European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 14, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday november 14, 1993 the stars and stripes Page 3 Unten ured workers seek Job rights by Kevin Robinson staff writer with the army expected to trim 5,000 civilian jobs in1994 in Europe those most Likely to be the first to go Are screaming  limited employees or oils in several army communities claim the system has reneged on promises to convert them to career status. Without  a conversion they say they stand Little Chance of keeping their jobs in the midst of a shrinking work  employees Are americans Many former service members who entered civil service overseas in Tempo Rary positions under five year appointments that Are renewable every two  the Job placement benefits that come with career tenure oils say they Are doomed during a reduction in Force. They say they would be the first to go because their government Job status does not recognize their expertise or years of service. There Are careerist Guys who Are os-12s wit three years of Federal service and they Are considered to be better qualified because they Are in the states and that in t necessarily True said an Osl employee with More than a decade of Federal service who asked to remain Anonymous. He has that position because he is there. Let my of 171 employment form talk forme. That s All i  As of june about 1,039 oils worked for the  Europe according to the army civilian person Nel division in Heidelberg Germany. Since sept. 30,1991,64 oils have lost their jobs through a formal reduction in Force procedure compared with 129 other Bevery one of us will a unemployed and out on the Street before anyone does anything about ii. An overseas  army civil service employees in  most circumstances career tenure employees who lose their jobs during a reduction in Force qualify for Job placement in a worldwide assistance program called priority placement. Oils have no  place ment rights. Army officials said that since 1989, the european command has been working on a variety of initiatives to help oils convert to career status. The most heralded of these measures would be a executive order that would give oils career tenure. However in a written response dated june 25, Elle Russell of the office of personnel management Down played chances of an executive order. It would restrict the opportunities for others to apply for vacant positions she said Mcferring to people who already have Ca reer tenure. The Issue of oils is not dead in Washington according to Candace Harding of Headquarters services directorate of personnel and Security a division of theoffice of personnel management. Harding said the office of personnel management asked defense department agencies in july to consider _ eliminating the hiring of oils and consider converting the existing ones to career status. We do feel we need to provide opportunities for them either through conversion or priority placement Harding said. However nothing official has Bee done she added. The overseas limited category was never designed Asa pathway toward becoming a career civil servant rus sell said the Issue of career status for oils did not surface until 1989, when the Berlin Wall fell. Who was Wor ried about a if situation Back in this Days of the cold War one Osl civilian  re worried now especially in Light of the plan by the army in Europe to Cut the civilian work Force from 32,000 to 27,000 during 1994. Every one of us will be unemployed and out on the Street before anyone does anything about it said an other Osl who declined to give his name. The Atti tude is that the numbers have to come Down and the Money is not there to pay everybody. The Powers t6 Beare saying you Guys can complain All you want Well take care of that after the fact those holding Osl positions arc considered external. Employees by the office of personnel management making them ineligible for transfers to similar Federal jobs in the United states. Furthermore the defens department has instituted a hiring freeze. Having the Osl Guys with  restrictions causes our Talent Pool to be diminished said a super visor hired As an Osl. By restricting the Osl hires our ability to select the most talented people is restricted and it hurts the taxpayer arms to take voyage toward new strategy honouring women of Vietnam War Gen. John m. Shalikashvil chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and Diane Carls Nevans founder of the Vietnam women s memorial project stand before a replica of the new memorial during a joint chiefs armed forces review. The event held Friday a fort myer va., honoured female veterans of the Vietnam War. The full sized sculpture which stands near the Vietnam veterans memorial in Washington was dedicated the Day before. It depicts three nurses aiding a Soldier. Black woman named general Washington is Irene Trowell Harris has become the first Black woman in the history of the National guard to attain the rank of brigadier general. The announcement of Trowell Harris promotion was made Friday by defense Secretary Les Aspin. Trowell Harris 54, serves in the air National