From: bergman@afnews.pa.af.mil (CMSgt Mike Bergman)
Newsgroups: soc.veterans
Subject: Army News 12/17/92
Date: 18 Dec 1992 08:54:05 -0600
Organization: Hq Air Force News Agency/SCC
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[ ] Kidd speaks out on state of enlisted force
[ ] Somalia-bound soldiers see additional entitlements
[ ] Army to provide translators to humanitarian operation
[ ] Expanded dental plan solidifies in scope
[ ] Fort Drum deploys historic unit to Somalia
[ ] USAREUR units tapped for Somalia duty
[ ] Pay entitlements to reflect soldiers' deployment
[ ] ACS program offers job searchers competitive edge

===========================================================

Kidd speaks out on state of enlisted force
 
    WASHINGTON (ARNEWS) -- No matter where they serve, soldiers 
around the world share the same concerns. Whether they are 
stationed on small islands, in the Arctic, in the desert, on 
moutaintops or in the jungles, soldiers ask, "What will it take 
for me to be competitive, to be successful, to be retained by 
the Army?"
    So explained Army Sgt. Maj. Richard A. Kidd recently to the 
service's newest group of brigadier generals and general 
officer selectees at the Active Component Brigadier Generals' 
Training Conference in Arlington, Va.
    "They also have questions about the ban being lifted on 
homosexuals, about medical and dental care for their families, 
promotions, pay, NCO Education System attendance, civilian 
education, child care, retirement and benefits," Kidd said. 
"They're worried about being able to train hard so they can 
demonstrate their capabilities and their potential for upward 
mobility."
    Kidd emphasized the need to keep soldiers at all levels 
informed of how the Army's changing structure will impact them, 
and how those changes will be accomplished.
    "I represent the enlisted force and their families," Kidd 
said. "I ask you to let the information flow freely about the 
restructure, about the downsizing, about the programs and all 
of those things that soldiers and their families need so 
desperately to make good, sound decisions that will affect the 
rest of their lives.
    "All the soldiers want are the facts and the truth," Kidd 
said. "I ask you to continue to allow information to flow 
without filters.
    "I'm sure you all have made a personal evaluation of the 
state of the enlisted force, and it is probably that it's 
pretty good," Kidd said. "I truly feel that, collectively, it 
is the best Army we've ever had. The soldiers of today are 
stronger, better educated, and they've all come in for the 
right reasons."
    Through all the uncertainty of the fiscal 1992 downsizing, 
"The bottom line is that they're driving on. In all those 
places, in all those missions we ask them to do, they're doing 
well," Kidd said. "They see there is an ongoing effort to 
improve the quality of their life. They see there are some 
educational opportunities. They see their medical and dental 
concerns are being addressed. They tell me they truly believe 
the leadership cares.
    "I ask for your personal involvement in some areas that 
will continue to grow in importance, for example, NCOES. You 
will all have a major part in this," Kidd said. "As it is now 
linked -- just as your officer professional development is 
linked -- to promotion, I solicit your total support in making 
it work."
    Kidd urged the leadership to continue expanding 
quality-of-life efforts, and testified to the benefits reaped 
from quality-of-life investments.
    "I've seen major differences in the quality of life between 
installations," Kidd said. "I've seen soldiers train in 'Star 
Wars'-type facilities, then go home to live in drafty, 
substandard, World War II buildings. You will play a major part 
in making sure the quality of life at all installations 
improves. Also, installations with strong family support groups 
and strong support for Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers 
programs train better, have higher morale and increased 
readiness. I would ask you to support those two organizations."
    Kidd also emphasized the need for senior leaders to 
consider and implement innovative off-duty civilian education 
programs for those soldiers whose schedules do not permit 
regular school attendance.
    "Those soldiers that your subordinate commanders and NCOs 
feel should be allowed to stay in the Army must, in some way, 
be allowed the opportunity to attend school. There must be some 
way, some program, to allow that to happen. Otherwise, they 
cannot remain competitive," Kidd said.
    For those soldiers and families who are leaving the service 
-- voluntarily or involuntarily -- Kidd solicited continuing 
support for the Army Career and Alumni Program.
    "ACAP is working," Kidd said. "Its career counselling, job 
assistance, training, and job-search skills mission is working 
for our transitioning soldiers.
    "However, there is a misunderstanding that ACAP is only for 
the soldier," he continued. "We need to get the word out that 
this assistance is for the family members too. We owe it to the 
families, the spouses, to let them know about all the ACAP 
workshops, seminars and referrals through the Army Employer 
Network that will assist them in their transition."
 
