Pershing

Air safety wins one

by Troy Darr
"In our busineu we have to ~ safety conscious.
Safcry first, always, with no exceptions.
'If we don't, pilots won't want to fly our aircraft,
troops won't want 10 fly in our aircraft and we can't
complete our mission," said Capt. Pac Plourd, 193rd
Aviarion Company's commanding officer.
All U.S. Army UH-I .Huey helicopters were re
ccntly $rounded for inspection and replacement of
the m:un rotor bolu. The Army-wide groundmg
order, issued on April 21, was prompted by an mcident in which rwo main rotor bolu broke on a UH- I
helicopter belonging to another command.
To the credit of the Aviation Safety program, the
discovery of the faulty bolts was made before any
accident or loss of life occurred.
All of the 193rd Aviation Company, 56th Field
Arrillery Command's UH- tH mnspon helicopters
were affected by the grounding order.
'The most recently issued safety of flight message
typifies the Army's approach to aviation safety," said
Plourd. There is nothing more imporrant than safety
in our business. Aircraft can be replaced but people
can't."

"The 56th Command has reali~ed the necessity and

imponance of adhering exactly to safety flight messages. Our biggest blessing is the supporr of the
Command, from the highest ranking officer to die
lowest ranking enlisted," Plourd said.
Spec. Michael Criswell, 193rd Crew Chief, said,
"Bolts were corroding and cracking after so many
hours of fligh1, that's why we had co pull them ou1
and inspect them. According to the inspection crite
ria, if the bolts had any odd wear patterns or rust
they had to be replaced.
Sgt. Stanley Murron, power uain mechanic, inspected the rotor bolu for a corrosion preventative
compound on 1hc bolts. "There was none, which was
cause for rejection. They all had to be replaced," he
said.
According 10 CW02 Douglas Marbes, 193rd pilot,
grounding over 3,000 helicopters Army-wide was
necessary "because the main rotor bolts are very imponanc.

Update FYI
Moving violations
New Headquarters Department of the Army
joint travel regulation guidelines state the government w;Jl no1 pay for movement from one local
economy address to another local economy address
without valid orders.
Government paid movement from one local economy address 10 another local economy address is
extremely rare, according to HQDA's guidclin.es.
The Comptroller General has ruled, that such movcmcnu must ~ for the convenience of the government, not the soldier.
Listed below arc some examples of cases which
arc considered personal in nature:
A. Landlord's refusal 10 renew a lease.
B. Extreme hardship.
C. Inadequate heat or water in economy quarters,
causing sickness of family members.
D. Eviction notice.

Anny Avletton s.fety ICOl'9d victory ~ when checks lndlcet9d problem with m11ln rolDr bolts. Hellcopt.s - . grounded end the problems flxlld before ny eccldente occurNCI.

If anything goes wrong with the main rotor, most

likely the resulu would ~ disastrous. An airplane
can glide in to a safe land in~, Marbcs said, "but if
anything happens to the main rotor of a helicopter,
you have no more lift. It will drop like a rock.
The main rotor bolts snapping during flight is 'one
of the few things that can happen where there is no
set procedure to handle the crises," Marbes added.
Safery is continually emphas~ed at the 193rd.
Crew chiefs (helicopter mechanics) dp daily prcven
tative maintenance checks and services (PMCS) before and after each flight and every seventh day they
don't fly," said Criswell~"That's to make sure every
thing is in workin~ order and nothi?g is l~aking.
PilotS arc especially safety conscious, s1.11cc their
lives arc constantly on the line. Marbcs said, "Before
each flight we check every single pan we can sec and
we do start-up checks as we move around, before w e
ac;rually start our mission.
193rd Safety Officer, C W02 Angel Torres, defines
safety as "any procedure that saves lives, and he believes "safety is supreme.
According 10 Torres, on monthly safety inspections - "193rd personnel look for safety hazards, not
only in the helicopters, but in the whole work area.
E. Undue harassment by landlord.
F. Landlord sells house and tenant is forced to
move.
G . Aparrment too small and docs not conform to
U. S. standards.
H. Broken/bunt water pipe$.
Accordmg to HQDA, the U.S. government can
not assume liability for areas of personal responsibiliry.
Soldiers should check with their local Housing
Referral Office, before making any moves. (AR
NEWS)

