European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 18, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 2 the stars and stripes wednesday december 18, 1985 2,200 attend rites in Berlin for 248 who died in Jet crash by Joe Mapother Bremer Hiren Bureau Berlin More than 2,200 people attended a me Morial service tuesday for victims of last week s Dick plane crash that killed 248 members of the 101st air borne div a unit with close lies to the Berlin brigade. Brig. Gen. Thomas n. Griffin jr., Berlin brigade commander told mourners that at least 11 of the and soldiers were former members of the Berlin brigade a Public affairs office spokesman said. The soldiers and families at fort Campbell Are mourning this tragic event but we Are also saddened Griffin said. A part of our family was lost the Berlin brigade is comprised of three battalions of the 502nd regt. The remaining three battalions of the 502nd arc stationed at fort Campbell ky., As part of the 101st airborne div. The soldiers were Happy cheerful and looking for Ward to going Home following i hair six month stint with inc multinational peacekeeping Force in the Sinai grif Fin said during the 30-Minulc ceremony. Representatives from inc 4th, 5th and 6th battalions of inc 502nd and their combat support units attended the ceremony. Also attending were family members and West Berlin citizens. Absent however from the ceremony held adjacent to Mcnair Barracks were the standards of the three Berlin based battalions of the 502nd. The colors and an accompanying contingent of soldiers left for a division memorial service at fort Campbell the command spokesman said. The soldiers and eight crewmen aboard the Arrow air charter flight died when the plane crashed on Takeoff thursday from Gander Airport Newfoundland Canada. The plane was in route to fort Campbell. The investigation into the cause of the crash is continuing. A s survivors claim negligence sue Arrow air Tor $5 million Louisville by. Up the Mother Girlfriend and estranged wife of one of 248 soldiers killed in last week s plane crash in Newfoundland sued the owners of the jetliner monday for 15 million their lawyer said. The lawyer Howell Hopson said the suit was filed in . District court in Paducah ky., on behalf of the 2 year old daughter of crash victim sgt. Paul Hemingway 28, of new York City. Hopson did not release the child s name. Also involved in the suit against Miami based Arrow air was the firm of nationally known lawyer Melvin Belli of san Francisco because it is experienced with airline litigation Hopson said. Hopson said it was the first suit he knew of that had been filed against the Charier airline As a result of the dec. 12 crash. No officials of Arrow air in Miami were available for immediate comment on the suit. Hopson said Hemingway s Mother Frances Joseph his estranged wife Naomi Hemingway both of new York City and the Mother of his child Van Ossa Green of Hopkinsville ky., accused the airline of Gross negligence and a Breech of warranty. There have been reports that the plane had mechanical difficulties on several occasions. Randy Stirm a Mechanic who once worked on the plane for the airline said he once refused to sign a log approving the plane for Takeoff. Stirm said less experienced mechanics eventually signed the log. Hopson said Green told him that before the crash that some servicemen were concerned about the safety of the planes used by the military to transport troops. Venessa was feeling that the army should not have used the planes Hopson said. Hopson said he is not going to sue the military because there is a doctrine that protects the military against almost launch of overhauled Columbia postponed to finish preparations Cape canaveral Fla. A the launching of Columbia was postponed 24 hours until thursday when the countdown team fell far behind tuesday in readying the flagship of the space shuttle Fleet for its first flight in More than two Yean. Essentially there were too Many tasks to Complete and too Little Lime to Complete them said George Diller a spokesman for the National aeronautics and space administration. Diller said Crews exhausted More than eight hours of contingency time built into the countdown As they worked feverishly through the night to close out the engine compartment a Job that must be done before propellants can be loaded into the Power producing fuel cells and in the engine fuel tanks. The launching was reset for 7 . Est thursday with Columbia carrying a Crew of seven that includes a Florida congressman and the first hispanic american astronaut. The ship recently underwent an 18-month overhaul to remove test gear and add sophisticated electronic equip ment. Officials said on monday the schedule was tight for a wednesday morning launch. With work running behind schedule in closing out the engine compartment Nasa inserted an unplanned four hour hold in the countdown monday night stopping the clock for four hours. The time was borrowed from an 8 Bour 4p-minute hold period that had been planned to give Crews time to catch up on any task. One reason the work on the engine compartment