 
Somalia-bound soldiers see additional entitlements
 
    WASHINGTON (ARNEWS) -- All servicemembers assigned to 
Operation Restore Hope have certain privileges accorded them by 
the operation's recent designation as a "contingency operation" 
under federal law.
    "Secretary of Defense Donald J. Atwood's memo of Dec. 8 to 
the service heads designates Restore Hope a 'contingency 
operation,' thus kicking off a number of entitlements for those 
serving in Somalia," said Lt. Col. Michael Burke of the Army's 
Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel.
    Burke explained that the entitlements apply to active 
servicemembers assigned to and ordered to duty with Restore 
Hope, as well as to those in the Guard and Reserve called to 
serve with their active-component counterparts.
    Among the entitlements that apply as of Dec. 8 are the 
following --
    -- Basic allowance for quarters at the "without dependents" 
rate for reservists without family members.
    -- Variable housing allowance for reserve forces.
    -- Special leave accrual up to 90 days for active and 
reserve servicemembers, and ability of reservists to receive 
pay for leave exceeding 60 days.
    -- Transitional medical benefits, after release from active 
duty, for Restore Hope reservists and their families.
    -- Waiver of specialty-pay certification requirements.
    -- Waiver of language-proficiency pay certification.
    Burke said that proper accounting requires that the name of 
the operation be cited on the orders sending troops to Somalia.
    "All servicemembers assigned to duty in Somalia will 
receive imminent danger pay, currently set at $150 per month," 
he said. "And, for enlisteds only in Somalia, an additional 
monthly payment of $8 to $22.50 applies."
    Unlike some earlier contingency operations, Restore Hope 
currently omits two programs of special support --
    -- Designation of Somalia as an area where soldiers would 
be entitled to the combat zone income-tax exclusion; and
    -- The thrift-savings program for pay and allowances.
 
 
Army to provide translators to humanitarian operation
 
    WASHINGTON (ARNEWS) -- The Army will provide about 130 
Somali-language translators to assist U.S. forces in Somalia, 
with the first group scheduled to depart for Africa on Dec. 18, 
according to an Army spokesman.
    The translators are employed by BDM International Corp., 
which is under Army contract to administer the program. About 
30 percent of the translators are Somalia-born American 
citizens. Many others are resident aliens from that country.
    Each translator will be employed for 60 days, and can be 
extended for 30 more. They will be provided desert uniforms, 
helmets and basic issue of personal field equipment. "No 
weapons will be issued," the spokesman said.
    The pool of translators was provided from a list of more 
than 1,000 people living in the United States with a Somali 
background, based on data generated by the Immigration and 
Naturalization Service. The Army contacted those living in the 
Washington, D.C., area to speed the process, the spokesman said.
    The Army deputy chief of staff for intelligence devised the 
plan to meet the linguistic needs of U.S. Central Command. The 
translators were contracted, rather than hired into government 
service, in order to get them to Somalia rapidly, the spokesman 
said.
 
 
Expanded dental plan solidifies in scope
 
    WASHINGTON (ARNEWS) -- The Department of Defense is firming 
up its proposal for the expanded Dependent Dental Plan, which 
is slated for implementation April 1.
    Officials of DoD and the Civilian Health and Medical 
Program for the Uniform Services met recently in Monterey, 
Calif., to decide on the plan's specifics. Once the proposal is 
finalized, it must be approved by the Office of the Assistant 
Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. The program should be 
in its final form by the end of February, so it can go into 
effect in April, officials said.
    The government will continue to pay 60 percent of the total 
premium, and the soldier pays 40 percent. The proposal sets the 
soldiers' monthly premiums at $9.65 for one dependent and 
$19.30 for families. The officials decided against prorating 
the premium for corporals and below, considering the $17 
million cost too expensive.
    The plan includes automatic enrollment for all eligible 
soldiers with 24 months remaining in service, and a 120-day 
window to disenroll.
    Soldiers with less than 24 months left on active duty, who 
are presently in the DDP, will be automatically disenrolled. If 
such a soldier intends to remain on active duty and in the 
program for at least 24 months, he can enroll on his own.
    Also proposed is a lifetime ceiling of $1,500 per patient 
for orthodontics, and an annual limit of $1,200 per patient on 
all other benefits. The plan will cover 100 percent of 
diagnostic and preventive care. Members will cost-share on 
other services, with the plan covering 80 percent for 
restorative work and sealants; and 50 percent for oral surgery, 
endodontics, periodontics, crowns and casts, prosthetics, and 
orthodontics.


