European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 21, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday november 21, 1993 the stars and stripes Pago 3 teachers feel boxed in by mail cuts -.-. ,.,.-. "  a  bar eat. Wurzburg Germany for years soldiers delivered the mail to teachers at Wurzburg s three american schools. But now mail delivery to the schools is just another service that has fallen victim tothe draw Down and some Wurzburg teachers Are angry. Mail delivery to the department of defense dependents schools is a service that the Community should provide the contend. We have to train our own personnel to handle Mai which takes them away from their own tasks said Mary Bolson a Wurzburg Middle school teacher. It seems As though the Burden is placed  none of my mail is addressed to Cheapo army Post office said Archie l. Tucker a Middle school teacher. It i addressed specifically to the Wal Ryburg Middle school and that is where i expect it to be  Community military officials disagree however that mail delivery to the schools is their responsibility. There is a misconception that there was a contractual agreement that said we had to do that said it. Col. Willia Mansell 417th base support in com Mander. It was being done because someone just started doing it. But As our resources started to decline a decision was made that Dodds would have to provide its own postal  until the end of the summer Community mail personnel from the 419th base support in picked up the mail and gave it to the teachers Mansell said. The Bat Talion ran a unit mail room whose clerk picked up the schools mail. Units pick up the mail from me. Behave never delivered mail said capt. Steven Shappell 566th postal co com Mander. I do not Nave the resource to deliver mail to Dodds. I can t deliver mail to  when mail arrives at the postal Centerton Faulenburg Cavern a half platoon of soldiers sorts it for the Wurzburg Gie Belstadt and Kitzinger communities. Unit and company mail clerks an now school employees then pick it up he  base support battalion customarily picked up and delivered the mail to the teachers. Since the end of summer How Ever a school vice principal and fou school employees have been serving As postal clerks for the schools. They pick up the mail daily and delis a Dav a Lancon Sandra Root a computer operator and postal orderly at Wurzburg Middle school i Germany sorts and distributes her colleagues mail. Or it to the schools same As any other military unit Shappell said. Each school provides two orderlies during its week Tor mail duty said Ken Tinsman Middle school Secretary. The orderlies spend up to two hours Aday on mail duties he said. After signing out a Van at the motor Pool and collect ing empty mailbag and outgoing mail from All three schools they Exchange their outgoing mail for incoming mail at the Faulenburg postal Center. The mail then is hauled Back to the schools where it is sorted. Dissent items Are collected and returned to the Post of fice Tinsman said. It is a Strain on everybody he said. Others school staffers have to pick up the Slack however the schools situation is no different from that of most army units which Are not allotted mail clerks Shap Pell said. The commander has to pull some Guy a Cook or a Driver or some thing and say you arc the mail  some of the teachers frustration May Stem from problems last summer. Several teachers said they were concerned that Apo officials had not held their mail for them during summer vacations and that several of them lost Money received bad credit ratings and other problems be cause of slow mail service. There were some problems Mansell said. Postal service to the teachers went to hell. We have to admit  the schools were not prepared to pick up their mail so soldiers from the 103rd military intelligence in the last tactical unit remaining at Leighton Barracks filled in As the teachers mail orderlies. V army Community officials prepared letters to stateside creditors and Busi Nesses similar to those issued to soldiers during the persian Gulf War stating that there were problems with mail service for the teachers Mansell said. The postal company trained and Bent Over backwards to test the schools appointed mail clerks according to Federal regulations Shappell said. The battalion provided old Green Volkswagen vans and equipment such As safes for the school s mail rooms Man sell said. A new consolidated Community mail room is being prepared and is expected to lighten the school mail clerks responsibilities Mansell said. Under current plans mail for Community members assigned to separate non military organizations such As the schools will be delivered to one location and put into individual mailboxes Shap Pell said. Everyone is drawing Down and no one has the resources Mansell said. Dodds has got to help themselves and Well help them help  but that help will not include delivering the teachers mail to the schools. I just do not have the Green suiters soldiers to do it Shappell said. And it is really not their Job to do  but principals cannot increase their staffing and children arc adversely affected any time a school staffer is taken away from his or her primary Job Tucker said. Any time we take someone outside the office whatever we Are doing in that office is going to Hurt Tucker said. Nobody is particularly Happy with it Tinsman said. It is hard enough doing your own Job every  fewer gis but 21 St to keep things moving general says by Steve scholar Kaiserslautern Bureau Kaiserslautern Germany the 21st theater army area come has lost More than half its soldiers in the Las three years and could decline by up to 3,000 More before reaching its end strength the command s top officer said wednesday. We know we re not going to have As Many people As before. I Don t think we can say what the final number will be. Vit depends on circumstances we Don t have a Good lock on yet said Mai.  g. Smith who assumed com Mand oct. 15 from it. Gen. William Gus  years ago the command which handles logistics issues such a moving and storing equipment and sup plies for the army in Europe had $0,000  number now stands at 13,000, and Smith predicted that it could drop to 10,000 within a few years. The drop in num Ber of troops As signed to the 21st also has resulted Ina downgrading of the command s top position from Athree Star general Slot to a two Star Slot. Despite the command s fewer Smith soldiers its responsibilities remain considerable. The 21st is involved in loading an port operations for the congressionally mandated pre positioning of excess Mili tary equipment aboard eight ships. Smith said the ships which Are loaded in Antwerp Belgium will ensure Quick army strike time anywhere in the world during a conflict. Like the port operations the continued return to the United states of military equipment and the need to keep 21st soldiers trained to get the Job done Are missions that remain de spite the decrease in people Smith said. The command s soldiers already have sent More than 100,000 tons of excess ammunition stateside but they face the Prospect of sending Back an additional 100,000 tons. Along with the ammunition we still Haye several thousand vehicles that Are excess. We re in the process of wait ing for final disposition instructions fro the department of the army some of that equipment May wind up at Thermo Sale the general said referring to the defense re utilization and Market ing office. The Mouin of Money available to the command for the next fiscal year is Uncertain. I Don t know what the reduction i Money for the 21st will be but it s Safe to assume with fewer people there la be fewer dollars Smith said. We May not get As much As we d like but i think Well have adequate dollars to get the Job  even with the cutbacks heavy emphasis will be placed on taking care of soldiers civilians and family members Smith said. The family legacy is most important he said. They Are lasting  despite having taken Over the 21st less than six weeks ago the general said he thought he had a Good feel for the com Mand. As a new commander you come in and look at things from your perspective. I be elected to look at everything. I be made a few changes but there in t any thing in the command that s broken. I be taken Over a Good command. It s just facing