If you were thinking you'd travel to Europe and stay in the military's Edelweiss resort in Garmisch, Germany well, you're probably out of luck.
That's because despite having a standing policy on who qualifies to stay there that rules out the vast majority of the military community and retirees, some non-qualified users have long slipped through the cracks. And now officials are cracking down.
Let's start here: who IS eligible to use the resort?
The resort, part of the network of military resorts that includes the popular Hale Koa R&R destination in Hawaii and Shades of Green in Florida, keeps a very limited list of eligible users. And it's like this: unless your service member is stationed in Europe or you are a retiree or military civilian employee actually living full time in Germany, you probably don't qualify.
Yup, that means you can't just make an Edelweiss stop during your two-week European vacation from the states. The only way around it is if you can prove that you've been in Europe longer than a month or are traveling with a sponsor who does qualify.
The resort's general manager blamed the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with Germany for the crackdown, according to her statement in this Stars and Stripes story. Apparently the resort has, in the past, made a habit of ignoring those rules. But now the game is over.
Have you stayed at Edelweiss? Were you planning to do so soon? How does this change impact you?
