European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 29, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday july 29, 1986 the stars and stripes Page s ring used bogus military records Washington a ring of 17 people defrauded the government of $500.000 in unemployment Aid by forging forms showing military service and hundreds of sex servicemen discharged for mis conduct also improperly collected jobless benefits government investigators have found. Federal and stale inquiries uncovered Al least $1.1 million in wrongful payments under a labor depart ment program 10 provide up to 13 weeks of benefits to unemployed former military members who have just left the service investigators said. The forgery scheme involving a loosely knit group in California new Jersey and Massachusetts most of whom never served in the military defrauded the labor and defense departments with about 300 falsified forms from 1981 to 198i, investigators said the alleged conspirators succeeded for four years because the military fails to validate whether applicants served in the armed forces and the labor department s supervision of the program has been la investigators said. People found working the military system was easy one investigator said and the labor depart ment has not been going around to Check that the program is being earned out  the air Force which failed to detect bogus claims Worth thousands of dollars awarded about $633.000 to 400 ineligible applicants in 1984, the air Force Audi Agency said in a report recently made Avail Able to United press International. The claimants who did not forge their applications were ineligible because they had been Dis charged from the military for reasons such As mis conduct unsatisfactory performance or drug or alcohol abuse said the air Force report former military members Are eligible for the unemployment compensation for sex service member program if they were separated under honorable conditions completed the term of Active duly they agreed to serve or were separated Early because of hardship disability medical reasons or convenience to the government investigators say the army and Navy have been As lax As the air Force in processing claims. Air Force auditors criticized the defense Secre tary s office for providing no guidance to the service son the processing of applications. " office of the Secretary of defense involvement is considered essential in his verification process inc air Force Agency said. Army it col. Pete Wyro a defense department spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. Lou Ann Burney. A labor department spokeswoman said she could not comment because the department Hod not Yel received the findings of the investigations which were conducted by the depart ment s inspector general s office the military and California and new Jersey stale  Hendrickson 34, of Pasadena Calif who is said to have masterminded inc forgery scheme was convicted in february of conspiracy to defraud the government of $50,000 to 180,000 and sentenced to five years in prison. Cocaine valued army wants billions to defend at $20 million front line units from air attack seized in Florida new port Richey Fla. Up powdered and unprocessed cocaine with an estimated Street value of120 million was seized and seven people were arrested sunday in a pre Dawn raid on a drug processing Plant surrounded by goats pigs and chickens. Delia Mendoza 29, and Michael Mendoza 36, who own a five acre farm in the Shady Hills area of Pasco county were charged with cocaine trafficking. Five other people believed to be from Colombia also were arrested and charged with drug  were identified As Miguel Sanchez 39 Teresa Sanchez also known As Teresa Sandoval 31 Louis Usquiano 29 Francisco re Shrero 28 and Maria Mon Toya 33. The raid just after Midnight resulted in the confiscation of 20 Kilos approximately 44 pounds of cocaine said Patch county sheriffs 14. Charlie Troy. Also seized in a processing form were chemicals thai were in Tui pension in the process of being made into  Troy said the unprocessed drugs would have made 134 pounds of cocaine. Also seized were so marijuana plants weapons and More than s 12,000 in Cash. The property was a five acre tract of land set up to live the appearance of being a farm Troy said. It had a Large number of pigs goats chickens and horses  Washington not a year after the defense department cancelled the sergeant York air defens gun As a failure the army is seeking approval to spend 18 billion to 122 billion on weapons to protect front line divisions from air attack. Army leaders will present the plan pieced together Over several months at a lop level Pentagon review tuesday. The plan Calls for buying a variety of weapons ranging from heat seeking missiles to projectiles guided from afar through Glass filaments critics say that the plan costs too much that the army could end up buying the wrong weapons and that a crucial mistake of the sergeant York failure trying to move Loo fast is about to be repeated. The sergeant York also known As the diva or division air defense gun was cancelled last August by defense Secretary Caspar w. Weinberger after the army bad spent $1.8 billion on its development. Belated test proved