fell behind was explained in this space Agency statement be cause it has been so Long since Columbia last flew workers have stringent inspection requirements As they Complete their work in the aft engine regulation gives military personnel right to tile claims Tor parking tees Washington is under a change in joint travel regulations military personnel now can file claims for parking fees paid while on official business. The new entitlement is part of the 1986 defense authorization Bill signed in november by president Reagan. It sounds like a Small thing but we be gotten a lot of complaints about it from service members because Federal civilians have always been allowed to claim those parking fees said a spokesman for the defense department per diem travel and transportation allowance committee. The entitlement allows service members to recoup Park ing costs while on temporary duty or on local business at their permanent duty station the spokesman said. However the entitlement cannot be used to file claims for parking fees at a Servic eizember s place of work. The expense of parking at work is your own responsibility the spokesman said. He said no receipts Are needed unless the claim totals More than $25. The parking reimbursement can be claimed by filing a Standard form 1164 with the local finance office. A supervisor s signature is needed on the form to verify that the fees were paid while on official business he said. Temporary duty personnel can claim the fees on their travel vouchers he said. News update anti soviet protest Ottawa a about 200 protesters cheered the burning of a soviet Flag in front of the soviet embassy at a demonstration marking the sixth anniversary of the deployment of 100,000 so Viet troops in Afghanistan. The crowed chanted death death Kab while one demonstrator waved the burning Flag and threw it past a line of 17 policemen toward the embassy across the Street. The demonstration was organized by the com Mittee for the Freedom of Afghanistan. Mayoral election san Diego a i a Council members have voted unanimously to set a special mayoral election for feb. 25, with a Runoff election to Coin cide with the statewide june 3 primary. The election is being held to re Price Roger Hedgecock who resigned last week before being sentenced on his convictions of conspiracy and per jury. Council members voted 8-0 to hold the special election after voting 5-3 against a mail in election. If a candidate carries a majority of More than so percent of the votes on feb. 25, the Runoff election will not be held. Military gives feb. 7 Holiday to postal workers in Europe Stuttgart is most . Military postal workers in Europe will get a Day s leave feb. 7 As part of a new annual Observance recognizing their service Neucom officials said. . Military postal system personnel recognition Day is designed to boost the postal workers morale by thank ing these hard working individual who provide this excellent year round service said Gen. Richard l. Lawson Neucom Deputy commander. Lawson s remarks were part of a dec. 9 letter announcing the event to Usa eur Nav eur and Safe commanders and calling for appropriate activities to Mark the event in each command. The declaration exempts Mili tary postal employees from their duties on the first Friday in february except for workers whose services Are required to move mail shipments. Military Post offices will be closed on the new Holiday for postal workers. The recognition Day grew from a suggestion last May by staff sol. Herman r. Cooke of the 7025th air postal so Frankfurt. Official travellers May Reserve billeting at Rhein main a Washington travellers on official Orden who Are entering or leaving Europe through the Rhein Maln a terminal May once again make billeting reservations 24 hours a Day according to a . Air Force news re lease. The Rhein main hotel started a reservation system in August for passengers flying to and from Greece Crete and Turkey because the travellers were required to use military Airlift come aircraft. The reservation system now has been expanded to in clude All travellers with official orders because travellers still have the Best idea of what their needs Are and the dates they need our support said de Caruso Rhein main billeting officer. Billeting reservations May be made monday through Friday from 730 . To 4 30 . By calling Auto on 330 7242 or civilian 069-699-7242. American charged in slaying of his air Force Captain wife Kaiserslautern is the Kaiserslautern prosecutor s office has charged an american civilian in the stabbing death of his wife an air Force Captain. Richard Wagner has been charged with murder in the death of capt. Lindsay h. Tyson Wagner City official said. Tyson Wagner an attorney assigned to the 377th com Bat support Wing at Ramstein a died oct 30 of Itab wounds apparently sustained in her Home in Mackenbach. Her husband was taken into custody and arraigned the next Day. Wagner who bad been in custody at Wittlich since the stabbing has been moved to the Kaiserslautern City jul to await trial officials said. The trial is expected to begin Early next year