Fort Drum deploys historic unit to Somalia
 
    WASHINGTON (ARNEWS) -- The first elements of the 10th 
Mountain Division (Light Infantry) of Fort Drum, N.Y., have 
received orders to deploy for Somalia in support for Operation 
Restore Hope, according to an Army spokesman.
    These advance elements, including the 2nd Battalion, 87th 
Infantry, departed Dec. 10, and will serve under the U.S. 
Central Command while deployed.
    The infantry battlion's mission is to provide security and 
is commanded by Lt. Col. James E. Sykes.
    The division, which came into its present form in the 1980s 
with the Army's light-division concept, has a history of 
service that extends back to the second world war.
    The division was first activated on July 15, 1943, at Camp 
Hale, Colo., as the Light Division. Its purpose was to test a 
light-division concept that called for alpine equipment and 
took advantage of personnel, recruited  by the National Ski 
Association, who had skills in high-altitude operations.
    After 16 months in Colorado and in the California Maneuver 
Area, the light-division concept proved inadequate for 
operations in World War II theaters. But rather than lose the 
special alpine skills that had been developed, the division was 
reorganized and redesignated as the 10th Mountain Division. 
Soon after, it deployed to the Mediterranian Theater.
    The division's 86th Infantry Regiment first saw action Jan. 
8, 1945, near Cutiglianno and Orsigna, Italy; soon the entire 
division was in combat.
    In mid-February, the 10th began its efforts to dislodge the 
enemy from Mount Belvedere, overlooking Highway 65 into 
Bologna. Mount Belvedere had been taken and lost again several 
times by Allied troops. The 10th conquered the peak and several 
others in three days of bitter fighting, during which the enemy 
had the advantage of entrenchment and height.
    In the beginning of March 1945, the division struck again 
and captured a dozen peaks in some of the heaviest fighting on 
Europe's most difficult battleground, advancing to within 15 
miles of Bologna. On April 14, the 10th spearheaded the Fifth 
Army's northern Apennines offensive, which broke the back of 
the German resistance movement in Italy.
    By April 20, the division had moved down from the last 
mountain slopes and out across the plain of the Po Valley -- 
the first Allied troops in the vital flatland from the 
Apennines.
    The advance toward the Po River was rapid. With the taking 
of San Benedetto, German resistance increased. But by the end 
of April, the division had crossed the main route to the 
Brenner Pass, along the east shore of Lake Garda.
    Fierce fighting took place near Torbole and Mago, which the 
Germans defended with determination. Both towns were ultimately 
taken, and resistance in northern Italy ended on May 2, 1945. 
The division received two battle streamers -- North Apennines 
and Po Valley.
    After V-E Day, the division had a short tour on occupation 
duty before returning to the United States. The 10th Mountain 
Division was inactivated in November 1945 at Camp Carson, Colo.
    In 1948 the division was redesignated the 10th Infantry 
Division and reactivated to operate the training center at Fort 
Riley, Kan.
    After six years, the division was recognized as a combat 
unit and, in 1955, deployed to Germany as part of NATO forces. 
The deployment was the first of a series of divisional 
exchanges that the Army carried out under Operation Gyroscope, 
a program designed to improve morale, save money and improve 
combat readiness.
    After three years in Germany, the division returned to Fort 
Benning, Ga., where it was inactivated on June 14, 1958.
    When the Army adopted the light-division structure in the 
early 1980s, the 10th was selected for reactivation at Fort 
Drum, N.Y., Feb. 13, 1985. Over the next few years, the 
division fielded two brigades at Fort Drum and was rounded out 
by the 27th Infantry Brigade of the New York Army National 
Guard.
    Since reactivation, the division has trained in various 
locations in the United States, Germany and Central America.
    (From the Military District of Washington Pentagram.)
 
 
USAREUR units tapped for Somalia duty
 
    HEIDELBERG, Germany (ARNEWS) -- Three company-size aviation 
units and one aviation maintenance company from U.S. Army 
Europe were alerted to prepare for deployment in support of 
Operation Provide Hope, according to a USAREUR spokesman.
    The aviation support will enhance the U.S. Joint Task Force 
- Somalia airlift, airmobile, and aeromedical evacuation 
capabilities.
    The units are assembling as Task Force 5-158. The task 
force is expected to consist of about 650 soldiers, 15 UH-60 
Blackhawk medium-lift helicopters, 16 CH-47D helicopters and 15 
UH-60s configured as air ambulances. The task force's support 
vehicles and equipment will be moved overland, and the 
helicopters will self-deploy to Livorno, Italy, where they will 
be loaded aboard ship. Task force soldiers will travel by air 
to Somalia.
    The task force will come under the 10th Mountain Division 
(Light Infantry) Aviation Brigade during the deployment and 
will provide additional airlift capacity for troops, equipment 
and relief supplies.
    (From a USAREUR release.)
 
