European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 31, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday May 31, 1977 sets. Mike Pellettera left and Walter Crouch of the i lib army Cav regt showed their Brand new world War ii Hall track. Old hang gets new lease on life Story and photo by Bob Cullen staff writer bad Kissinger Germany s4s one hang breathes easier these Days. Saved from an ignominious end As a target on a firing Range at Hohenfels it now serves with the 2nd so Lith army Cav regt Here. The hang is a world War ii Vintage half track. Rescued from the firing line literally at Hohenfels. The half track has been stripped scraped sweated Over and swore at until now it runs drives and even looks presentable As presentable As a combat vehicle can look sets. Walter Couch and Mike Pellettera both with co a 2nd so Lith army Ca regt. Accepted the Challenge of reviving the world War ii vehicle. The Rig looked bad. Along with being in a general state of disrepair a new engine had to be found and the transmission in Frozen. The vehicle had French markings and was painted a Dull of Green. Zaire rebels kill . Missionary Washington up rebel forces in Zaire have killed or. Glen . Eschtruth a methodist missionary from Michigan the state department said saturday. A state department official said the department was informed of the death by Eschtruth s fellow  Are sorry to report that according to missionary sources or. Eschtruth was killed by rebels in Zaire sometime in mid april the official said. We do not know the exact circumstances of his  Eschtruth head of the United methodist Mission Hospital in Katanga earlier had been reported kidnapped by retreating rebel forces in Southern  official said a report that he was killed was received in Washington Satur Day and was based on information from seven missionaries including Eschtruth s wife Lena who were evacuated from a Panga Friday. Now the hang taking the same Nick name As co ii. Sports a flashy Black paint Job. Sort of like going through a history Book taking off the  was Couch s description of the scraping required to find the original Metal. To remove the Many Coats of paint and primer the men turned to a fluid usually reserved for other purposes Brake fluid was painted All Over the half track to moisten the decades old paint. Now the hang runs. A motor Pool me chanic from world War ii would find some startling surprises under the Hood. The electrical system has been updated from 12 to 24 volts and the carburetion system was borrowed from an m71s 5/4-ton truck. At one Point we had 10 to is carbs lying  Couch from Plainview tex., said when the original carburettors could not be coaxed to cooperate the borrowed arb was fashioned to fit. When asked How the half track was acquired capt. John p. Carter co ii com Mander paused then said Well and then the major sitting in the room Cut in go ahead Tell him you stole the Damn thing that s not  Carter replied. Designed for it. It s All  Pellettera. From san Diego. Calif., cred its Carter with furnishing the moral and rank support which allowed the men to use a Bay in the motor Pool during the evenings and on weekends to work on the hang. He really stuck to his guns and saw this through Pellettera said with Couch agreeing. Finding parts including essential engine parts necessitated journeying to Shell pocked training ranges in search of usable parts from shot up Wii half tracks. What the soldiers could t find they fashioned in True i Jerry Rig tradition. The hang was not always the hang markets closed All . Slock exchanges and commodity markets were closed monday for the me Morial Day Holiday. When doubts were being voiced about it future it was called Carter s Folly or so say Couch and Pellettera. But now the Rig runs like a Charm according to Pellettera. Alto claims he agreed to work on the half track after he extracted a Promise of a Case of Beer from Carter. Carter believes the official designation for the vehicle is an m3ai half track Al though he says the last number could easily be a 2 or a 3. A letter was sent to the French govern ment. Carter said citing the numbers on the vehicle and asking for its history but no answer has been received. The Captain said they Are still consulting information sources to determine the Correct identification for the vehicle. Whatever name or number the two wheeled two tracked armoured personnel Carrier had in its past it is now known As the hang. Designed for combat probably the Only combat it will Sec now will be arguments Over who has the privilege of driving and caring for it. The stars and stripes Page 27 san Quentin in ?5 i shut in new racial strife san Quentin. Calif. Up san Quentin prison inmates were locked in their cells sunday for the second straight Day to prevent another outbreak of Vio Lence caused by what officials said was racial tension. Two White inmates were stabbed and guards fired 14 warning shots saturday in a series of fights and arguments Between White and Black convicts in the prison Yard and stairwells. It was the third major incident in this past month of violence caused by racial tension and the second time in a week authorities imposed a general lock Down to head off worse developments among the 2. 243 inmates said Bill Nyberg prison pro Gram administrator. Gang murder in the month s first incident a Black con vict was murdered in a gang incident. Last week the prison was locked Down after three Black inmates and a White convict were stabbed in a fight Over narcotics an Money. On saturday both the inmates who suffered Stab wounds. Tommy Ray tucker.30. And John ores 32, were White. There s Quile a hit of racial tension inthe prison said Nyberg. Sixty per cent of the convicts arc while 38 per cent Black and the remainder Chica no. We re going to keep the prison shut until we get a better handle on this thing till we know for sure what brought it All on and Jet the inmates know exactly what happened Nyberg said. Rumours rampant people get paranoid when they re inside and these things happen and they Don t know exactly Why. Bad rumours keep flying around. The lock Down Means the men Are kept in their cells except for going to the dining room and to visits. We have cancelled All work , Church acl Vilies an sports events. We know that the murder was gang re lated. And we know Liat racial tension often has the same roots As it does outside. But when you re behind the Walls a lot of Small things become magnified because you re not out on the Street Nyberg said. The first Brawl saturday started about 12 40 . Put on the stairs Between the upper and lower Yards. It was brought under control but broke put again a half hour later. Guards fired six warning shots and discovered the stabbed inmates. A third fight erupted five minutes later in the upper Yard and eight More warning shots were fired but no one was hit and there were no further injuries. Etc probes possible Airport Aid to car rent monopolies Washington up the Federal Trade commission is investigating whether 59 airports in 33 states and puerto Rico have cooperated in monopolistic practices by car rental firms using their premises. Etc officials said the investigation is an offshoot of an earlier antitrust Case against the three biggest car rental agencies Hertz Avis and National which were accused of monopolizing business at the air ports by conspiring on contracts and agreeing on car rental prices. That Rase was settled with consent agreements from the companies in which they pledged to Stop the alleged practices. But the commission still is looking into the possible involvement of authorities at airports. Etc officials said the officials confirmed the inquiry after it was reported inthe newsletter Etc  the. Newsletter said the Agency has been examining its jurisdiction Over municipally owned airports and has conclude that it at least has the authority to investigate if not bring an enforcement  the Resolution ordering the investigation says it is to determine whether Vari Ous Airport authorities Are or have been engaged in acts or practices in violation of. The Federal Trade commission act including contracts in restraint of Trade and Price fixing combinations involving the rental of automobiles at their  at the Lime of the complaint against Avis Hertz and National in june 1975, the Etc estimated the firms controlled 9t percent of the car rental Market at airports