New weight limits

Authorization to increase military household
goods (HHG) weight allowances has ~en received
from the Per Diem Travel and Transportation Allowance Committee. This increase will be effective
for movemcntS after June 30, 1989.
Eligibiliry for the new weight limiu is determined
by the effective or reponing date of the PCS orders,
and the date the HHGs arc actually moved.
According to Transportarion Management, Headquarrcrs, USAREUR, at lcaSl ont segment of the

"Every month we have officer safety meetings and

enlisted safety meetings, said Torres. "Once per quarrcr we have an officer and enlisted safety council.
According t0 Torres, the pur:fOSC of safety meetings and safety councils is to ducuss and point-out
safety hazards. "We discws future plans and task
pcnonnd 10 correct safety huards," he said.
Marbcs agreed, If I was worried, I wouldn't want
10 fly.
Marbcs and Torres aren't worried now and with
the 193rd's thorough aviation maintenance and safety
procedures, they'll never have to be.
"The Army identified the problem. The uni1 took
corrective action, said Plourd. "Though we weren't
able to completely perform our peacetime mission of
suppon for a shorr time, we protected the lives of
soldiers and civilians through extensive safety and
maintenance procedures.
"That, he said, was a far more imponant mission."'
Because of his confidence in the maintenance
crews, Torres doesn't worry about the condition of
the aircraft he flies. "I feel pretty good ~use that's
what they (helicopter mechanics) go to school for. I
trust them. They are specialim, very professional.
They're capable of doing a very good job.
that HHG move must take place after June JOth.
For more information concemmg the HHGs
weight allowance increase, contact the Housing Referral Office (ARNEWS).

Driving on
Because American soldie.rs don't f,ay German
road Wits and drive on taX and duty- rec gasoline,
any visitor from the Sates, who wanu to drive a
soldier's car in Germany, needs to get an authority
document from the 42nd MP Group.
To get this document, the visitor's pa.ssport
numbers must ~ brought to the local 42nd MP
Group field office. The guest will also need :an international driver's license, or an official translation
of a stateside license.
.
The authority document, along with 1he vehicle
registration, proof of insurance and driver's license,
must be in the car when the guest is driving. Insurance needs to cover the visitor also.
Contact the local 42nd MP Group field office for
more information. (ARNEWS)

~hing Cab/&
June 1989

Clerk's train to track troop losses

by Lisa M. GilJyard
While most of the Anny's personnel
administration specialists were typing
away in their warm and dry offices this
April, some of the clerks from the 4th
Battalion, 9th Field Artillery and the
261st Personnel Service Company were
getting "hands-on-training in their Military O ccupational Skills under simulated war conditions.
"We may work at our own desk in a
cozy office, but that doesn't mean we
don't go to t~e field," said Spec. Patricia
Chandler, a personnel administration
specialist for 4-9, while literally standing up to her knees in mud outSide of a
small camouflaged tent which was to be
her home for the next four days.
Most service members think personnel administration spccialistS don't
have jobs in the field, much less go to
the field.
According to SSgt. James Schofield,

NCOIC of the records division at

261st, that's simply not true. "Our most
important job in the field is to process
casualty reporu that are I 00 percent accurate," he said.
When a soldier is wounded or killed
during war, his unit muSt immediately
report the incident for two reasons,
Schofield explained.
One i., to notify the next-of-kin as
soon as possible.
The other is to notify the Department
of the Anny (DA), so a replacement can
be found with the same qualifications as
the dead or wounded soldier.
But processing a casualty report can
be a slow procc~s. he continued. A copy
of the report must be sent from the
soldier's unit to the 261st, then to VII
Corps, from there to I st Personnel
Command and finally it reaches DA,
who notifies the soldier's next-of-kin
and finds a replacement.

