European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 23, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes sunday october 23, 1977 people projects will get $25 million by Floyd Harringto Kaiserslautern Bureau chief Ramstein Germany is the air Force will spend More than $25 million Over the next two years to improve the Quality of life for Safe airmen an their families according to capt. Penn Bullock Nona Propri ated funds Programmer for Safe s Deputy chief of staff engineering and services. Bullock said that about 100 people projects such anew commissaries base exchanges Bowling centers Auto Hobby shops and dormitories Are either in the design stage or approved and should be under construction within a year. Money for the projects came from cafes commissary surcharge funds air Force and Safe Wel fare funds Safe membership association funds an command operation and maintenance funds he said. According to Bullock cafes soon will begin constructing a new sales store of about 24,000 Square feet at Aviano a Italy and an addition to the base Exchange Straf Ben Waters England. The Ben Waters project includes 7,000 Square feet of retail space and a like amount of warehouse space. In the design stage Are additions to the exchanges a Ramstein and Vogel Weh near Kaiserslautern and at bit Burg a Germany. In addition plans Call for the relocating the Exchange at Camp new Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Commissary surcharge funds will be used to build new facilities at Ben Waters and Sembach a Germany. Additions Are being designed for the commissaries at Zara Goza a Spain and at Hess Isch Oldendorf air station  planned Are new commissaries for Span Dahlem a Germany and Camp new Amsterdam. Bullock said construction of these facilities should begin in 1979. The Cost for the four commissaries and commissary additions will be More than $10 million. Another $75,000 in surcharge funds has been ear marked for a project called mini mod. Bullock said the Money from this fund May be requested by base commis Saries to make improvements such As new entrances to Cut Down on congestion or for beautification  $6.5 million from welfare funds will be used to build or improve recreation facilities such As Bowling enters Auto Hobby shops youth centers and build at least one child care  Way the design is presently Ben Waters will be the first Bowling Center under construction then Campney Amsterdam Messich Oldendorf and Sembach said Bullock. Camp new Amsterdam also will get a new youth enter and gymnasium style additions will be added to the youth centers at Ramstein and  additions will be full court size at Ramstein and somewhat smaller at Sembach. They can be used for indoor sports and dances said  child care Center will be built at Torrejon a Spain. Seventeen smaller people projects Are also scheduled for various bases. Membership association funds generated from office Rand no clubs Rod and gun clubs and Aero clubs will be used to renovate clubs at Span Dahlem and Hahn Abs Germany and at Raf Milden Hau at a Cost of $1.5 million. However Bullock said he preferred not to say whether they were officer or no clubs. He did say than an addition and renovation project Wasin the preliminary planning stage for the no club inter National at  rest of the projected people projects will be constructed or renovated with More than $3.5 million from Safe command operation and maintenance of funds. This Money has been requested to upgrade dining facilities dormitories Bachelor officer and no quarters and guest quarters throughout  said he expects All of the projects with the exception of of funded projects to be under construction or contracted for construction within a year. Of the of projects he said right now it s a Crystal Ball  s the first of the fiscal year and the availability of funds is in doubt. If it s an austere year in this particular area we could miss our goal of having the of projects under construction within a year dog face go death of old Nick Veteran canine Mascot for 1st air defense arty unit upsets soldiers by Jim Coles i staff writer Quernheim Germany is old Nick for Many years the faithful Mascot of Btry 2nd in 1st air defense arty is  died oct. 8, by the hand of 1st sgt. Joe s. Wright. The body lies at the Bottom of Atrash dump. Many of the soldiers at this isolated missile site Are upset not about the death but at what one Soldier called the Lack of respect for a member of  Nick a 160-Pound great Dane was an army dog according to his records. He had attained the honorary rank of first ser Geant in Only three years. His last assign ment before joining c Btry was with co a Usa eur and 7th army special troops in  that time Nick even managed to get an article 15 for being absent without leave. That offence netted him a reduction in Grade to sergeant first class which was suspended for 30 Days. According to an article which appeared in the stars an stripes in 1971, Nick obeyed the restriction rules and won his rank  dog had a 201 file military records jacket containing his assignments Edu cation commendation for rapid promotion and the usual military information. Nick was reassigned in 1973. According to Wright Nick was loved by everyone in the Battery. His 201 file snowed that he was More than 11 years old or about 77 dog years he had arthritis open sores on his legs that would not heal and was deteriorating  to Wright Nick had a stroke and heart attack on july 6, the Day the Bat Tery left for Crete on its annual service practice. We got some Medicine for him before we left but we really did t expect to see him alive when we  Nick survived this crisis of old age but his arthritis got worse. By sep tember Nick could hardly move Wright said. He howled every time he tried to move. None of us wanted to see Nick go. The troops would beg us not to have him put to sleep so we tried More Medicine. That did t seem to help much. So we took him Vogel Weh to have him put to sleep. The vet there said he could t do i right away because they had an in inspection coming soon and their Freezer for dead animals was full. He told us that Nick would probably die of natural causes in afew Days any  Nick surprised everyone Wright said by staging a slight rally. The rally was Only temporary and Nick worsened  the Early morning hours of sept. 24, the Battery commander capt. Thomas  was killed in a car wreck. This Wright said upset the unit quite a bit. We had a memorial service for capt. Denni Gan on sept. 27th and most of the men were really  capt. William Carpenter the new com Mander Here said the men were de pressed about Dennigan. During that firs week of my command i saw Nick deteriorate to the Point where he could t  and i discussed the disposition of Nick for several Days. We agreed that the Best thing to do would be to take him out and put him out of his  the morning of oct. 8, Wright Drew a .45 Caliper pistol and two bullets and took Nick to the Woods behind the launch area. Said Wright that was one of the hardest things i v Ever had to do. I be Only been Here about eight months but my family and i came to love him. The Captain and i decided not to spread the word of Nick s death too quickly be cause of the Way the men Felt about . I Don t think they could have taken that much  said the men of Charlie Bat Tery had planned a military funeral Fornick but because of German sanitation and environmental Laws it just got to Betook much to try to Bury him on the  Nick s remains now lie in a Cavern near the site along with trash and garbage which is dumped there by local  to . John Castigliego and sgt. Carlos Labiosa Many of the soldiers Here Are very upset at the Way Nick s death was handled the men Don t fee that this was the right Way to end Nick s suffering and certainly not the Way for Soldier to be  Wright and Carpenter said that efforts Are under Way to rename this nato site in Honor of Dennigan but that a special trib Ute is planned for Nick. The 94th arty group is taking nominations for its Hall of Fame. We be submitted his records to group Headquarters forestry into their Hall of Fame. That Way the records and his pictures will be on display for anyone to  us alumni planning fete Heidelberg the University of Southern California alumni members of Trojan educators abroad Are sponsor ing a get together nov. 19 at the Heidel Berg officers club beginning at 6 30p.m. All us students and graduates Are invited. The dinner will Cost $10 with a pay As you go bar. For reservations Send your Money and name to Barbara Rudometkin Trojan educators abroad Secretary Karlsruhe elementary school Apo 09164. Deadline for reservations is nov. 1. First  old Nick 11-year-Oldmascot for c Btry 2nd in 1st air de sense arty in Quirn Helm Germany an old Soldier faded away was shot to death to put him out of misery but the gis at the missile site eel that old Nick did t receive the re Spect be deserved. Nick s body lies in Cavern which is used As a trash dump near the site. Is photo