European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 19, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday june 19, 1994 the stars and stripes Page 3 of unit to by Kevin Dougherty Kaiserslautern Bureau on a Day when its draw Down losses were minimal the . Air forces in Europe a biggest hit of All fell on a Small installation near Alzey Germany. While the draw Down list was being released to the Media thursday afternoon members of the 601st air control so were Busy loading radar equipment tents and boxes of res onto 5-ton trucks. The unit Wasny to packing it in Early. Instead the 601st was preparing for a two week nato deployment that begins monday. The 601st will be in Lauwe Smeer Netherlands for the exercise. A we folded up our radar gear for this deployment and its never going up again at Alzey said it. Col. John a a buds Horan the commander of the 601st. Located Northeast of Kaiserslautern the communication Annex actually is closer to the town of Kirchheim Blanden than to Alzey. The property and buildings will be dropped from the air Force inventory by september 1995. The 140-member unit is due to inactivate sometime next Spring probably in april. In addition to the 601st, thursdays closure and restructuring list included two contingency hospitals and a Small Annex South of Pitburg. A we Are nearing the end of our draw Down and restructuring process a said then dose Downs amps Peter Jaeger Doug Moore a Safe spokesman. Its unlikely that any future draw Down announcements would involve the closure of a major installation said Moore citing Pitburg a Germany Iraklion air station Crete and Raf Alconbury England As previous examples. However that could change Moore said if a Congress says we have to go below the 100.000 service member figure that we Are All working toward a the air forces goal is to have roughly 33.000 airmen in Europe by the end of fiscal 1995, Moore said. The pre draw Down High Mark was about 88,000 at the beginning of fiscal 1987. Thursdays list included contingency hospitals at Holstebroe Denmark and Nocton Hall England. Holstebroe has no . Active duty personnel while Nocton Hall has 13, Moore said. Holstebroe will be returned to Denmark by june 1995. The British will assume control of Nocton Hall three months later. The contingency hospitals arc standby facilities fashioned to handle Large numbers of casualties in the event of War. The demise of the Warsaw tact has greatly lessened the need to hold the hospitals in Reserve according to a Safe news release. In addition to the contingency hospitals the air Force announced the partial return of Suelma Annex near Pitburg a which occurred earlier in the year but was not disclosed. The return involved some unused land Moore said. The rest of the Annex consists of a medical readiness warehouse surrounded by a Fence on a one acre site. That portion was transferred to nearby Span Dah Lem a said master sgt. Bob Tobias a Pitburg a spokesman. The 601st, one of three such units in Safe directs controls and coordinates tactical air operations. Horan said there were 15 air control squadrons in Europe during the cold War. After the 601st inactivates the Only remaining air control squadrons will be the 603rd at Aviano a Italy and the 606th at Span Dahlem. A a we be been controlling aircraft in Europe Ever since a Day Quot Horan said of the 601st. Air control squadrons perform some of the same missions that airborne warning and control system units do Only they assist from the ground said staff sgt. Douglas , a a 601st techno r Cian. What makes air control squadrons so valuable is that they can better Assim late data received from nato aircraft and ground units than their airborne counterparts. Additionally air control squadrons a Marc a backup in Case the a acs can t take control of the flying area a Hatton Ward said. Before they pack it in for Good unit members will deploy to Italy on aug 15 in support of operation deny flight the , Mission to enforce the no Fly zone Over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The unit will remain there until Jan. 1, 1995. For some 601st personnel this will be their second deny flight deployment. The unit completed a six month deploy ment to Italy this past March. A the closure comes at a time when we Are reaching our Peak As an air control Squadron a Horan said. A we Are just caught in the Vise of the draw Down at a time when theater air control is becoming More and. More  groups go into action As gis head out by Dave Melancon Wurzburg Bureau Schweinfurt Germany a Active and assertive family support groups do not baby deployed soldiers families say group leaders for the troops who left to Macedonia last week. A if that woman has a rattle in her car she knows she can Call us and get help a said Gloria Leitz a Leader in the 2nd in 15th inf regt a family support group. A i done to feel that is coddling. That Soldier knows that she is in Good hands and she knows where she can go for help. The unit left for Macedonia on wednesday. The battalion sized Force which includes soldiers from several Schweinfurt based 3rd inf div units replaces about 300 . Soldiers of the 1st in 6th inf regt based in Vilseck. Since january the soldiers from Vilseck have been guarding a 15-mile stretch of Border Between Macedonia and Serbia the main Republic in what is left of Yugoslavia. The Vilseck soldiers Are expected to return Home this month. Strong family support groups ease stress on the soldiers so they can concentrate on their Mission and safety Leitz said. A that is not coddling them. That a looking for them to see if they need some help a she said. A you can to do enough for the families because there Are always some wives who will Call up and ask you for Little things and you can help them a said Martina Flores co bus family support group Leader. The battalions families Are just As psyched about the upcoming peacekeeping Mission to Macedonia As their soldiers Are Leitz quoted family support group leaders As saying. The units family support program began along with the soldiers peacekeeper training she said. A your families have worked very hard to get ready for the deployment just like the soldiers when they Are training for their Job Quot said capt. Lavern Clark the battalion chaplain. A they showed us films about How it is Over there How the soldiers will live and what they will do a Flores said. The families were introduced to a rear detachment team and met with support services from the Community. Soldiers were required to attend those meetings. The families understand the units Mission and they Are better Able to handle the separation Leitz said. A it gives them strength in knowing were they the a amps Dave Melancon pvt. 1 David c. Jennings of he co 2nd in i5th inf regt makes some last minute music choices in Schweinfurt Germany before deploying to Macedonia last week to help patrol the Border with Serbia soldiers Are going and what they Are doing a she said a just by showing slides of the area probably made them the families feel very important in the  macedonians Hills and mountains reminded Many families of the opening scenes from them Quot a so television series and eased some tension and apprehensions she said. A it made them feel very proud that their husband is partaking in this Mission and comfortable by knowing that it not a War torn area a Leitz said. A for me it looks kind of Safe a Flores said. Knowing that the soldiers will be gone for a set time period 179 Days also helps she said. Single soldiers families Back in the United states also Are receiving information about the Mission Clark said. Unmarried soldiers and those from other units attached to the battalion Are included in All family support group activities and will receive All the same information the chaplain said. A handbook containing news clippings Telephone numbers for the battalion and Schweinfurt Community services checklists of emergency procedures fill in sheets for personal details and information about stress control and other family problems is being issued to All family members he said. A i Drew materials from every place i could think of a he said. A it took about two years to put  during recent mass record checks deploying soldiers have ensured that their personal paperwork is up to Date and that their families have All the documents they need to conduct business in the Community Clark said. There also will be monthly a Chi Honey messages of various types from the families to the soldiers and Back newsletters meetings with the rear detachment commander and recreational activities. The groups have their own meeting rooms where they can talk about their problems receive news about the Mission and simply get out of the House. There will be a play area for children and Dan defense switched network Telephone lines to Macedonia Leitz said. Businesses and services also Are donating products and their assistance to the families she said. A we Are ready to help them out with wha  they May need a Leitz said