European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 08, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes Friday. November 8, 1985 when first assigned to Spain everybody needs an Oasis by Tony Nauroth suit writer Arcos de Jalon Spain the Lime Green and Cream bus flashes through the Dull Brick Hills Northeast of Madrid. One of the riders a Young is. Airman going to his new assignment at Zaragoza a dubs it Arizona in  the two Lane Highway winds through a series of tight canyons Over and under a  rail line and Breaks out into a Liny Village where dark undernourished shrubs take the place of Trees. This is Arcos do Jalon and perched on a curve is the Oasis the first real Spanish bar americans Sec when they re assigned to northeastern Spain. It s the Halfway Point pit Stop on the four hour bus ride from Madrid to Zaragoza. David Miguel a tall Man with narrow features has inc manners of an experienced Butler. He s wearing dark Slacks with a White shirt open at the neck. He leans gently on the bar with both hands and asks in flawless British English May 1 help you a avid smiles. A lot. It s a smile that seems to drop off his face and splash a Over the place definitely contagious. Behind him 130 unit patches most from us. Air Force units throughout the world stick to the Wall dress right dress. There s even a faded White and Gold cafes sticker. A bit about Spanish bars. They Are not strictly drinking establishments. They re Community gathering and gossip stations. Most appear to be unkempt because of the swirling piles of Little papers that dance under the feel of the customers leaning on the rail. Spanish custom puts those papers there. After ordering a Strong cup of Coffee customers casually flip the sugar and Cream wrappers onto the floor. If the wrappers Aren t there then the establishment supposedly does t get much traffic and customers search elsewhere for refreshment. The bar is the Spanish fast food joint. The menu of fers the most common Spanish Quick lunch Jamon Ham Sandwich with Garbanzo Beans. Often the Ham is freshly Cut from a smoked or sailed hog Shank hanging in the window or above the bar. Tortilla is also popular but not the Flat mexican kind. This item is filled with potatoes cheese and other goodies and is sliced into pie size wedges. It s a Hearty meal. Near the Oasis Kitchen door stands Maite the other half of the Oasis proprietorship. David introduces her. This is my wife Maite. She s older than i am he cays laughing. It sounds like an insult but David Means no harm. In Spain facts often Are expressed this Way very direct. Filing off the edges of facts to smooth them for sensitive ears is not direct. No harm intended. David smiles engagingly. Maite is Short and round. She smiles but with less illumination. The Miguel have been serving busloads of americans since the 1950s when workmen passed through while building a fuel pipeline from Cadiz on the Southwest coast to Zaragoza a. David sits in a Small breakfast Nook next to the bar. He pulls out a Well thumbed English Spanish dictionary Given to him by the first american Navy commander of Rota near Cadiz. The Flyleaf is inscribed with this message to David and Maite de Miguel with Best wishes for your Success in learning English. May this Book help  it s signed simply commander .  David knows English British English very Well. Is Tholo by tory Niue Ort Maite and David Miguel in front of their Oasis. I be been to England he explains. Maite interrupts with a recollection of the commander s wife. She very Nice  Maite s English is not As Good As David a she have Only one  again the direct fact. No harm intended. The Miguel have a soft spot in their hearts for . Airmen and their families. The feeling is Mutual. During one year s contract negotiations a competing transportation firm got the contract to carry americans. The new Drivers insisted on stopping at a larger More mod Ern and More accessible watering Hole in the next town. According to a Zaragoza a official americans re acted so strongly against the new arrangement that the Stop at the Oasis we written into the next contract. Even when David s father died last year he delayed the funeral until after the american bus had passed through. Why some say it s because the Miguel know How to treat people right. Others insist it s because Maite could be any american Mother. But David says it s simply because everybody needs an Oasis and he grins a 5,000-Caikhepower mile. The Young airman who thought he was in Arizona finishes his meal. He walks nut to the Bat tucked into a tiny parking spot near Steep Cliffs and crawls on Board. He has been in Spain for Only six hours. Nice place he says snuggling Down comfortably into his seat. David signals the Driver from behind the bus. It s a difficult spot to Man Euver out of. When the Road is Clear the bus again flashes out to meet the Brick red and Dull Green of the Long stretch of Spanish National Highway ii. David can be seen in the rear View Mirror waving his big hand and flashing a whopper of a smile. And one Young american is primed to Deal with the people of Spain. World today helicopters Rescue 150 men from Oil Rig damaged by Gale Aberdeen Scotland up a Fleet of air Force Tad civilian helicopters plucked some 150 men from i Gunt Oil Rii Shose Anchor Broyce in nearly 100-Mph weds in the Northsea forties Oil Field the Royal air Force said. The Raf coordinating the Rescue from the Nippon vessel pharos 100 Miles off Aberdeen