European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 29, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday october 29, 1992 the stars and stripes Page 3 up to 1,000 of lieutenant colonels could be picked for Early retirement by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington up to 1,000 air Force Lieuten ant colonels could be forced to retire after a selective Early retirement Board convenes Jan. 20, air Force officials said. The Board will consider for forced retirement 3,348line-officer lieutenant colonels with at least 20 years of service including 124 assigned to . Air forces i Europe. Another Board for colonels is tentatively scheduled for later in the year possibly in late Spring or Early summer. Line officers Are All officers except those in the Begalor chaplain career Fields or in one of the medical specialities. By Law the services May select up to 30 percent of those considered for Early retirement by any one Board. Recent boards in the air Force and army have picked the maximum allowed. An air Force statement said that while the service continues to look for ways to avoid or at least reduce the Impact of the selective Early retirement boards plans Call for them through fiscal 1995 to meet planned end strength requirements. Lieutenant colonels exempt from the january boar dare those who have been selected for promotion to col Onel were promoted from the current list on or after May 1, 1992 or already have a mandatory retirement Date of no later than sept. 30,1994. The service has expanded the eligibility criteria com pared with last year s lieutenant colonel Board which considered Only officers passed Over for promotion to colonel. The new Board will consider lieutenant colonels regardless of whether they have been considered for pro motion which Means a much larger population will be scrutinized. Congress has Given the services the flexibility to go even further by considering officers with As Little As 18 years of service for Early retirement when they reach the 20-year threshold. The air Force has used that expanded authority. Inthe captains and majors boards completed this summer officers with 19 years of service were considered with329 captains and 316 majors ultimately being selected for Early retirement. However for the next lieutenant colonels Board air Force officials have decided to consider Only those who have at least 20 years of service by the Board Date. About 60 Days before the Board convenes eligible officers will receive a personnel packet that will list the various records to be reviewed by the Board. Office scan then write to the air Force military personnel Center at Randolph fab Texas to update or provide More information with those records. Those selected for Early retirement must leave the service no later than the first Day of the seventh month after the Board results Are approved by the Secretary of the air Force. Eligible lieutenant colonels can avoid the Board pro Cess by voluntarily applying for a retirement Date of no later than oct. 1,1993. Dod May of joint duty credit for More Gulf vets by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington the Pentagon is devising eligibility criteria to allow som officers who served in the persian Gulf War to receive full or partial joint duty credit even if they weren t in a specified joint duty assignment at the time. The action which temporarily relaxes current Law is the result of a provision in the fiscal 1993 defense authorization act. The 1986 Goldwater Nichols act sets stringent requirements for awarding joint duty credit an important Factor in an offi cer s career advancement by specifying the assignments considered to be joint duty serving with the joint staff for example. A joint duty assignment involves working with More than one Branch of the service. What we be now been told is that Wedo not have to conform specifically with the Way current Law defines joint duty said a department of defense  be been authorized to come up with our own definition in this limited  the new provision is meant to give one time recognition to officers who served inthe persian Gulf in jobs that provided significant experience in joint matters but May not have been considered a joint duty assignment under the Goldwater Nichols statutes the official said. There May be people out there who served in the persian Gulf with the army for example but performed duties involving other . Forces or even coalition forces the official said. The provision covers Only those officer who served in the designated combat zone Between aug. 2,1990, and feb. 28,1991. In drawing up the provision lawmaker were concerned that entire categories of officers might try to use the temporary authority to get around the Goldwater Nich ols requirements and obtain joint duty credit that they did not deserve. That outcome lawmakers said would be completely contrary to their  a safeguard lawmakers insisted that the Secretary of defense personally approve each request for persian Gulf joint duty credit on a Case by Case basis. The temporary authority granted to the Pentagon to award such credit expires april 23. The defense department offi Cial could not say when the eligibility Crite Ria would be published but obviously we have to move fairly  requests for joint duty credit should in clude name rank social Security number Job specially dates of service in the com Bat zone position duty title during service in the combat zone and a statement that explains whether full or partial joint duty credit is being sought. The requests should also include narrative justification show ing the position served in supported by factual evidence such As letters of recommendation awards and evaluation re ports. Gourd Ness gracious three women place this giant pumpkin in front of a Day. The Swiss grown Gourd which weighs 231 pounds Flower store in downtown Zurich Switzerland on tues is touted As one of the biggest of its kind. Team to visit Vietnam look for Mia material Washington a a five Man team will travel to Vietnam this week to continue the search for new material that could help resolve the cases of american servicemen still missing from the Vietnam War the Pentagon said tuesday. That s when we expect to get More pictures Pentagon spokesman Pete Williams said at a briefing. Last week a . Delegation headed by retired Gen. John w. Vessey or. Returned from Vietnam with Promise that Hanoi would share All its information on american servicemen still missing from the War. In the months before the agreement was announced the Pentagon had been Given nearly 4,800 photos of individuals artefacts and crash Sites most of them fun need through an american researcher in Hanoi. Williams called the development a breakthrough i attempts to resolve the cases of the 2,265 men still unaccounted for. The spokesman said the team will be headed by Bob Destatte a member of the Pentagon s joint task Force that is seeking to resolve the cases. Destatte will be accompanied by three military offi cers and the researcher Ted Schweitzer who disclosed the existence of the photos and other material to the Pentagon Williams said. Oelstrom to take command of 86th Wing at Ramstein Ramstein a Germany Brig. Gen. Tad  is to assume command of the 86th Wing on tuesday from the acting commander col. Gary r. Bendlin. Oelstrom 49, has served As inspector general for the . Air forces in Europe for just More than a year. Bendlin has served As acting commander since the August departure of maj. Gen. Richard t. Swope the former 86th Wing commander. Bendlin will stay on in his previous position As vice commander