 
Pay entitlements to reflect soldiers' deployment
 
    FORT DRUM, N.Y. (ARNEWS) -- Soldiers who deploy to Somalia 
can expect to see differences in their Leave and Earnings 
Statements as early as January, according to Fort Drum finance 
officials.
    The differences involve Basic Allowance for Subsistence, 
Imminent Danger Pay, Foreign Duty Pay and Family Separation 
Allowance.
    Enlisted soldiers who receive BAS, better know as 'separate 
rations,' will not receive the pay from the day of deployment 
to the day of return, according to Capt. Herman Asberry III, 
33rd Finance Support Unit detachment commander. A deploying 
officer, however, will still receive BAS but will have $4.75 
per day deducted for meals.
    Soldiers are entitled to $150 per month for Imminent Danger 
Pay, effective upon arrival in the theater of operations, 
Asberry said.
    Another pay entitlement is Foreign Duty Pay. It ranges from 
$8 to $22.50 per month, is based on a soldier's pay grade, and 
is effective beginning the day the soldier arrives in-country. 
Soldiers in pay grades E-1 and E-2 receive $8 each month; E-3, 
$9; E-4, $13; E-5, $16; E-6, $20; and E-7 through E-9, $22.50. 
Officers are not entitled to Foreign Duty Pay.
    The final extra pay for soldiers is Family Separation 
Allowance, Asberry said. This $2.50 per day is payable to 
soldiers who have been deployed to the theater of operations 
for at least 30 days, payable at the end of those 30 days.
    Soldiers eligible for FSA are those who are on temporary 
duty away from the permanent duty station for more than 30 
days, with dependents who do not reside at or near the TDY 
station.
    Soldiers married to soldiers with no other family members 
are not authorized FSA. Soldiers drawing a Basic Allowance for 
Quarters for the sole purpose of paying child support are not 
entitled to FSA. If a parent is a dependent, that parent must 
reside in a home that is controlled, supervised and maintained 
for mutual use by the soldier when circumstances permit. FSA is 
not payable for a dependent spouse who is legally separated 
from the soldier or for children in the legal custody of 
another.
    Eligible soldiers must submit a DD Form 1561, Statement to 
Substantiate Payment of Family Separation Allowance, to receive 
FSA.
    The changes in pay that will take effect because of the 
Somalia deployment may have a minimal effect on soldiers' 1992 
taxes, Asberry said. Starting January 1993, a soldier will be 
taxed on Imminent Danger Pay and Foreign Duty Pay.
    Currently, a Combat Zone Tax Exclusion does not apply to 
this deployment, as it did for Operation Desert Storm.
    Asberry said soldiers will receive a duplicate LES -- a 
copy furnished to the deployment site, and the original given 
to the spouse. The soldier must fill out a release or power of 
attorney to allow the spouse access to the LES.
    For more information on pay and allowances, soldiers should 
contact their local finance office.
    (From the Fort Drum Sentinel.)
 
 
ACS program offers job searchers competitive edge
 
    WASHINGTON (ARNEWS) -- Job-seeking family members of 
soldiers and Army civilians have a support program in place to 
ease the process.
    Staffed by Army Community Service, the program is Family 
Member Employment Assistance. ACS records show that during 
1990-91, more than 18,000 family members found employment 
through the program. That represents some $74 million brought 
into Army households.
    "Our program managers in the field are working to give 
family members as many employment opportunities as possible, 
especially in the private sector," said Jennie Nash, ACS 
program analyst at the Army's Community and Family Support 
Center in Alexandria, Va.
    Why the emphasis on private industry? "Because the smaller 
Army of the future will have fewer civilian jobs," Nash 
answered. She cited studies showing that the number of spouses 
in the labor force will increase each year.
    "The typical future-Army family will stay in a given locale 
for a longer time, because of stabilized tours. This longer 
presence will provide those spouses who want to work and 
advance in their own careers a better chance to do so," she 
said.
    Clients of the program learn how and where to look for 
jobs, using an automated job-listing data bank for information 
and referrals. Also available is assistance in career planning, 
honing job-search skills and preparing resumes.
    The program has even more value when it operates with the 
Army Career and Alumni Program, Nash explained. "With or 
without the ACAP job-assistance centers at selected 
installations, the program offices are geared to do the best 
they can," she said.
    For more information on the program in your area, contact 
your local ACS office.


-- 
         
      // \\
    //     \\                    Air Force News Agency 
   |         |               Kelly Air Force Base, Texas, USA
   \\  {*}  //                   bergman@afpan.pa.af.mil  
   \  CMSgt  /      ___________________ /____________________________________
   \  Mike   /   
   \ Bergman /
     \     / 


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