European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 2, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 2 b the stars and stripes monday november 2,1992 at a glance Bill Fox Sparks a fire with a bit of Rock and Straw during a revolutionary War and. Civil War Encampment in Wiesbaden Germany. See Story and photos on pages 14 and is. Kkt items auctioned hundreds of people from collectors to the curious showed up to bid on Kun flux klan Memorabilia in Page 4 Columbia comes Home space shuttle Columbia swooped Down at Nasa s spaceport sunday with six astronauts who released a laser reflecting satellite and tested a robotic Eye during their 10-Day journey. A a a Page 5 tourists Hurt in Egypt gunmen opened tire sunday on a tour bus in Southern Egypt wounding 10 people in an attack identical to one carried out by Muslim extremists 10 Days before. A Page 8 school meeting ends the 24-member advisory Council on dependents education established by Congress to advise the director of the military a overseas schools concluded its semiannual meeting in Wiesbaden Germany on saturday after a week of visits to several schools in the Region. A Page 9 banking bailout Independent presidential candidate Ross Perot says republicans and democrats Are trying to hide a crisis in which commercial Banks May require a huge taxpayer bailout but financial experts disagree. Page 17 Index Abby Ann Landers 20 comics.1820 commentary.13 crossword.20 faces n places 10 letters.12 Money matters.17 sports 21 28 to listings .27 weather .11 playing the numbers game costs some officers dearly by Kevin Dougherty Kaiserslautern Bureau Ramstein a Germany four numbers come to mind when air Force capt. Rob Capece considers his final Days in the military 6, 22, 1,595 and 15,000. Capece Isnit a lottery player but he did lose big in a numbers game of sorts when he was selected As one of 1,595 company Grade officers by a reduction in Force or if Board. To make matters worse Capice is 22 Days shy of six years of service. Big Deal it is when those 22 Days a or 176 working hours a leave Capece ineligible for Severance pay that would have netted him about 15,000 after taxes. In the business world Capice knows receiving Severance pay often is the exception rather than the Rule. But he believes he and other officers in that situation should have received some monetary compensation for their service. That is particularly True he said since the 1991 National defense authorization act changed the service required for certain benefits from five to six years. �?o1 am comparing myself to my Peers to the person in the next office at the next desk a Capece said. Company Grade officers selected by a Board in july to leave the military As part of a if have until dec. 31 to separate. An official with the air Force military personnel Center at Randolph fab Texas said that the service knew some officers would not qualify for Severance pay but that the line had to he drawn somewhere. However it is unclear How Many of the officers being Cut also Are being Cut out Capece any of the if Money. A the government has to set some restrictions just because of fiscal responsibility a said it. Col. David Edwards chief of separation at the personnel Center. A this is strictly a numbers Drill not a cleansing of the air Force a Edwards said adding that those who were selected Are thing but officers subject to involuntary separation included Active duty non Pilot lieutenants and captains who held Reserve commissions dating from 1980 to 1989. Also eligible were Reserve commission line officers in the same ranks who were not selected for promotion by the 1991 major Board. Line officers Are those not serving with the judge advocate general the chaplains or any medically related corps. Of the estimated 8,900 Reserve officers eligible for involuntary separation 652 were assigned to the . Air forces in Europe said capt. Felecia Tavares a Safe spokeswoman. The command lost 165 officers to the if. Like Capece not All of those considered for involuntary separation were eligible for either the special separation Benefit or the voluntary separation incentive programs two voluntary separa Tion plans offered earlier in the year. Both plans which were available to enlisted personnel is Well As officers offered monetary compensation and some benefits. The number of enlisted members who opted to take the Money and retire met the air forces goal while the officer ranks fell Short. A i done to want to get out. I was in for the Long haul a said capt. Scott Nussbaum who was riffed and qualifies for separation pay but was precluded from applying for either of the two voluntary plans. �?o1 feel betrayed a said Nussbaum a mobility officer stationed at Ramstein. A i put in a lot of Long hours and capt. Robert Smith could have applied for one of the two voluntary separation plans but never gave it much