European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 3, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                July 1985 the stars and stripes Page 9 unique Crew flew Mission of a lifetime by Charlie Bowden and Patrick Jackson staff writers Rhei main Germany air Force Leroy Edwards and his Crew had been alerted for a return to the United states from their trash Hauler cargo flight but 25 minutes the return leg of that cargo flight was trans formed into a humanitarian Mission with International the Crews new Mission was to Fly into Syria and Fly out the hostages of hijacked Twa flight 847 after they arrived by caravan from that notice would focus world attention on the camouflaged air Force cargo plane and have Edwards speaking with presi Dent Reagan on a Telephone from Baton with More than hours flying of them in described the Crew As brought together from different squadrons and different bases to Fly this different kind of the unique thing about this and i doubt that this would happen again in another is that there Are three Active duty squadrons at Mcguire and theres two Crew members on the Crew from each Edwards the extra Copilot 1st Daryl Moore is from Charleston in 11 service members made the flight As members of a medical evaluation interviewed tuesday shortly before de parting for the United states with another Load of less worldwide Mem Bers of the Crew laughed and joked As they recounted the hostage evacuation for it was perhaps the Mission of a and one that Edwards says came from being in the right place at the right Load master Leroy of has been in the right place Mckenzie was on a similar Mission in december 1984 when the air Force flew into Kuwait to pick up freed Ameri can they and 12 other people had been taken hostage when Arab terrorists hijacked a Kuwait Airliner flying to two americans were killed in that Mckenzie said this Mission was differ this time when we touched Down we were met and protected by syrian he we had our own people to depend it makes a he the rest of the Crew admitted apprehension when they landed saturday and found armed men surrounding the giant plane As photo by Dave Didio Crew of the c141 that flew hostages from Syria to Frankfurt from Roy staff John staff Dennis Leroy Edwards 1st Daryl Richard Wharton and Shelton it came to a we All breathed easier when we were told that those were the Good said but the situation would become More tense As the wait for the caravan of hos tages expected to be around four hours stretched into nearly 35 hours after negotiations broke Load master Shelton of said the planes versatile cargo Bay had been set up to meet several possible we didst know what to so we tried to plan for every he preparations included installing numerous extra airline seats and a complement of Edwards said the litters were filled for much of the five hour flight to Germany As the former hostages tried to catch up on lost getting off syrian ground was a first priority for the and while they were not using emergency Edwards we we rent wasting any one stumbling Block was Jones said the Crew hand searched the Mountain of Luggage brought to the checking against the possibility of a they left much of it behind when it be came apparent that it was much More than just the Luggage of the 39 Jones believes that they were Given All of Twa flight 847s we didst have space for so we had to leave some of it the planes Load masters played Gour met chef and prepared Frozen similar to those served on commercial air after eating All that foreign food they were glad to get their hands on said two hours before Edwards was Busy arranging the Patch that would put the plane into Telephone Contact with the White recalling the Edwards the president wanted to talk to the hostages Over the system of the but we dont have the capability of doing president Reagan asked to speak with the Mission Edwards said the president wanted Assurance that the hostages were Safe and i told him it  be going smoother and that we were flying the Mission As if he were in the jump the hostages were in Good Good spirits and anxious to come the Crew visited with the hostages on the flight on the Way Back to Copilot Richard Wharton of said Many of the hostages had kept diaries and let the Crew read them during the Many wanted to visit the planes flight deck and asked about intensity of emotions among the Crew and the Edwards we were really High from of said he recalls a visible change among the hostages when they spotted the american fliers dressed in Olive flight especially when they saw he pointing to the Patch of the Flag that decorates the left Shoul Der of each Crew on the flight Jones the hos tages twice broke into fits of spontaneous clapping and they started Yelling and clapping after we took and then again when the commander announced that we were leaving syrian Jones and How did they feel it gives you goosebumps All said said re said Giotto should intercept Early next year europeans launch probe to Stu cry valleys come by Kominicki staff writer Germany the european space Agency joined the International Mission to study valleys Comet with the launch of a on Eton probe de signed to rendezvous with the glowing mass As it streaks past Earth Early next the probe blasted off tuesday a French built ariane rocket from the Agen cys facility in French in Northeast South America at film editor Ford Dies los Angeles a Barbara film editor whose last credit was the hit movie mask and who was the daughter of the late director John has died at starring is the film account of the life and death of Rocky Den a boy born with a grotesque facial de Central european Daylight the launch is the Agency first inter planetary it was delayed for 10 min utes at plus 6 minutes in the countdown by a computer ranging a storm that threatened further delays in the count remained at the Esa operations Center in Darm Stadt took control of the named 22 minutes into the controllers in Germany will steer the probe through 31 test orbits of Earth wednesday boost Giotto into its cruise an 400 million mile ride through space to line up with the approaching Comet in mid March the million named for 14thcentury italian Painter Giotto de who recorded the Comet in his adoration of the follows Japa Nese and soviet Comet missions launched earlier this two soviet Vega Craft will serve As pathfinders for Europe passing through the comets Tail a week before Giotto and providing data on the exact location of valleys the United states and several Eastern bloc countries Are also participating in the Comet All have agreed to share the collected Giotto is equipped with a color camera and nine experiments that will Analyse the comets dust charged parti cles and magnetic european scientists Hope to Man Euver the probe to within 300 Miles of the comets the Clos est of any of the because of the violent dust storm that rages around valleys Giotto encounter is expected to last Only about four on workers were constructing the temporary building that will House the scientific team monitoring next years in the team is expected to Start arriving in Darmstadt this tuesdays launch was the twelfth Suc Cess for a program marred by fail ures at its Start in Esa officials would not comment on reports that the operations Center was under threat of terrorist but the usually lax Security had been tightened with German police the Comet is named for British astronomer Edmund who first predicted its periodic the Comet swings by Earth about every 76 aircraft Carrier England a Ark Britain third aircraft entered service with a Majestic voyage into this Southern English the ship joins two other aircraft the illustrious and the in Britain scaled Down seaborne air