European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 26, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday october 26,1994 the stars and stripes Page 3 is big business conference told by Effie Bathen Heidelberg Bureau Heidelberg Germany the end of the draw Down is in sight and the army s morale welfare and recreation corporate leaders say they Are ready to Start building. It s like the movie Field of dreams build it and they will come " col. John Fulmer chief of Community and family support for the . Army Europe said during a session at the mar conference in Heidelberg on monday.  " Rea the draw Down Likely will be done Well before octo Ber 1995, said Fulmer declining to speculate on a Date. But Community no appropriated fund activities have essentially reached their restructuring goals he said and Are Fine tuning their operations. The number of army communities in Europe is Down from 39 communities in 1990 to eight administrative area support groups entered in South Central Germany. A a still the army mar corporate Headquarters is putting the word out that the Soldier support activities Are big business and will be run like big business said col. Donald Pavlik chief of staff for the army s com Unity and family support Center based near  a. He called the $333 million organization the most audited non nuclear program in the  among the business Buzz words being used at the mar conference Are marketing and  big business will not take action until its marketing people have checked the pulse of the customer base and mar facilities Are doing the same. Usa eur made a tremendous turn around with its clubs said Pavlik a Success he attributed to Market research much of which was done in Central Germany. He noted that army clubs worldwide made $1 Mil lion in the first nine months of 1994. Worldwide army statistics showed that the number of married soldiers was increasing. Stateside soldiers and their families were spending their Money in family oriented theme restaurants. The mar corporate Eye also turned to new ideas such As a recreation Center called shades of Green in. Orlando  and a sports Arena at fort Hood Texas. The Florida vacation Haven hotel has a 95 percent occupancy rate and the Texas Arena is bringing in $5,000 a Day Pavlik said. A Soldier s entertainment tastes used to take him out of the Barracks to a club movie or play. Today a sol Dier s personal space Likely includes such Home entertainment items As a videocassette recorder stereo sys tem and a refrigerator full of Beer. It May also include As afforded by the single Soldier initiatives a visitor or two Fulmer said. Speaking from a businessman s Point of View Community activities would have to offer the same kind of excitement Fulmer said. Soldiers Are entitled to the same kind of Quality of life As the society they arc pledged to defend according to a slide show. In other issues army officials pointed out the results of a 1993 procurement Survey snowing the benefits of centralized purchasing. For example centralized Pur chasing could save the army about $56,000 annually in the Cost of balls for its Bowling alleys. Extended to in clude five other items such As Bowling shoes and pins those purchases alone could mean a sayings of $390,666 a year. Standards is not a four letter word but Community folks said hey Are feeling the Pinch from the rigid minimum Standard guidelines that carved away Many Small facilities including libraries and recreation centers. The new business sense is that fewer but fully staffed facilities with better equipment or services and longer hours Are what people want. They May have to travel to it but they prefer that to a partially staffed shop with minimum hours. They be traded convenience for accessibility and Quality Fulmer said. For example costly activities such As child development centers Are being looked at and May need More standards to improve Pavlik said. From Page 1 artillery Battery into his battalion for a training exercise. We re focusing on coordinating All coalition artillery said Browne who added that British Marine commandos also brought howitzers to Kuwait. Kuwaiti staff  mud i Al a nazi 42, with two wives and 15 children admitted that his unit was unprepared for the iraqi invasion More than four years ago. But now he said i am ready to de fend my country with my Money and with  too Small to be a decisive Force against Iraq the kuwaitis wartime Mission is to dash to the Border and slow the enemy Long enough for larger coalition forces to assemble and begin a counteroffensive. Browne said that since frontline kuwaiti forces would Likely see enemy targets first he was trying to synchronize american artillery to respond to a kuwaiti Call for fire. During this month s crisis when Iraq massed two Republican guard divisions near the Border kuwaiti soldiers rushed North and dug in. Al a nazi said his gun Crew was in position within six hours of being notified. An Omair said Allie d soldiers should realize the kuwaitis Are a peaceable peo ple their armies have fought Only four Battles totalling just two weeks in combat during the past 74 years. His great Grandfather he said died at the Battle of red Castle in the town of Al Jahre when the Al Rashid tribe unsuccessfully tried to invade the country in 1920. Small kuwaiti forces fought beside other Arab countries against Israel during the six Day War in 1967 and the yom kippur War in 1973, and kuwaiti soldiers were at the front of the ground Campaign in the persian Gulf War. A Omair who spent 33 Days As an iraqi prisoner of War laughed aloud at the no Tion that kuwaitis Are too Rich to be effective soldiers. We kuwaitis Are not very Rich As such he said. But we Are Rich in land we Are Rich in people. Yes we have Oil we have Money. But these things Don t bring you life Don t bring you humanity., we join the army because we think the kuwaiti government needs us to fight for the land that we live  ordinarily a telecommunications Engi Neer he is in the army reserves and was called up during this month s Border Cri Sis. . Staff sgt. Wendel Stewart an artillerymen said tuesday that he spent the last four Days teaching the kuwaitis the is Ken goo Goa kuwaiti Soldier carries ammunition from a truck at Dairi firing Range. The kuwaitis were training tuesday with american soldiers of the 41st Field arty regt from fort Stewart a. Latest american tactics. These Guys Are some of the most Wanna learn teach me Guys i be Ever met Stewart said. He said that in return he s Learned something about kuwaiti customs and friendliness. Under the noontime Sun most of the kuwaiti artillerymen sat in the Shade of their 155 my howitzers sipping Tea and Coffee with americans. They re very Friendly people said sgt. Damian Garcia 25, an ammunition handler from Devine Texas. It s for a Good cause being out Here he said As he sipped at a Glass of Sweet arabic Tea. In the distance a few of his newfound comrades Knelt on the desert sad Pray ing toward Mecca. They Are a very powerful and Good army a kuwaiti private who identified himself Only As Ali said of the americans. They know Many things about War. We feel very grateful and we fee not afraid when the americans come. We feel Calm. So they  Good  is Ken Goorge . And kuwaiti soldiers unload 155 my howitzer ammunition. Programs by Mark Kinkade staff writer Heidelberg Germany Macau Lay Culkin s Home alone adventures May have been funny but army child care officials Aren t laughing about Young Chil Dren who have the House to themselves after school. A 5-Ycar-old in a House by himself is in danger said Bonnie storm army child development services re source manager hire accidents. Anything could happen and that child is alone. We can t have  to counter the problem the army is developing a program that could Call for mandatory after school programs for children Ages 5 to 7 who Are unsupervised after school said storm who was attend ing this week s morale welfare and recreation conference in Heidelberg. In essence the Home alone plan could expand local programs for children whose parents Are not in the Home when the child leaves school storm said. Currently installation commanders and major commands have discretion in creating Latchkey programs that Cater to children afterschool. But army child care officials want a program that re quires each army installation to have a affordable Day care program geared to Young school age children she said. We re concerned about the Young Chil Dren storm said most commanders today have alternatives but there in t any Standard. We want the least expensive pro Gram and the most Cost  participating parents would pay Afee based on their earnings storm said. Child development Center and Home Day care fees Are set on similar standards. Child care officials Are alarmed that some Young children Are left in Homes unattended for several hours after school. The danger to the child storm said outweighs financial concerns. Parents have a responsibility for their children she said we the army need to help As much As  the program could also include older children even offering after school alter natives for teen agers said Jan Witte the . Army Europe s chief of family sup port. The program is in the Early stages of development. Storm said she did t know when the army will decide if the plan will be put into effect