European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 20, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse                                January the stars and stripes Poge 9 his Mother ordered learn and learn he did by Barbara Cullen staff writer Heidelberg Sis the Way he tells the Stor has he had never shown any Talent for his brother had All the Talent it was his brother who Learned the Barilone in three it was is brother who mastered the piano in the same length of Bui it was Russell Mcconnell and not his younger brother who became a professional his brother became a Pho Logra Mcconnell is now the senior warrant officer in the army band his current assignment is chief warrant officer bandmaster and commander of the Usa eur 33rd band Here Al mom had played the i started but was a com plete hop learning the i still cant play the Mccon Nell his introduction to music was brought Aboul by his Molher volunteering him for the Church she trotted me up to the bandmaster and he said he needed a French Horn i was designated As i want especially but Mother grabbed me by the ear and barked ii want until after he had served one enlist men in the army As a Bondsman thai he realized he did like in College i was an English i had no intention of pursuing music even though i had gone to a technical High school that taught music after i Gol Oul of the army i realized the Only thing i enjoyed was playing i realized that music was the Only thing that turned me Bui i did nol want to be a High school band which was what led to is becoming a warrant its i didst want to become a High school band direct Rhine River Spon Tor because i didst want to fight the Board of education for but in addition to my army work i teach the Heidelberg High school stage band and i have to fight for funds for Mcconnell said thai Al one Lime he had wanted to become a before i was drafted i new a Piper i tried to join the air but they took one look at where i had broken a leg and said i was exactly one week the army said i was a prime physical he in 1960 he became a warrant his assignments have included the port band at Brooklyn army band director in Korea and stints in Alaska and he was the first band master to attend the warrant officer senior course at and before coming to Heidelberg in september of he served As band director with the 1st army div at ans he considers the Usa eur band a Choice such activities As participating in the Rose of Tralee Parade in ire entertaining for the King and Queen in Jordan and attending music festivals in France and Belgium Are part of the reason then there Are All the War stories he has to like the time one of his trombone players climbed to the lop of a Lent pole during a German Fasching Celebration and played his trombone from or the Impromptu concert Given at 2 in Ireland by band members fortified by what i enjoy most of is running my own we have too Many not enough rehearsal time but i have always Felt and continue to feel that when we do Well i had Home thing to do with it and conversely if were its partly my directing the band is like being a Small grocery store owner youre responsible for whatever he two Russell Mcconnell lobe a Pilot 3 nations1 soldiers join in bridging the Gap by Jim Coles i staff writer Germany Sis there was a near festival attitude As 500 soldiers from three armies combined their efforts in a bridging of the Rhine River Here it was the first time since world War ii that elements of the belgian and French armies have All cooperated in a single bridging although up to two of the nato partners have worked to Gether according to Stephen l the Bridge of the 93rd engr said the exercise was originally conceived As a partnership project with the French Lith engr regt and four units the Mist engr Bridge 549th engr 565th engr in and 93rd engr it was just a stroke of Luck that the belgians were Avail Able for it has added a lot to the exer he the River Here is about 980 feet Gerecke adding that it took about an hour the first time we tried to close the the problem was one of language and the final closing took about 25 the Span was put using Mobile As Sault Bridges Mab French Gerecke said it takes about 37 mabs to put in a solid Bridge at this Point on the youngsters in foreground walk a Bridge where there was Only open water a Lew hours units of the French a link of Friendship and belgian armies cooperated in using their skills to spa the Rhine River at when the snores of the River were they Al Lowed spectators to walk across the photo by Jim Cole but the units brought about 85 mabs so that All the Crews would gel a Chance to work together at putting in a the belgian army uses the same equip ment As does the Gerecke so there is no problem marrying up with each the French has a different attaching so an adapter had to be two of these adapters were built about 10 years Gerecke said the French have and the 541sl engr co has the he said the adapter weighs several ions and requires a Bulldozer or other lifting equipment to put it in place on an once it is in hooking up is routine As routine As moving tons of steel on a fast flowing River Ever the engineers practice linking up Sev eral times in the just before when the River closing permit would members of co 12th engr 8th inf moved their heavy equipment across the the final closing of the Bridge went even Beller than Gerecke expected total time was not quite 20 min and the heavy tracked vehicles made their Crossings in about three minutes Gerecke said that a solid Mab Bridge can support the heaviest equipment the army including m60 and gel them across very chief of the usar eur Liaison Mission to the French forces in this is one of the most dynamic and fruitful partnership activities in this exercise has been Good for everybody Wii bomb District of East Berlin evacuated Berlin a several Hundred East berliners were evacuated from the District of Marzahn after construction workers found a two Ion air mine bomb left Over from world War the bomb was found with badly dam aged the Easl Berlin news Agency adn and traffic was rerouted while it was disarmed by air mines were massive bombs set to explode on a British tactic during the bombing of Berlin was to drop them singly Over the using one bomber at a time to set off air raid