European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 26, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Southern Europe building toward better rooms is Oak Dudlo Pool rooms such As this one in Fulda Germany have soldiers on a Roll after work. By Gary Miller Mediterranean Bureau soldiers Call them billets airmen Call them dormitories and sailors Call them Bachelor enlisted quarters but most people understand the term baracks. Whatever they re called on base housing facilities for single service members in Southern Europe Are going through changes. At Caserma Ederle in the Northern italian Community of Vicenza the need for improvement in the Barracks was most obvious at the army bases largest unit the 3rd in 325th inf regt airborne in combat team. A having served in an airborne battalion Here 17 years ago i visited the airborne troops soon after i arrived. There were four men to a room five Guys in some places a said maj. Gen. James a. Musselman commander of the Southern european task Force. A they had All their gear to be ready to Roll in a minute. With that stuff stacked up All around it looked like a  there were limits to what Musselman could do until . Army Europe implemented its a Lousy Barracks program late last year. The Usa eur initiative declared that Barracks residents have the same rights As people living off Post. The new policy lifted most restrictions on room decorations forbids work related activities in the Barracks and moved sergeants out of the Barracks. The changes had officials at Caserma Ederle wondering How the troops would respond. A most of them Are telling me a you done to have to worry about me but i done to know about this other Guy a a said the 325th�?Ts sgt. Maj. Teddy Harman. During an interview in late november Only Days after the program took affect Harman and the 325th�?Ts Deputy commander maj. John Kelly explained their units implementation of the theater wide changes. A it Means we re telling each Soldier a you re responsible for your action a that one individuals Misbehaviour wont Stop everybody a privileges As it might have before a Harman said. A if this program works for 1,100 paratroopers it can work for the whole army a Kelly said. Usa eur also provided funds to improve the buildings themselves. A we have $18 million Worth of projects scheduled Over the next six years to upgrade All Barracks on Ederle a said Tom Mitchell chief of plans and services at the posts directorate of engineering and housing. Mitchell explained that All the Barracks on Post will be converted to the two plus two room configuration which consists of a pair of two person rooms with a bathroom Between. Rooms on the ground floor will have private entrances plus Day rooms and kitchenettes will be provided on each floor and storage areas will be turned Over to residents to keep Large items Mitchell said. To provide space for the improvements organizations that had offices in the Barracks Are moving to leased spaces off Post according to John Ratcliff construction inspection Branch chief. Offices have also been moved from other buildings on Post that were originally apartments Ratcliff said. Some of those former offices have been turned Over to non commissioned officers who Are being moved out of the Barracks Ratcliff said. The Barracks changes were modelled after the air forces dormitories Musselman said. While members of other services often look to the air forces dorms with envy Safe officials Are planning improvements to make their facilities even better. In the United kingdom where 6,021 3rd air Force enlisted personnel live in dorms renovations Are slated Over the next few years at each of the sue remaining bases there a Raf Mildenhall Raf Ben Waters Raf Chicksands Raf upper Heyford Raf Lakenheath and Raf Alconbury. On a Safe a Southern flank some airmen at san Vito Dei Normanna air station near Brindisi Italy Are pitching in to improve their dorm. Members of that air base group Are renovating their dorm on a self help basis. A the teams Are made up of three civil Engineer craftsmen and three of our desk jockeys. They re trained during the first week then they Knock out some really Good Quality work a said capt. Fred Chavez commander of the Headquarters Squadron Section. Airman Damon Respress a Stock control specialist recently finished working on the dorms second floor for three weeks. He painted rooms and hallways and fixed bathrooms. A it was a change of scenery a Respress said. A i d just As soon pass on  a they kind of come Over kicking and screaming because they think they re going to be abused a Chavez said. A but after a Day or two they realize its going to help them in the Long run a that they could be living in the room they re painting or scrapping or Barracks game time in Fulda Germany. Adding the Wood trim  Respress said he did no to especially enjoy his time As a member of the renovation team but the results Are dramatic. A the third floor renovation is Complete. They look great a he said. A a it a the renovation going pretty Well. As a matter of fact its going better than i thought it would a said staff sgt. Gerald Gooding who manages the air base groups dorm. A a you a be surprised what people can do if you take a Little time with them and show them How to do it. A a lot of the people who come to the renovation Are unskilled but once the people who Are handling it work with them a couple of Days they usually get right on  the dorm improvements have improved morale of the residents Chavez said. A a it a been really positive. We noticed during the last two inspections we did we be had basically no problems As far As keeping it clean and keeping the noise level Down a he said. Navy Petty officer 2nd class Edward Mattie prefers air Force dorms he lived in during a previous tour to the Navy Bachelor enlisted quarters he now Calls Home at the naval support activity at Souda Bay Crete. A out of the seven buildings there Are two that Are probably really hurting As far As heat and hot water Are concerned a Mattie said. This past Winter the worst Winter in Crete in 40 years Barracks staff members issued All the residents in the unheated buildings three extra blankets Mattie said. A a they a fix the heat. It would work for a couple Days break again and it would be weeks before they would fix it again a he said. The . European come apparently agrees that Souda Bay a quarters need improving. Its $43 million construction request for fiscal year 1003 included $7.6 million for new Bachelor enlisted quarters at Souda Bay. Souda Bay a Barracks were one of five construction projects in eur come a Bare Bones request. New enlisted quarters Are already under construction at the naval support activity in Naples Italy. The quarters Are being built at the support activity a detachment at Cap Dichino Airport about 10 Miles from the bases main facility on Naples outskirts. By the end of the year single sailors should be moving into their new Home at Cap Dichino where support activity officials plan to move its Headquarters and several of its tenant  26, 1992 sunday a Page 7