European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 10, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Drawing up the plans for the draw Ownby Peggy Davidson Kaiserslautern Bureau army units in Europe selected for deactivation Are being picked with great care said col. Joseph f. Adams chief of staff for the 21st theater army area come in Kaiserslautern Germany. Adams said that the decisions made at the command level Are a driven by the changes in the geopolitical factors around the  those world factors include the dissolution of the soviet Union the unification of the two Germany and the Host of events that have occurred in the last few years Adams said. A abroad targets Are identified a said Adams a and provided Down to the planners who then have to wrestle with that and figure out a what is the Mission and what does it take to accomplish the Mission Quot once those Broad targets Are identified by Congress and the military planners in Washington officers such As Adams begin their decision making. Those decisions in a command such As the 21st Are different from decisions made in the corps Adams said. A when you re dealing with a number of like units and some of those have to go away that s the kind of problem the Man Euver unit Guys the Guys in the corps have to Deal with because they have numbers of like battalions a Adams said. A your organization is not at All structured like that. They re not performing identical  Adams said that planners at the 21st look at issues such As what the army a ultimate Mission in Europe will be the equipment needed and the soldiers needed to get the Mission done. A largely its the draw Down driven by factors such As unit capability unit location a Adams said. A a while there is some consideration Given to historical lineage and things like that the primary Factor is the Mission  individual people Are not the primary target of the higher commands decisions said col. Ronald g. Riley assistant chief of staff for Force management at the 21st. A a we re looking at the unit in its total and its Mission a said Riley. A the people issues Are worked at the unit  the units Deal with training Quality of life questions and humanitarian issues Riley said. Training is a High priority to army planners according to Riley. Video briefings by the army chief of staff that soldiers and army civilians have been hearing emphasize the importance of maintaining High Levels of training. The videos say that history shows that previous massive draw Downs have resulted in a similar decrease in effectiveness of the soldiers. A a there a a great Deal of time and Energy being expended at the very highest Levels in the army to ensure that we maintain the effectiveness that the army has achieved albeit it la be a smaller army a Adams said. A the process that we have used in our command involves the senior leaders at the unit level and the senior leaders at the staff level Here Quot said Adams. The leaders Are involved a in a very intensive and i depth planning process. A a it a not just the folks in uniform and the folks in the department of defense who feel the Impact of the draw Down. Look at Industry the defense Industry not just in our country but around the world. The changes that have taken place in the last year and a half two years have been probably As dramatic and will have As dramatic an Impact on the world As perhaps the Industrial  sets nov Tarrant packing it in at the american housing area in Hanau  for the goodbye troops be prepared by Ken Clauson Bremerhaven Bureau planning is the key to a stress free move Back to the states say most families at Lucius d. Clay Cavern in Karlstedt Germany. Since their Post is closing in september and the 2nd army div inactivating much of the administrative hassles have been eliminated by streamlined Batch processing in the units. What a left is primarily on the Home front the House kids car and pets. A the first thing is planning a says maj. Robert Hepp executive officer of 4th in 3rd Field arty. A sit Down with a Calendar and plan with the family and try to follow that plan. Usually the personnel and transportation systems Are flexible enough to support the time line you set  working backward from the arrival Date at the next unit Back through leave and vacation time to the present works Best Hepp says. He and his family have moved six times in the past 15 years. Most soldiers and their spouses say moving is easier when everyone in the family is part of the process. A in my Case the most important person is my wife a says capt. Tyrone Smith officer in charge of the family action Center at 4th in 3rd Field arty. A i keep her informed and she keeps the kids excited about going to the new duty station. Our monthly unit family briefing is mandatory for service Mem ers with families. We put fliers in the mailboxes and address them to the wives to make sure they get the information and we guide the briefings toward the families because often the wife is left  the most time consuming and tedious part of the move is getting House and personal belongings ready. A i done to think its a hassle. Basically you just have to prepare a says Darlene Bess a Karlstedt family member. A just find out what you have to do and get your stuff set aside for the  families living in government quarters should take advantage of the pre inspection and get a detailed list from the inspectors of everything that must be fixed replaced or painted says Melanie Primus. She and her husband capt. Kenneth Primus commander of co a 2nd in 66th Armor Are preparing for their seventh military move. He recommends making a list of everything to be shipped hand carried and discarded. A sort everything into piles a he says. A and if you Haven to emptied your trash can sometimes  wrap that  but school health and military records should never be packed Melanie Primus says. These documents should be hand carried because  Likely be needed Long before the household goods arrive at the next duty station. Preparing for the housing inspectors is really just a matter of common sense Smith says. A things like tape on a Wall cleanliness and removing things that were not in the Home when it was signed for a he says. A if there Are holes in the doors that need to be fixed Call the engineers and if you have a broken window for example done to wait until the pre Check to be told you need to have it  staff sgt. Elmon Trueblood works for Smith at the family action Center. He advises people to Start planning As soon As they know they Are moving. A think about passports for newborns and birth certificates and done to wait until the last minute a Trueblood says. A a lot of times we have to hold up out processing because we done to have documents for children. Think about Small things like making airline reservations for pets or getting rid of the pet. A lot of people like to wait until the last minute and then the pet ends up on the Street and that s not  families should also plan for the expense of staying in a hotel after they move out of their House he says. Its a reimbursable expense but the hotel Bill usually must be paid before the Soldier gets the Mony Back from the government. A for somebody who does no to move All the time i guess it could be a traumatic experience Quot Hepp says. A but there a no big thing to get stressed out about just a lot of Little things to pay attention to and the biggest single thing is Clearing  Smiths wife Kay says its a mental matter. A i think a positive attitude helps a she says. A even if its some place you done to want to go Start off with a positive attitude and try to maintain it. Look at the advantages and Good Points of the  for families planning a military career capt. Primus offers one last bit of advice about moving. A get used to  10, 1992 sunday a Page 5