. As an air Force Captain with 11 years in service he said he has been led to believe he will have a �?o95-plus percent chances of being booted out a with less Cash a if he does no to Volunteer now. Todd Calls his group super Short for support for uniformed personnel eligible for reduction and said it has 25 members in the Naples area. A a we re super troops without super options a said Todd who stressed that he is acting As a private citizen and that the super group is in no Way connected with his duties As a Public affairs officer. A a in a not being asked to leave because in a a troublemaker or am writing bad checks a said Todd 37, who is originally from Moscow Idaho. A i understand the air forces Point of View. I understand there a a draw Down and i understand that in a going to be a casualty of the peace dividend but in a stuck Over Here and can to get on with the rest of my  by volunteering for the separation bonuses he forfeits his ability to Transfer to a stateside base where he could Hunt for work because a stateside Transfer requires a capt. Jerry Todd one year Extension of Active duty Todd said. Air Force master sgt. Rosemary Connolly recently invited Todd to speak to a local meeting of the air Force top four association a group for the top four enlisted ranks. A i liked what he had to say a Connolly said. She did no to qualify for the Early out offers a but two people who work for me arc affected and it May not be Long before More  Many non commissioned officers arc interested in what super has to say Connolly said. A a in a not directly affected but in a concerned because its my air Force a she said. Officials Yacknow Liged that overseas troops Are at a disadvantage if they want to use the Early out incentives. Programs such As 180 Days of free housing after discharge a Are primarily geared for folks Back in the states a said it. Col. . Crowley a spokesman for . Air forces Europe headquartered at Ramstein a Germany. Crowley also said Job Hunting a is less convenient Here than it is Back there but pointed out that airmen arc allowed 10 Days of free leave a called a permissive temporary duty Quot a to help them Hunt for housing. Todd said the services can do More. If he had it his Way those stationed overseas would be eligible for Mort  try a a and he said discharge volunteers should get higher priority on space available military flights so Thev can Nunt for jobs and housing in the states. Super a other recommendations include a Early stateside reassignments. Upon approval of the voluntary separation service members should be allowed to Transfer to the installation nearest their Home where they can work in their specially during duty hours while Hunting for jobs and housing in their off duty time. A Extension of discharges or discharge payments into january 1993. This would be in the same fiscal year hence the same military budget As december 1992, but would Jive the departing gis a tax break. Those taking the five digit Lump sum option will typically lose More than $5,000 of their Bonus in incomes taxes. A reduction in Force Protection. Written promises that a Servic member wont be forced out if his or her request for Early separation is turned Down. Right now Todd said personnel experts arc Only Able to give his group verbal assurances. A Access to office computers and photocopiers on an off duty regulated basis to Complete resumes and work applications. Todd said one of the main Aims of the support group is to share information about separating from the service for those who Haven to yet decided whether to choose one of the Bonus options. A a lot of people have a lot of questions and Are not getting a lot of answers from the military Quot he said. Me urges other overseas Servie members to Contact their congressional representatives about the Issue. People who want to Contact the group can write to super of South Box 132 Fpo a 09620airmen give mixed reviews to Early out programs by Meridith Winder . Bureau Raf Mildenhall England voluntary separation programs got mixed reviews from air Force members and their families who attended a recent briefing at Raf Mildenhall on the offerings. A a there a always been one thing about the military that you could depend on a said staff sgt. James Arnold. A that was no matter what today brought you always knew you were going to have a Job tomorrow. And now you done to even have that  Arnold was among those who packed the base theater Over three Days to hear the briefing. The base career adviser staff sgt. John Zimmerman gave a scripted talk outlining the voluntary separation incentive the selective separation Benefit and possible reductions in Force. A this briefing was to inform everybody who a eligible to participate in the air forces voluntary separation program a Zimmerman said. A this gives them the information they need to make an educated career  similar briefings were held at major installations throughout the . Air forces Europe last month. At smaller installations the information on the separations bonuses was disseminated by Safe prepared videotapes. Under the voluntary separation programs Vii offers annual payments while sub is a one time payment with other benefits. If a reduction in Force or if occurred the Money would be substantially less according to Zimmerman. The air Force is Basing its Choice of people for Early outs on rank and Job specially. Air Force specially codes have also been divided into tiers. First tier airmen hold the most critically manned jobs. Fifth tier airmen have jobs that Are Over manned and least critical. At Mildenhall the majority of those affected Are senior airmen e-4 through staff sergeant e-5. More than 560 people Are eligible. Some like Arnold Are going to wait to see what happens. A the amount of Money Over the Long term Isnit really that much in my opinion a Arnold said. Others done to feel they have much Choice Between accepting the More generous Money offered under the Vii and sub instead of waiting to Sec if there a a reduction in Force. A a in a in tier five which basically Means in a out a said staff sgt. Frank Neft. A when looking at a if you re taking two thirds of the benefits you would normally get under Vii sub a Neft has spent 13 years in the air Force and planned on making it a career. But after attending the briefing he a starting to make other plans. A a in a going to apply but in a going to seek a separation Date As far Down As i can get a he said. A a it a just so i can maintain the benefits so i can take care of everything in be got to take care of. I had planned on sticking around for 20 years. Now its either take the Money and run or you re out  staff sgt. Richard Vandeflier an eight year Veteran is looking Forward to applying and getting out. Although he a in the second tier he secs it As an Opportunity to change his lifestyle. A a it a a Chance to finally Settle Down in one place in the states and have a place for my family to live a Vandeflier said. A this is also a Chance to get out and not be put out and ill be Given the Money to get  Vandeflier believes the Money program is a Good idea but a it seems like it Corners a lot of people toward being put out. But for me it came at a Good time. I  mind getting  family members also expressed Strong feelings about the program. A you do those things working toward retirement a said Ruth Neft the wife of Frank Neft. A and More than hallway Down the line they re saying a it does t matter you be sacrificed All these years. We done to need you  a morale of sex soviet forces sags officers say Moscow apr disputes among former soviet republics Are hurting morale in the armed forces and there Are signs that the Devotion of soldiers to the a a motherland has eroded senior officers say. Air Force maj. Gen. Nikolai Stolyarov chairman of the personnel committee of the commonwealths armed forces said the recent defection of six Su-24 bomber pilots from a base in Ukraine to Russia was especially worrisome. A this event. Cannot be considered Good for morale a Stolyarov said thursday at a news conference on military personnel issues. A we Are very afraid that although so far its been just a single Case the flight of the bomber pilots could Start an unpredictable Chain  Stolyarov and other members of the personnel committee said most of the 3.7 million soldiers sailors and airmen Are still patriotic and follow orders. But they gave a candid assessment of the psychological Impact of the soviet unions demise and of rifts within the 10-week-old Commonwealth of Independent states. A poll conducted by the army last month among its own troops found that about 80 percent were a devoted to the defense of the motherland and would follow their commanders orders without hesitation said col. Pyotr Korchemny head of the personnel committees information department. Korchemny did not provide details on the poll results or methodology. A the most important thing is to make sure that servicemen at least realize they have a Homeland they have something to defend a Stolyarov said. His comment reflected the difficulty of defining the a a motherland now that the 12 former soviet republics Are All Independent and four of them a Ukraine Belarus Moldova and Azerbaijan a Are setting up their own armies