said the Rescue we precautionary and there were no casualties. The Raf said four of the Rig s eight anchors broke in the Aale and 30-foot Waves and it was decided to evacuate 150 of the personnel leaving some 20 essential Crew Mem Bers  Raf sea King helicopters from let Sidmouth a Northern Scolland and iwo civilian helicopters were scrambled while the Raf ordered a fifth helicopter to move to Scolland to stand by. 8 men who illegally sweetened wine fined total of $390 million Palermo Sicily a a court has convicted eight men of committing fraud and sweetening wine and fined them a total of about $390 million. Water and sugar were added to the bulk while wine a crime in Italy the prosecutors in the trial charged. Prosecutors put the value of the wine at about $17  most severe sentence went to two defendants who were each sentenced to four years in prison and fined the equivalent of $55 million. A ninth defendant was acquitted of the charges of fraud and of doctoring wine. All nine defendants were acquitted of charges of criminal association. The court deliberated two hours before delivering the verdict and sentence and the fines were considered unusually High. Native of Scotland named editor of times of London London a Charles Wilson a native of Scot land who began his newspaper career at the age of if St a cop boy has been named editor of the time of Loskota. He succeeds Charles Douglas Home who died of can cer oct. 29 at the age of 48. Wilson 50, was a joint Deputy editor of the times for the past year. He is the 13th editor of the paper which celebrated its 200th anniversary this year. Iranian court sentences Singer to Public flogging jail exile Athens Greece up a Well known iranian Singer was sentenced to Public flogging and three years in prison and exile after being found in the company of Drunken woman a Tehran newspaper said. Samhuri islam newspaper said an islamic court Tat  Javad Vasari to 80 lashes in Public after be was found at a private party in the company of Mariam of Jedi. Alvy was sentenced to two years in prison. I he newspaper did not say what offences they were charged with. Vasari was one of Iran s top singers during the period of the Shah. Last month Nimai Aghasi another Well known Singer was publicly flogged. Aghasi was arrested at a party where singing drinking and gambling had allegedly take place. Hanau unit rakes in Usa eur conservation award by Connie Dickey Steft writer Hanau Germany three years ago Christian Gottschalk thought the land management Branch in the directorate of engineering and housing could do More than Rake leaves and mow lawns. So hit staff branched out into tree sur Gery erosion control playground repair landscaping and wildlife habitat manage ment. Because of its efforts to do something More the Section was awarded the first Usa eur natural resources conserva Tion award last month. What we found out is when you have a poorly planned grounds maintenance program you get maintenance on just one level raking leaves and mowing lawns said Gottschalk management agronomist and head of the land management Branch. We started writing specifications and everything has become More Complex and integrated. We can now look at items on a Case by Case basis. We be also found out there Are some things that cannot be done by a contractor Well that we can do it ourselves better for less Money and improve our relations with the Host nation. Our goal is to develop the natural environment not spot improvements but an Overall  Gottschalk took Over the Section in october 1982 straight from technical College with an environmental Engineer degree which combines ecology environment and technicalities in land management. When he started his staff of 26 was expected Only to mow lawns and Rake leaves. Because of v corps borrowed military manpower program his staff grew to 55. Gottschalk and staff members began identifying grass to be mowed often less often and never and found that instead of mowing weekly they could mow every two weeks in some areas. With the Lime saved and with no extra Money the staff began doing other things with the support of the Deh and Community commander. Their priorities included tree maintenance such As transplanting and perform ing tree surgery instead of destroying the whole tree landscaping housing areas Ca Serns and training areas improving soil tilling the surface and re sodding athletic Fields inspecting and repairing play ground equipment erosion control and wildlife  programs included the landscaping of two training areas. There were Bare spots and open Fields and it just made for unrealistic training Gottschalk said. We found with a Little planning we could turn these areas into realistic training  a big part of the work consisted of erosion control planting Trees and shrubs which resulted in noise and dust abatement. This had a positive effect on the Ger Man population that lives close to the areas Gottschalk said. The Section also planted shrubs and Trees in a 12-Yard-Widc perimeter around one training area making the foliage thick enough to restrict admittance instead of pulling up a Metal Fence. The Fence was estimated to Cost 150,000 Marks $57,915. The landscaping Cost 60,000 Marks $23,166 and has proved to be just As effective. The 1985 award was Given to communities with less than 10.000 people and was for the years 1982-84. The runner up for 1985 was Garmisch. In 1986, the award will go to a Community of More than 10,000 people