guard As an assistant to the director of nursing on the staff of the inspector general for the air Force surgeon general. As a civilian she is director of the patient care inspections and evaluations division for the department of veterans affairs. A native of Aiken s.c., Trowell Harris has spent More than three dec Ades in the nursing Field. She was commissioned As a flight nurse in 1963 and has served in various Capaci ties As a flight nurse nursing instructor and administrator. In 1986, she became the first air National guard nurse to command a medi Cal clinic. She holds advanced degrees in Public health and health education. In civilian life she has worked As a senior staff specialist with the american nurses association including stints a chairwoman of the Ana s task Force on aids and As Ana congressional District coordinator for the state of new York. Banks in Germany closed wednesday merchants National Bank branches in Germany will be closed wednesday in Observance of repentance Day a German Holiday. Customers Are urged to use the Bank s automated Teller machines. By Chuck Vinc Washington Bureau Washington the cold War will recede a bit further into history monday when hundreds of . Army tanks in Fantry fighting vehicles and howitzers that once massed to defend Europe froma soviet attack Are loaded onto ships in Antwerp  weaponry enough to outfit a heavy brigade of two armoured and two mechanized infantry battalions will become the first pieces of the army Snew floating inventory of pre positioned equipment an army official at the Pentagon said. The ships will be loaded with 123 m1a1abrams tanks 154 Bradley infantry fight ing vehicles 24 self propelled howitzers nine multiple launch rocket systems 344 other tracked vehicles and other wheeled vehicles including heavy trucks. Most of the equipment belonged to unit sin Germany that Are inactivating mainly the Lith army Cav regt in Fulda and the2nd brigade 3rd inf div in Erlanger. During the cold War the army maintained Large land based pre positioned stockpiles in Europe to be used by . Re inferring units in the event of a soviet inva Sion. The floating equipment however willbe available for a wider variety of missions. The ships will be based at the India Ocean Island of Diego Garcia and possibly in Satta hip Thailand. They will be Avail Able for deployment anywhere for combat disaster Relief and humanitarian assist Ance operations the official said. The shipboard inventory is part an Effort to upgrade the army s transport capabilities As it focuses on responding quickly to regional contingencies rather than being prepared to fight a land War in Cen trial Europe. The army has never pre positioned combat material aboard snips on  a scale and the Effort will not be cheap. Operations and maintenance costs could run As High As $1 billion through Fis Cal 1999, the official said. But army Leaden feel the Money will Bewell spent. The need to store  gear aboard ships was one of the key goals out lined in a 1992 army mobility study that grew put of the persian Gulf War and the transition to a largely stateside based Force the official said. We May not have the luxury of a Long Lead time like we did in operation desert storm to move .-based Materiel to overseas locations he said. We need to keep a certain amount of equipment out Side the United  moving heavy combat material into regional hot spots by sea traditionally has belonged to the Marine corps and the official acknowledged that there was friction at first when the army began its planning. There was some resistance originally he said. But i think we re Over the Hump on that. The Marine corps has been very supportive Over the past six months or so. The army now describes the initiative As one that complements rather than conflicts with Marine corps capabilities. Once the ships arc loaded in Antwerp they will steam to Charleston s.c., where additional supplies will be taken on. From there the ships will return Over seas. While Diego Garcia definitely will Leone berthing site . Officials Are negotiating with Thailand to berth a portion of the Fleet at Satta hip the official said. . Officials Hope to finalize that arrangement within the next few months he said. The eight ships to store the equipment Are ready Reserve Fleet vessels. Over the next few years the army plans to replace them with eight larger More modern ships that will significantly increase storage capacity. All the combat equipment that initially will be stored aboard the ready Reserve Fleet ships will fit on four of the new ships the official said. The other four new ships will be loaded mostly with combat service support material  As supplies and engineering equipment particularly useful in disaster Relief and humanitarian assist Ance efforts the official said. The military traffic management come will oversee the loading of the equipment in Antwerp. The ships will operate under the military sea lift come an the Crews will be . Merchant marines. In addition to the floating brigade set the army maintains eight pre positioned land based brigade sets overseas in Europe the Middle East Korea and other locations