European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 10, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes wednesday. December 10,19b6newfoundland crash still touches lives fort Campbell by. A emotional me Morial ceremonies have marked the year since 248 soldiers of the lost airborne div perished in a plane crash in Newfoundland but efforts by some family members to change the Way the military transports troops have strained feelings among die survivors. Almost All the families have tiled suit against Arrow air the Miami Bawd airline operating the Charier right that crashed dec. 12,1985. At Gander. The aircraft was carrying troops Home from a mid dle East peacekeeping Mission. Out of court settlements have been reached in about 120 cases according to inc airline s insurer associated aviation underwriters. But the aftermath of the disaster touched this army Haw and the survivors in different ways. One widow Malinda Parris built the 6-fool-tall Uncle Sam Mailbox that she and her husband capt. Rudy Parris had always wanted a group of widows ordered commemorative to shirts imprinted with248 stars. Others were outspoken in their grief and anger. Christine Manion s husband had confided his tear of flying on a plane he Felt was overloaded and in poor mechanical condition in a phone Call to her just before boarding. She Ted a group to Washington in March and demanded changes in the Way the government charter military flights. Lillian Wright in still trying to meet with president Reagan to discuss her son John s death at age 23, some of he widows Are not pleased with such re form efforts they still want to be such a great part of the army that hey Don t want to insult the army Manion said of her critics. Parris said she and her husband were Star spangled people and even after the crash the hold no grudges against the army. She does however blame Arrow air. Whoever in the army contracted the company i m assuming they con raced them with Good intentions she did. Regardless of who Arrow air a flying it s their responsibility to tee that the plane u  Mfo-s248 is the widows group that formed several months after the crash. It stands for multinational forces and. Observers survivors 248, combining tie name of the Middle East peacekeeping Force will the number of victims. The group wrote letter to the fed eral aviation administration and to congressmen asking for answers Parris said. Bui unlike the group that went to Washington she said the organization s design is to direct our anger in a direction that Wilt do some Good,14 Manion recalled one briefing for widows at for Campbell. " Felt like i was being brainwashed. For three hours i was surrounded by eight fellow widows she said but women she described As wives of higher ranking officers who were More deeply invested in the army. When j went Back Home t thought. My god i m going to Hurt my Coumpy by going to Washington because they said mrs. Manion you Don t want to go to Washington. America has egg on its face and you Don t want to make your country look bad do you " Manion said she quickly overcame her doubts and went to Washington with other widows and parents of soldiers from around the country. With them they car ried More than 28,000 signatures on petitions calling for changes in the Way military flights Are chartered including closer checks on the performance and finances or charter airlines. We went to Over 60 congressmen s office in two Days Manion said. Some had prepared speeches or were just sounding off for the press to pick up my others such As rep. Charles e. Bennett to to initiated legislation that became Law requiring the de sense department to impede military charter aircraft Job previously handled by the Faa. We appreciate Whit the congressman did but Ibe Bill that passed has. So Many loopholes Wright  want the planes to be inspected every 24 hours not just  Wright also complained that a victims fund erected by donations alter the crash had still not been divided among survivors. For the Young mothers with children a $50,000 life insurance policy does not go far especially after Fune ral expenses she said. Msj. Daniel Schmidt Taid last week however that the Money would be disbursed among the 248 families by month s end. The fund now totals $322,000, depleted from its original $431,000 by such expenses u flying relative to the various memorial services Schmidt said. Wright said she does t need the Money but will continue her crusade so we might be Able to save some Oiher soldiers. Right now i Tec like my son wis murdered because somebody did not do their  despite their anger toward the army Wright and Anion have attended memorial services for the sol Diers at fort Campbell. Immediately after the crash Reagan attended service. And in september a part on the Bate and another in nearby Hopkinsville each planted with 248 Trees were dedicated. Fort Campbell officials have planned a commemorative ceremony for Friday american couples postponing first trips to altar Washington a american women Are postponing marriage Longe than Ever before tying the knot later than even their great Greal grandmothers of the 1890s, the census Bureau reported tuesday. The typical first time Bride is 23.3 Yean old when she goes to the altar he highest median age Tor women to Many since the government started keeping thai statistic in 1890. And the median age of 25.5 for their bridegrooms has t been topped since 1900, according to the Bureau s study marital status and living arrange ments March 1985." addressing a wide variety of topics  that the number of unmarried couples living together has levelled off at about1.9 million after skyrocketing in recent years confirming a preliminary finding issued a year ago. New figures due out later this month Are expected to show a Small increase for 1986. Nearly one fourth of children under age 18 live with Only one Parent. The 23 percent of children in such families is up from Only 9 percent in i960 and 12 per cent in 1970. There were 128 divorced people per 1,000 people living with their spouses up from 47 per 1,000 in 1970. The ratio for men is 103, compared with 153 for women because men Are More Likely to remarry after divorce and do so sooner than women. Mare than one american adult in 10 lives alone triple the number sincei960. Indeed among people aged 18 to 24, 60 percent of men and 48 percent of women still lived either at Home with their parents or in College  is up from 52 percent of men and 35 percent of women in i960. Postponement of marriage by Youn people has been widely noted by social scientists in recent Yean u children of the Post world War ii baby Boom generation opted to concentrate on their Edu cations and Careen. The result has been a steady Rise in the median age of marriage from the record lows of 20.1 for women and 22.5 for men pasted in 1956. The median age mean that half marry younger than that age and half older As the age at first marriage increases so does the percentage of people who have never been married. For men aged 20 to 24, some 75.6percent were single the largest share for that age since 1900, when it was 77.9percent. For women aged 20 to 24, 5b.5 percent were single the most Ever in re cords dating Back to 1890. Judging by the ratio of single men to single women marriage prospects would appear to be belter for younger women and older men. The study found that Between Ages is and 24 there were 112 single men for each 100 single women Between 25 and 34, there were 119 single men per 100 single women. After that age single women outnumbered single men. At Ages 35 to 44 it was 84 men per 100 women from 45 to 64the ratio was 54 men per 100 women and after age 65 there were Only 26 single men per 100 women. Unmarried couples utne tog two in Tattu bump