According to Schofield, the casuality

report needs to reach DA within a minimum of two days, so speed and accu
racy is of the utmost importance. Th,.t's
why clerks from 4-9 and 261st were in
the field training in a war-like atmosphere with simulated casualty rcporu,
he explained.
This is the first time our clerks have
actually trained together with a unit in
the field, he said.
"It's given us a chance to work with
the TACCS, (Tactical Army Combat
Service Support Computer System) in
the field which makes casualty reporting and replacement operations more
expeditious, added SSgt. Brian Rood,
the PAC supervisor for 4-9.
By using the TACCS system, and
Army computers used in many units to
process personnel actions, 4/9 has been
able to put the casualty report into the
computer on a floppy disk and send it

through the proper channels quickly

and easily.
The clerks of both units feel using the
TACCS is an effective way to get their
job done.
All the soldier's background information is in the computer, I don't have
to search through a 20 I personnel file
for data to process a report; it makes
my job faster and more accurate," explained Spec. Dexter Howard, a personnel actions specialist for 261st.
All administration specialists must be
proficient in processing casualty reports
because when "mass casualty reports
start pouring in, everyone stops nd
makes them priority," said Schofield.
The supervisors and clerks from both
units agreed that training with the
TACCS in the field has helped them
improve their casualty rcportin g system
and they plan to continue simular training in the future to perfect the casualty
reporting process.

Bismarck Kaserne's hectic history hailed

by Anthony J.C. Hosch
Bismarck Kaserne, the Command's oldest kascme,
was built between 1911- 1913 to replace the "Alte"
(old) Kaseme. The old kaserne, also known as "the
Prediger," is now a museum located in the Marktplatz in Schwiibisch Gmiind.
The kaseme is named for Otto Bismarck, who was
chancelJor of Germany from 1871-1890.
Bisma.rck was dismissed from office by German
emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, who felt Bismarck was
becoming too powerful.

Although dismissed from office, Bismarck was welJ

liked by the people, said Brigitte Mangold, Schwabisch Gmiind's Archives clerk. Bismarck initiated social changes such as insurance plans, pension plans,
social security benefits and a system of treaties,
which secured peace for Germany and surrounding
countries.
According to Dr. Klaus J. Herrmann, director of
the Archives of Schwabisch Gmiind, the kaserne was
occupied by the German's 180th Infantry Regiment
until after World War I. Following World War I, a
German training battalion of the 13th Infantry Regiment occupied the kaserne.

,, ..

.~,:x.

German troop, prepare for a military pared, at Bismarck KaMme during It's Nrty dlly1.

...

This regiment was known as the Gmiinder Battalion and their mission was to train troops for the entire German army. Because of the signing of the Versailles treaty, Germany was allowed no more than
I 00,000 soldiers.
However, Hitler tried to build-up the German
army by unofficially discharging the soldiers already
trained, which allowed him to train another 100,000
soldiers. In 1935, he initiated the draft to stre.ngthen
his army. To surrounding cou.ntries, it appeared as if
Germany was abiding by the treaty, but in r,eality his
army exceeded its limitations.
Hitler, pushing his power to the utmost, used the
Gmiinder regiment from Bismarck along with other
troops and deployed them to within 50 kilometers
cast of the Rhine river, in violation of the Versailles
treaty.
Herrmann said, Germany's neighboring countries
didn't really say much to Hitler, but they made him
aware they disapproved of his actions.
Hitler, disregarding the other countries requests,
went even fanher. The Gmiinder regiment, as part of
a massive assault by German troops, invaded France
on May 10, 1940. Later, the Gmiinder regiment was
stationed in Poland from Jan. 10, 1941 until June 25,
1944, when it was sent to the Russian front.
According to Herrmann, the weather and! Russian
assaultS took a heavy toll on the Gmiinder regiment.
Only three German soldiers made it back.
After the German army was defeated in World
War II, Bismarck K.aserne housed Polish, Romanian
and Ukranian prisoners of war.
The kaserne was used for housing prisoners until
1951, when the first American troops arrive<!.
The 5th Battalion, 73rd Artillery occupied the kaseme until August 1968. In September of_that ye_ar,
Bismarck became the home of the 56th Field Artillery Group, (which has no hi.,torical relation to the
56th Field Artillery Command).
Since 1970, Bismarck Kaseme has been the home
of Headquarters and Headquarters Battery 56th Field
Artillery Brigade.
The present organization, redesignated as HH_B
56th FA Bde in March 1972, became a Command in
January 1986.
Soldiers come and go, but Bismarck Kaserne's colorful history lives on.