European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 24, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday december 24, 1992 the stars and stripes a Page 3major makes Surprise visit to troops split Croatia up a British prime minister John major made an unannounced Christmas visit to his country a troops tuesday in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. He told the soldiers serving with the United nations that their sacrifice would mean that Many More people would survive the Winter. The visit came amid fears for the safety of the . Troops if the Security Council moves ahead on a Resolution on enforcing a no Fly zone to keep serbian aircraft from the skies above Bosnia. Major flew to split on a Royal air Force plane tuesday morning then took a 20-minute helicopter trip to the bosnian croatian Border. From there he headed in a heavily armed Convoy on an hour Long ride along mud tracks littered with burned out cars to reach a British forces base inside Bosnia. Major agreed during weekend talks with president Bush to support an enforcement Resolution. But he and other British officials have urged caution and warned that British forces in the area could be easy targets for retaliation. Major described the British contribution As a the Backbone of the humanitarian  from the croatian Border. Major travelled in an armoured car into Bosnia to a Camp in Hilly country East of Tomislav Grad called the redoubt. British prime minister John major talks with Royal engineers on a Brief visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina on tuesday. At the redoubt a High Altitude Forward Post 50 Miles from Tomislav Grad he met . Troops including the Cheshire regiment and Royal engineers who make up the 2,400-Strong British contingent of . Forces in the Region. �?o1 wanted to see what was happening on the ground and particularly to express my thanks to you for the work you Are doing a he told the troops. Quot what we have asked you to do is not easy. In the next few months it will get less easy. T he weather will get worse and there May be other difficulties. Quot president Bush asked me to Tell you How much admiration there is in the United states and elsewhere for the work British troops Are doing. If you do feel pretty cold and pretty Low i would like you to know we think of you Back at  he added. Quot without you a lot of men women and children simply would not survive this Winter. This Christmas is not a great time to be Here. T Here will be a lot More people who will see a lot More christmases because you Are sacrificing your Christmas  in the 12-hour trip to the Region major distributed Christmas gifts a video and music cassettes a to some of the British troops who Are part of the . Forces working on humanitarian Relief missions. Major said his primary concern in talks i n enforcing the no Fly  Over Bosnia was a the safety of our troops and their  at the Start of tuesdays visit major said Quot i wanted to be Here today to see for myself the tremendous work being carried out by All our forces. A they Are performing heroically in difficult and hazardous conditions to make sure the humanitarian Aid gets through. I know the whole country will wish to Send them our Best wishes for Christmas and the new  boosted to ease shift to civilian life by Kevin Dougherty Kaiserslautern Bureau some service members who voluntarily separate from the military Are eligible for additional benefits in areas such As transportation health commissary privileges and education army and air Force officials in Europe said. The benefits Are designed to lend More assistance to those making the transition from military to civilian life under the voluntary separation incentive or the special separation Benefit programs. The Vii is an annuity the sub offers a one time payment and includes other benefits. The added benefits Stem from the 1993 authorization act and 1993 appropriations act. The acts add benefits for those separating under either program and also extend benefits to Vii takers that previously were available Only under the sub option. The added benefits cover those who have applied to either program or plan to do so and Are tip proved for separation. Of primary significance to Vii participants Are the Exchange and commissary shopping privileges and medical benefits said Carl Ingle a personnel official for the . Army Europe. Those benefits previously were available Only under the sub option. Exchange and commissary privileges Are Lor two years. Medical Bene fits Are for 60 or 120 Days depending on a persons length of service. The benefits Are available Only at . Installations. A key Benefit for participants in either program is the Choice of destination for household goods shipments. Previously the belongings of those separating were delivered to each persons Home of record which often had changed during the course of a military career. A it gives the individual the Opportunity if they Are looking for a Job to spread out a Little More a said Richard Wargel a transition assistance manager at Ramstein a Germany. Those separating from the military have six months to ship their belongings Back to the United states Wargel said. In addition the government now is giving those who leave under Vii or sub the Chance to pay up to $1,200 to participate in the Montgomery i Bill if they declined to take part before. Quot if they want 36 months of College benefits when they get out its fairly important Quot Wargel said. Under the Bill students pay tuition Ami Are reimbursed to some extent by the department of veterans affairs Wargel said. The reimbursement depends on variables such As part or full time student status. For $1,200 paid at discharge to the defense department or to the a for those who were discharged before oct. 23, those enrolled under the Bill qualify for full Montgomery i Bill education benefits. Beginning in april those benefits will total $400 per month for up to 36 months for full time students. Another added Benefit is retirement credit allowing service members to apply their time in service to the civil service retirement system. Many service members whose applications for separation were accepted have left Europe said air Force maj. Fenny Miller chief of the consolidated base personnel office at Ramstein. More than 3,000 airmen assigned to the . Air forces in Europe took part in either Vii or sub during fiscal 1992. The air Force has no plans to offer the voluntary separation programs during fiscal 1993, said cd Apt. Tom Gilroy of the air Force military personnel Center at Randolph fab Texas about 6,000 soldiers in Europe took part in the separation programs in fiscal 1992, said army . Col. Greg Westrum of the 1st personnel Conul in Schwet Zingen Germany. As of dec. 11, 247 soldiers were approved Lor separation under either Vii or sub Westrum  near for claims in Eastern Germany Berlin apr time is running out for people to want to claim properties that were lost to the state nearly six decades of nazi and communist Tato ships in Eastern Germany. Almost 1 million people have lodged claims for Resti Tion or compensation As the dec. 31 deadline for ast types of assets approaches. Claims for movable is such As cars Art and household furnishings can registered until june 30. Many of the claims have come from outside Ger my. Jews whose properties in Eastern Germany were Propri ated by the nazis before they fled the country the 1930s and their heirs have been among the Simants alone with germans who left communist is Germany. The Pace of claims has picked up after a slow Start it there Are still complaints that the unclear own ship of prime investment properties is hindering the Ono Mic transformation of Eastern Germany three ars after the Berlin Wall fell. The Federal Agency for resolving the property questions has taken in claims from 901,250 people on More than 2 million items including 1.8 million pieces of real estate. It said 11.2 percent of claims had been resolved As of september the most recent statistics available. Winning a claim May not necessarily be a Bonanza. The government has declared that old owners have obligations a taxes Upkeep administration a As Well As rights. One Way to Speed restoration of ownership can be to agree to a project desired by the local Community which otherwise might give the claim Low priority. But this May not be easy to accept for a foreign jewish family whose grandparents were persecuted by the nazis in the 1930s. A Bill expected to be passed in parliament next year would Force people who get property Back to pay part of its value into a fund which would be used to pay those who prefer compensation. But the plan faces objections. Quot some say the compensation will be far too Low Quot said Wolfgang Probandt a Berlin lawyer working with people who lost property to the East German communist government. T he draft Bill puts compensation at 1.3 times the taxable value of a property in 1935. A Waterside property in Potsdam might have had a taxable value of Only a few Hundred dollars in 1935, but would be Worth millions now Probandt said. And for those who would have their ownership restored a there is a lot of anger that they would have to pay to gel Back a property a Probandt said. The draft Bill puts that payment at one third of the 1990 taxable value of real estate. The government Calls it a Quot Solidarity contribution Quot by restored owners to those who Are Given compensation. Probandt said he expected the Law to be appealed to the supreme c ourt after it is passed. Of people socking restoration a letter stating the address or nature of the property must be received by dec 31 at. Bundles amt fur Rog lung oftener Hermogen Tragen Mauo Strasse 39 40 1080 Berlin