thought. As it turns out Smith who works in accounting and finance at Ramstein is being riffed and that will Cost him about $12,000, the difference Between his Severance pay and what he would have received had he left on his own. A i have always considered myself a career officer a Smith said. A i worked too Long and hard to get although disappointed with the Way things turned out Smith is not bitter toward the air Force nor he is questioning his decision to stick it out. A i know that 1 did t make the Grade so they asked me to leave a he said. A but i did no to from Page 1 if also find the process difficult. A a it a one of the hardest things you have to do As a commander a said col. Jonas l. Blank the 100th air refuelling Wing commander. A a it a made even More difficult because the people who received if notices were great people a invaluable to both the Wing and the air Blank who personally delivered the notices to All the officers at Mildenhall added a unfortunately the unpleasant task of notifying individuals Falls to the commanders. Although we Are meeting the current needs of the air Force its still an extraordinarily difficult thing to Blank explained that because of the if the air Force has relatively Young career officers who Are now left with a Short time to look for a Job As Well As Deal with other key life issues. A a by a also More exasperating by being overseas a Blank said. Mihovilich had been on base Only about one month when he was notified. His wife is a teacher and they have no children but he is still worried about what happens when he gets out. A there was no Way to really set up for anything Quot the 27-year-old St. Augustine fla., native said. A a there a nothing to go Back to except family. Well just have to draw unemployment until we can secure the officers said they were lulled into a false sense of Security because they did not believe the air Force would spend a lot of Money on a permanent change of station Moe and then put them out of service. A a it a not inconceivable that this happened a Meyer said. A there were probably some people who were notified about being Rifted after they stepped off a plane when arriving at their new duty and then others such As capt. Rox Shain were notified by Telephone. A i was on temporary duty in Turkey a said Shain another Kc-135 want edit tha a Mph it Quot Quot la a because i did no to want to be left hanging for a couple of but Shain and the other officers Felt they received too Little information about How the if was going to work. Enlisted members Shain said knew specifically which air Force career Fields or air Force specially codes were overstaffed and were Likely to be targeted for cutbacks if enough people in them did not seek the Early outs with bonuses. Officers on the other hand were not Given the same kind of information. A i have no idea where i fell on the list a said capt. De Mcroy who works in the 100th air refuelling wings command Post. A there was so much secrecy involved that i done to know if i was the last person and considered the worst out of All those considered. Or was i just right below the line i have no Meyer said there is no Way the officers or anyone else can find out. Air Force officials issued instructions that no figures on the number of officers selected or information on the selection process would be released. One Consolation might be that some officers will receive separation pay under the if. I about $20,000 before taxes a said Garber who has been in the air for e 6> years and is assigned to the 351st air refuelling so. Shain Shain also a ill receive separation pay but others such As Mihovilich wont get anything. A there was nothing for me to consider but just staying in a Mihovilich said. A besides in the Back of my Mindt was thinking that 4hey, i went to the War and i have All these medals and citations. That should pull me a Mihovilich said he flew More than 80 sorties in persian Gulf War and Felt that should have influenced whether he went or stayed. A but i done to get anything for this a he said. A i done to get any compensation just a ticket Home. That a my a thank you for serving my according to Meyer officers must serve at least six years on Active duty before they Are eligible for any kind of Bonus or separation pay. Mihovilich has been in a Little More than five years. The officers who were riffed do not blame Mildenhall officials for their plight. Garber said base people have been More than helpful in preparing them for their transition. And they agreed that people now in service should Start making plans Early to make the move to civilian life. A i want to warn the people who Tomk they Are secure that there a probably going to be another if a Mcroy said. A it happened to us and it will probably happen to them. You be got a year to get your records in shape and make yourself look As attractive As
