European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 18, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday april 18 2007 stars and stripes pages policy change slows Italy living permits by Kent Harris stars and stripes hundreds of residency permit applications needed by All us civilians living in Italy Are Pil ing up at american bases through out the country a policy that took effect Jan 1 mandates that foreigners must now go to participating italian Post offices to obtain and file the applications there is also a 30euro application fee in the past americans were Able to file and get the applications on base and did not have to pay a fee us troops Are exempt from the permit known As a Saggiomo but their families and american civilians working in Italy Are not the change affects thousands of americans Many with ties to Mili tary bases foreigners Are required to carry the permits along with their passports they Are particularly important for those leaving or reentering the country a Soggiorno is valid for several years and must be renewed when it expires a web site partially operated by the italian Interior ministry the re Vised policy is in response to european Union regulations require Kent and stripes an american civilian who wishes to live an extended period in Italy must get a Soggiorno permit a change in the process has prompted a backlog at us military communities ing standardized permits for for eign residents Short term stays by tourists Are not affected the web site states the permit applications Are being held at local bases while us and italian negotiators continue to talk about the Issue we have been working with the italian government on this for some time said Ben Duffy a Public information officer at the us embassy in Rome we Are optimistic we will have a Resolution satisfactory to both govern ments in the near future Duffy declined to disclose any specifics about the discussions or characterize the us position military officials referred most questions on the Issue to the embassy and directed civilians who need a new permit to Contact their local base a Quick Check of bases in Italy indicated that hundreds of civilians Are currently waiting for an initial Saggiomo or trying to renew one that has expired capt Melissa Waheibi chief of Public affairs at Aviano said tuesday that about 350 applications were on hold at Aviano the base has established a waiting list the Navy Legal sender of fice in Naples said about 300 applications Are on hold Jon Fleshman Public affairs officer for us army Garrison Vicenza declined to provide specific numbers saying Only Many applications Are pending at Caserma Ederle bases have had different ways of helping the process along in the past at Aviano individuals scheduled specific times to meet with italian police on base to sub Mit or receive applications in Vicenza and Naples people took applications to a Central facility on base and returned later to pick up permits officials at Vicenza and Aviano say they Are issuing notes to customers that indicate they have applied for the permit which should be enough to allow them to travel in and out of the country until the Issue is resolved email Kent Harris at gourmet italia the Pursuit of excellence in your commissaries if you think nobody cares about you try missing a couple of payments Steven Wright cooking courses on the Mediterranean diet info inactivation Marks a sad Day you could he closer to earning your degree than you know and out How close submit your application today Why Csc personalized service self paced flexible learning online learning no scheduled online sessions textbook included through Csc Book Grant accredited member dec member of service members Opportunity colleges soc approved for tuition assistance Dantes and a benefits Goa myed member for your military training experience accredited online programs associate of applied sciume degree business inns incl Justice administration Are Sente Bachelor of Stie Ace degree programs  Are science Faun resource management occupational safety and Hetemi health cure administration Baba management bs8a finance 8s8a  feta ology Baba project management Baba sports Moas ment master Peg rec programs is criminal Justice administration hew detail online degree level certificate programs available Call today or visit us online Oluchi wsonthcra8009778449axje75 University y 25326 canal Orange Beach Al 36561 by Matt Millham stars and stripes Darmstadt Germany military historians should enjoy this piece of trivia How Many a Tiv duty airborne infantry units does the us army have stationed in Germany if s a trick question As of tues Day the answer is none the last airborne infantry unit in Germany company e 51st in Fantry regiment Long Range surveillance inactivated tuesday in a ceremony at Kelley Barracks i dont want to say its a sad Day said 1st sgt William b Hal Brook who has served in the unit More than once during his 21 years in the army but he said it anyway for me if s a sad Day his commander 1st it Gary warty said the same thing carry who served 16 years in the enlisted ranks before going to officer candidate school also served multiple stints in the unit which until tuesday was one of Only two units like it in the army and the Only such unit a corps Long Range surveillance asset in Europe the cachet of being the last air borne infantry unit in the country was a Point of Honor for the unit s soldiers but so was its Long if intermittent record of service stretching Back to world War i the company which returned from its second Iraq stint in sep tember also served in world War n Vietnam Bosnia and Herze Govina Kosovo and Albania this is its fourth inactivation since entering service in 1917 while in the past the unit was in activated in times of relative peace Michael and stripes first it Gary w Carty left commander of company e 51st infantry regiment and 1st sgt William Halbrook Roll up the units colors at an inactivation ceremony on the Kelley Barracks Parade Field in Darms Tadt Germany on tuesday for the us company e int get Ting the a for Lack of use this time since 1996 the company has been deployed for at least part of every year except 1999 that s a lot for one company to shoulder you know Over the course of 11 years Halbrook said after the ceremony later this month Halbrook and Carty Are going to take the unit s colors to its sister unit company f 51st infantry at fort Bragg no As of today theres one a Tiv duty company like this that Fox Trot 51st at fort Bragg Halbrook said if s part of the army transformation you know its hard to say anything bad about that i just hate to see the company go now each brigade is going to have its own Long Range surveil Lance assets though they wont go out As far As company e used to Carty said before the War in Iraq began teams of company e soldiers were As far As 250 Miles behind enemy lines As conventional us ground forces prepared to punch into the iraqi desert a Lack of air assets to support the company Clandestine missions its Covert six Man teams were usually inserted by helicopter until recently caused them to change the Way they operated during their last deployment it want a typical infantry mans Job but if the unit was still Here i would love to stay said staff sgt re Wendy Morillo who spent a Little More than two years with the company with orders to fort Hood Texas and the company colors cased possibly for Good he knows that not possible everything comes to an end email Matt Millham at