European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 06, 1969, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 6 the stars and stripes thursday february 6, 1969 air Force photo problems assisting mrs. Felicisima Graves and her four children left and puzzled airman right Are All in a Day s work. Pacific Airlift Story seems larger than life by James k. We Werth Travis fab Calif. Special i the military Airlift come Story concerns people and at Travis where More than 117,000 service men and members of their families pass through Mac overseas air terminal each month the Story often seems Large than life. Thousands pour through the terminal daily masses of sol Diers headed for Vietnam i starched uniforms wide eyed children shyly tugging at Mother s skirts weeping wives clutch ing husbands until the final moment smiling sailors in Navy Blue sea togs hauling huge Duffel bags. To Deal with this pulsing Massof people on the move Mac has installed one of the largest an most modern military terminals i the world employing More than 1,500 people on 24-hour per Day seven Day per week work schedule. The terminal staff attempts to meet every conceivable need of the travelling Serviceman. By facilities Are open 24 hours a Day offering everything from Maga Zines and toothpaste to jewel Ryand pocketbooks including the College outline series on How to improve your memory and physical fitness after 35."a 24-hour cafeteria offers hot and cold meals snacks and plenty of Coffee. Tailor and Barber shops Are open until dependent s lounge com plete with bedrooms bottle warmers and playpens offers instant baby sitting if mom has paperwork to do at the ticket or Luggage the nearby passenger an nex servicemen awaiting late scheduled flights Battle in Long bouts of Ping Pong and Pool watch television or write letters All with an ample Supply of hot and cold snacks in nearby canteens. For the weary there Are cots in a quiet Back room. If things get Overly comply Young Abrams extends commanding tradition firebase Blackhawk Vietnam first it. John n. Abrams 22-year-old son Creighton w. Abramsjr. American commander in South Vietnam has taken Over a com Mand of his own in the Rugge Central Highlands. He is commanding officer troop a 2nd Squadron is cavalry 4th infantry division after serving 18 months As i platoon Leader and executive officer. Tough aggressive officers and men at this base20 Miles East of Plesku describe the slightly built Abrams As Tough aggressive military Man. He is a Damn Good officer said it. Col. Richard a. Miller the 1st cavalry commander. He knows this area like the Back of Bis a recent operation Abrams watched from his Heli copter As his troop carried out a search and cordon move he spotted one Viet Cong running from a Village with a weapon. Fire a few warning shots Abrams said to his gunner adding the idea is to the Viet Cong vanished into the Brush and Abrams ordered his chopper to land. With handful of men he took off in Pursuit. The Man could t be found and the Young officer Shook his head in disappoint ment. That s one on the most difficult things about this War he said. You re Are never sur who s keep trying going Back to his helicopter Abrams passed one of his medics treating a wounded Viet Cong. Keep trying to save him Doc he said. An older brother w. Abrams Iii was Lere As a Battery commander and now is stationed at it. Sill third Abrams son 8, is in school in the states. Rated or confusing passenger services office has people Avail Able Day and night to help solve problems. Some examples mrs. Felicisima Graves a shy Young woman born in the Philip Pines arrived one morning at 2a.m. With four Young children in Tow in route to join her husband at Clark air base. Not fluent in English she failed to understand earlier instructions concerning filipino visas for two of her Chil Dren. This meant travelling for new visas to san Francisco 70miles away missing her scheduled flight finding temporary quarters for her family and contacting her worried husband waiting at Clark All with limited command of the English Lan Guage. T. Sgt. John o. Thurmond of passenger services found her a room with Kitchen facilities atthe visiting officers quarters a sponsor for the children while she went to san Francisco and an air Force staff car wit Driver to take her there. Her husband at Clark s. Sgt. Natha Nial Graves was notified of the delay and things ended happily. A Young army Soldier bound for Vietnam was stopped temporarily when his distraught wife sobbing hysterically broke through the passenger Gate an tackled him As he was climbing aboard the plane. The Soldier was instructed to take another flight several Days later after hand his wife had solved their problems. Sgt John j. Gilmore travel ing to a non accompanied assign ment at Korat Thailand los this Wallet containing $450, thus stranding his thai wife and 14-month-old child whom he was sending via commercial airline to Bangkok. Capt. Joseph web Ber passenger services Pic that Day called several offices on base finally arranged an and Vance pay a Navy Man returning fro Japan where his wife was killed in an Auto Accident seemed to distraught that mrs. Marie Sta Ples an attendant in the de Pendents lounge took Over As a substitute Mother for his child for a few Days. She bathed the baby fed him washed and pressed his clothes until the Sailor could make Domestic flight connections. Not All problems Are easily solved. Sgt. Lorenzo b. Jose of the philippine army attending signal school at it. Gordon ga., wanted to visit his brother at my chord fab Washington flying military standby. Unfortunately regulations would not permit this. Passenger services representatives spent several hours checking and making phone Calls. On another occasion a Passen Ger services airman at the bag Gage counter was punched in the nose by a returning Vietnam sol Dier who could t find his suit Case. We try to give the Mac Pas Senger the finest service pos sible says it. Col. Fred , commander of the Pas Senger services office at Airlift come s major interest Here is helping with 117,000 people a Mont passing through the terminal there Are plenty of opportunities. Waiting a Sailor catch a few mrs Wale awaiting flight Tav Vee to Cawi
