European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 12, 1995, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday september 12, 1995 the stars and stripes Page 3 p by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington merchants Bank of Indiana has protested the defense department s decision to award its overseas banking contract to rival nation Bank of  government now has up to 90 Days to review the protest which was filed sept. 1, and Rule. The changeover to nation Bank is on hold until the protest is resolved said Mary Alice Rogers a nation Bank spokeswoman. There is nothing unusual about Mer chants action Rogers said. Its a Stan Dard feature of any government con tract she said. Tony Vivaldi a spokesman for Mer chants in Indianapolis said the defense department debriefed merchants officials after the contract award was announced but did t offer Many details re Garding the basis for the decision until the protest is resolved we really won t know anything More Vivaldi said. He said he expects the government to Rule within about 45 Days which would take the situation into mid october. Pentagon officials would say Only that the contract was awarded to the bidder whose proposal was determined to be the Best Overall response Cost and other factors  nation Bank had been handling Mili tary banking services overseas in Japan and Okinawa for several years. If the merchants protest is denied a Tion Bank would also be responsible for banking services in Germany the nether lands the United kingdom Iceland South Korea Diego Garcia and Panama. Rogers said nation Bank expects the contract award to be upheld and will continue to refine its transition plans while the government reviews merchants pro test. " ".". Nation Bank s goal is to make the change As simple As possible for custom ers she said. Access. To accounts would continue uninterrupted. New atm. Cards and new pin numbers would be issued free about a month before the changeover in each country so there would be no Gap in at Access. Customers will get a free Box of 175 nation Bank checks about a month be fore the changeover. Rogers said the de sense department will also allow nation Bank to Honor merchants checks for up to a year after the changeover Rogers said. Anyone who just bought a Boatload of merchants checks can continue to use them Rogers said. Rogers reaffirmed nation Bank s pledge to offer jobs to All merchants employees and said her company plans no cutbacks in the number of tellers. The people Over there right now doing the work for merchants Are the same people we will offer jobs to she said.-".  Rogers also addressed concerns Oliai have been raised in Europe  Possi ble increases in fees for cashing checks arid other services offered through Mili tary Banks overseas. There seems to be this fear that a Tion Bank is going to Jack up service charges she said. We cannot do that because those fees Are All set by the de sense department As part of the con  spokeswoman Susan Hansen said no significant changes in service fees Are expected in the new contract. There Are 125 military banking facilities worldwide Down from More than 200 in the late 1980s. S y 2 i a i a we -?4 " Toj of is photos Effie Batho Wash n go despite the ongoing nato bombing Campaign Over Bosnia and Herzegovina it s business As usual for Crew members on the aircraft Carrier Theodore Roosevelt left washing an e-2c Hawkeye Navy surveillance plane. Above Crew members watch the arrival of their Relief ship in operation deliberate Force the aircraft Carrier american trial of former child care giver put off indefinitely by Jon Connor staff writer Mike Glenn charged with sexually abusing children while working at an army child care Center in Baur Holder Germany has Learned that his new Ger Man trial has been postponed indefinitely. As a result the head German trial judge has ruled that Glenn be Given Back his passport which was confiscated last year from the 30-year-old former Soldier. Three court dates were scheduled in August to restart the trial at the Rhein land Flaz state court in bad Kreuz Nach Germany. The first trial came to an unresolved ending april 12 after two Days of testimony. Glenn a nine year infantry Veteran who had served in Baur Holder is charged with four counts of sexually abusing to Iree children in his care at Sev eral Day care centers in the Baum older area in 1993 and 1994. The head judge Volker Mey decided to Stop the trial because an alleged victim and her Mother were not available to testify. The Mother a . Soldier stationed in Baum older when the alleged abuse took place had been transferred to Texas by the time the trial began. At the beginning of the trial Glenn and his defense lawyer Jirgen Hofer expressed dissatisfaction when they were told that the two witnesses would not be testifying after the defendant and lawyer were Given the impression that the wit Nesses would be available. After the april trial was halted Ger Man courts planned the unusual step of starting a new German trial in Texas then moving it Back to Germany in order to hear testimony from the Mother and child. For reasons not yet made Clear that idea fell apart. There s no scheduled Date to resume the trial said Maxwell Selz chief of International affairs for the 1st army div s staff judge advocate s office. Selz said the trial was postponed based on unavailability of  besides the Mother and daughter not being available or. Maj Charles per Rotta an army child psychiatrist from lands Uhl regional medical Center in Germany is reportedly recovering from injuries suffered in a stateside Auto Mobile Accident. % Perrotta had earlier testified that he interviewed 28 children from the Baum Holder area in the Case. Selz refused to comment on the army s reaction to the recent postpone ment and referred the stars and stripes to the 53rd area support group which oversees Baum older. A spokesman for the support group Dieter Kohler then referred queries Down to the 222nd base support in headquartered in Baum Holder. A spokeswoman for support battalion said the command was unaware of the latest developments and therefore it would be inappropriate to comment. I think they re the array a Bunch of cowards an angered Glenn  Day. He said he believes the army has built a weak circumstantial Case that won t stand up in German court they Don t want the German  Glenn maintains he is "100 percent in-nocent.", during the april trial no witnesses testified that they personally saw Glenn sexually abusing children. Likewise the. Children who testified could not specifically recall Glenn abusing them. Much of the testimony was second hand knowl Edge. As a result of his 18-month fight against the charges Glenn said he arf8 his German wife Ulrike Glenn May never have children of their own. I loved kids before he said of his work a child care provider. It the work a ivc me a sense of  last september Glenn was banned from All . Army Europe installations except for seeking certain medical treat ment. Glenn has been unsuccessful in finding employment including at bases within the . Air forces in Europe be cause of the unresolved . L