that the weapon consisting of two guns and a radar set mounted on an armoured vehicle could not destroy helicopters hovering close tothe ground behind Hills and Trees or at a distance. If the demise of the sergeant York illuminated the failings of the military procurement system the search for another Way to provide Battlefield air defences illustrates that purchasing weapons is never a simple matter. The army now plans to spend perhaps is billion i building five types of weapons to fend off helicopters and Jet fighters. Some army estimates have put the Cost at $22 billion Gen. John a. Wickham the army air controller firings reviewed Chicago a Congress is studying allegations that the Federal aviation administration improperly fired controllers who were on vacation or leave during the 1981 strike then altered personnel records to cover up the errors. President Reagan ordered the striking members of the professional air traffic controllers Union fired baying the walkout was illegal. Philip Wood a lawyer who represents about 120 fired controllers at the Faa traffic control Center m Aurora Iii said Faa official made a number of errors in issuing the dismissal notices then doctored work records to make them agree with information on the notices Wood said his clients include people who had per Mission to be away from work during the strike. He said one of his clients had been granted Permis Sion at the time of the strike to be with his family because his wife had Given birth to a baby. The lawyer said the controller had not been on strike but when he attempted to return to work he found Hii work record had been altered to show he had been absent without leave. Safeway oks merger to avoid takeover 2000 chief of staff told Congress earlier this year at a close hearing that the army did not have enough Money in its Long term budget to pay for the entire  Pentagon Lias begun to seek information from prospective contractors about weapons they might sup ply setting off a scramble for potentially lucrative con tracts among More than two dozen arms  prodigious costs of replacing the Serjeant York result from the proliferation of helicopters that Reable to swarm Over a Battlefield. The helicopters have complicated the task of air defense which previously entailed knocking Down Only air planes. To counter today s threat the army has decided will require More than the 36 diva guns each costing $6 million that were to accompany every 17,000-Man division with the Bill skyrocketing the question of Cost will be uppermost As a Pentagon review Board considers the army s  s plan would include five main elements a vehicle carrying both guns and missiles preferably chosen from arms already in service a longer Range guided weapon probably an experimental missile guided by a television camera and a six mile Long strand of optical fiber heat seeking stinger missile mounted on trucks Steps to Arm existing helicopters tanks and infantry vehicles with weapons that can shoot Down aircraft and a sophisticated set of radar sets1 radios and computers that would provide information about enemy  say some elements of the plan Are not Nec Essary. A report published last month by the congressional budget office look a dim View of combining guns and missiles on vehicles a Centrepiece of the army s plan. Sands of time in the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. July 29, 1946 Gertrude Stein 72, noted Ameri can writer died in the american Hospital at Neuilly a Paris suburb. 30 years ago today july 29, 1956 the italian line office in new York said Al least 20 people aboard the liner Andrea Doria were killed when it collided with the Stockholm. Italy Sweden and the United Stales will investigate the maritime disaster. Oakland Calif. A Safeway stores inc., try ing to fend off a takeover bid from Dart group corp., said sunday it has accepted a merger with a holding company formed by a new York partnership specializing in takeovers. The agreement provides for ssi holdings corp., which was formed by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & co., shares being sold under the offer. The tender offer would be followed by a merger of Safeway and an ssi subsidiary in which Safeway s remaining shareholder would receive $61.60 a share and one warrant to Pur Chase common Stock in the holding company. Safeway operates More than 2,300 supermarkets. The Oakland based Chain has been trying to fend off to pay w9 a share for up to 45 million shares or about a $64-a-share, or $3,9 billion bid from the Dart 73 percent of Safeway s Stock according to a group a. Discount retailer based in Landover md., statement released by Safeway. That already owns 4.9 percent of Safeway s Stock. The Deal is subject to a minimum of 41.56 million Dart s offer is scheduled to expire aug. S. July 29,1966 _ b-52 bombers hit three suspected communist troop concentrations in air strikes that coincided with the disclosure that 136 americans died in combat last week in Vietnam More than double the loll of the previous week. 10 years a go today. July 29, 1976 the aggressive fired up . Basketball team claimed the Gold  wiped out the memory of Munich with a runaway 95-74 Victory Over Yugoslavia in the Montreal olympic games