European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 31, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday october 31,1992 the stars and stripes b Page 3 army couple files suit Over damage to Home used in rental program taking aim at bomber unidentified German tourists look at the statue of British wartime Royal air Force commander Arthur bomber Harris after it had red paint thrown on it and the word shame painted on the base thurs Day. The statue unveiled in London on May 31 amid controversy was attacked in a similar manner last week. Navy employees arrested in probe of Job Selling Naples Italy is italian announced friday., police have arrested two Navy morale welfare and recreation employees in connection with an investigation into the Selling of jobs a Navy spokesman said thursday. Both men Are employed at naval support activity Naples porthole restaurant said it. Jon Smith a spokesman for the installation. Smith identified them As Anthony Bove a . Citizen and Pasquale Manzo an italian. The status of charges was not announce Bove the porthole s food an beverage manager and Manzo a food service worker Are accused of promising permanent jobs to the restaurant s temporary local National workers in Exchange for Cash Smith said. Monday s arrests were the re sult of a joint investigation by the naval investigative service and italian police Smith said adding that the investigation is continuing. By Ron Jensen Nairn Borg Bureau Furth Germany a Soldier and his wife filed a lawsuit Friday against the housing Divi Sion of the Niernberg military Community seek ing a Cash settlement for damage done by a ten ant placed in their House through the government rental housing program. At the Center of the dispute is a Wall coated with Oil based paint by a tenant who rented the House from sgt. 1st class Warren and Waltrau Cromie under the program from August 1989 until april 1992, while the cronies were in the United  owners say the dark coloured paint can not be properly covered by new paint and must be removed. Also they say the paint will cause mildew  couple initially sought a settlement with the military Community but no agreement was  this week Niernberg chief of housing Joe Dunn said we re not going to Settle be cause sgt. Cromie s charges Are  Dunn who also is the contracting agent for the government housing program wants a con tractor of the military s choosing to remove the paint which he said the rental agreement Al lows. Cromie wants to hire his own contract Rand Send the Bill to the Community. The parties also dispute the safety of the method used to remove the  the government loses the suit filed in Ger Man court the Cost could skyrocket beyond what it would take to remove the paint to cover other damage done while a . Army Captain his wife and two preschool children Veo m the House in Feucht South of Niernberg. Cromie a 15-year army Veteran with the 71st corps support in in Firth did not expect the trouble when he agreed to rent his three bed room House under the program commonly called  under it the government leases property on the local Economy for use by com Mand sponsored families and pays rent and  seemed like a very positive move on the army s part Cromie said. He put the House hand his wife have owned since 1980 into the program when they moved to Georgia. But when they returned Early this year Cro Mie said he was shocked at the House s Condi Tion. The place is trashed he said. Cromie can rattle off a list of damage he said the House suffered Walls marked with Felt pen stairway Banister pulled Loose Oak Wood floor scratched carpet burned by candles garage door broken Hole drilled in basement win Dow Frame for satellite to receiver Bathtub faucet broken tile floor chipped mahogany stairs scratched mildew growing on basement Walls and window shutter handle torn Loose from Wall. Gisela stage Pohl the cronies attorney said she has a list of 17 major problems with damage totalling 26,000 Marks or about $17,000. But housing officials said this week that the damage other than the painted Wall is Normal. Let s say the tenant does not paint the Wall said Monica Bach the program supervisor for the area. Then i d say it was average. If it want for the Felt pen on the Walls there would hardly be any problem with the  she said the Oak floor was old and already scratched when the tenant moved in. Scratches on the wooden stairs she added Are Normal. That is going to happen with Wood she said. We re not going to Tell the family they can Only walk around in  fair Wear and tear the contractual term for expected and uncompensated damage done to a nouse Bach said is a very subjective  Cromie said he was willing at one time to Settle for about 15,000 Marks about $10,000. But the military offered Only 3,000 Marks about $2,000. That settlement said Bach who remembered the agreed upon figure As 13,000 Marks did not include the estimated Cost of paint removal that a contractor had Given Cromie. The important thing is the . Govern inc it can do it in House at a cheaper rate she said. But Cromie said the army wants to remove the paint while he and his wife two daughters and the family dog remain in the House which he said a contractor told them is dangerous. He told us that he can work with the chemical Only two hours Cromie said and must take fresh air Breaks periodically. Stage Pohl said experts willing to testify say the chemical used to remove the paint can be a Hazard inside a House for up to a year causing injury to the liver kidneys and lungs As Well As being a Carcinogen. But Bach said she has been told the paint can be removed safely without potential for health problems to the cronies. Both sides anticipate an easy Legal Victory. Dunn said i Don t think he has a very Strong Case because we will Correct the deficiency and the contract allows us to do  Cromie on the other hand said the army should have accepted his earlier offer to Settle. The additional damages and court fees could significantly escalate the ultimate award. Now we re talking 70,000 to 75,000 Marks housing is going to have to pay he said. Serv remembers in Turkey enjoy tax break by Gary Miller Mediterranean Bureau service members at two air Force installations in Turkey will have som extra Holiday shopping Money because of their support of operation provide Comfort. Enlisted personnel at . Air stations in Izmir and Ankara Are entitle to refunds of All the Federal taxes they be paid this year. Officers Are entitled to an exemption on the first $500 of wages each month they Are assigned to a unit authorized an exclusion. Defense department civilians Are not authorized any tax exemptions. The combat zone tax exclusion granted the installations by the defense department actually dates to april 6,1991 and will continue indefinitely said air Force staff sgt. Michael  of Izmir air station s Public affairs office. Most people at Ankara air station received their tax refund for the year in their oct. 15 pay checks said tech. Sgt. Annette Crawford an Ankara air Sta Tion spokeswoman. The roughly 270 service members at Izmir air station should receive their taxes for this year in their nov. 1 checks. Since provide Comfort began the Izmir and Ankara air stations have sup ported the coalition Effort first to feed and shelter iraqi kurd who fled into Southern Turkey after the persian Gulf War and later to protect Northern iraqis from Saddam Hussein s forces. Both installations have provided sup plies and personnel to support the operation. Recognition of those efforts in the form of tax exclusions has taken longer than it has for other installations. People assigned temporarily or permanently to in Ciurlik a where provid Comfort is based have always been in title to the exclusion since the begin Ning of the War with Iraq in january 1991, said capt. Jerome Reed in Ciurlik s Public affairs officer. One Ankara based unit the joint . Military Mission for Aid to tur key has enjoyed the exemption for months. But the nearly 400 americans As signed to nato s Allied land Force Southeastern Europe and 6th Allied tac air Force both also in Izmir Are not entitled to the same exemption land said. The tactical air Force submitted a re quest for an exemption to the . Cen trial come and was turned Down said master sgt. Don Schmidt of the unit s Public information office. Schmidt said his command is review ing the situation. The defense department approved Izmir air station s exemption As part of a request by the . Logistics group which has since closed land explained. The logistics group s request which was submitted in june also included Ankara air station where the group was based Crawford said. Although the combat exclusion dates Back to april 1991, getting a return on the Money service members Are entitled to from last year is a bit More complicated. Service members who qualify will receive an amended w-2 form Crawford said. She added that they will have to file a new return for 1991