European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 21, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Sunday december 21, 1966 the stars and stripes pages Church in flames the Steeple of the former St. Mary s roman Catholic Church plunges to the Street in flames Friday in Buffalo , the 137-year-old Church was closed in 1981 and had since been sold and gutted. No injuries were reported. Reagan expands my midget Man missile programs by Norman Black a military writer Washington president Rea Gan moving to expand modernization of the . Nuclear Arsenal decided Fri Daylo Slep up work on a Small single War head missile and also buy 50 More giant my missiles to be placed on Railroad / cars and shuttled from base to base in limes of crisis. A written while House statement and Pentagon officials said the Small missile nicknamed the midget Man will be mounted on Mobile launchers either at existing missile bases or in random move calling the my and mid Gilman pro Grams an integrated package in the president s plan to modernize the .nuclear weapons Force the statement mentioned no numbers of new weapons to be produced. But air Force Brig. Gen Charles , a lop official in the modernization program told Pentagon reporters that the administration intended to ask Congress Tor another 50 of the 195,000-Pound, 10 warhead my missiles and up to 500 of the 37,000-Pound Midge Man weapons. Fifty mrs already arc on order. Deploying he additional my missiles on rail cars is intended in part to Over come congressional concerns about the weapons survivability. The midget Man already is being developed As a Mobil weapon to be carried on specially con figured truck launchers. The air Force has settled on Marns irom fab in Montana As the initial sit for deploying the midget Man starting in 1992, the while House said. The two missile programs if approved by Congress could Cost As much As Stis billion. Unlike the soviet Union the United Stales has never deployed a Mobile land based intercontinental missile relying instead on underground silos. May said Reagan would nol request funds Tor the additional my missiles in his budget for risen 1988, which begins next oct. I but rather would ask con Gress for several Hundred million Dol Lars next year to conduct an in depth study of the rail Basing plan. That would allow a final production decision by 1989, he added. The air Force Calls inc new m x deploy ment plan garrisoned rail Mobile during peacetime the missile carrying trains would re main inside air Force bases. In the event of a crisis we would put them on the rail system of the United states Over 200,000 Miles of rail and that would provide we think for the soviet planner a very unattractive target because lie would t be Able to locale May said. In 1979, president Jimmy Carter in a proposal that was eventually rejected by Congress As too costly approved a plan to base 200 Mobile my missiles in a underground rail system shuffling them among 4,600 blast proof underground shelters in Utah and Nevada. The Rea Gan plan would use existing above. Ground rail lines. Cagan made his decision final Friday morning during a White House meeting with defense Secretary Caspar w. Wein Berger and the joint chiefs of staff. Toys Senf to Beirut carry human Farian message Washington a More than 3,000 toys and s.400-lollipops, some donated by youngsters from War torn coun tries Are being sent to children in Beirut along with a plea to hostage lakers to Sands or time in the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. Dec. 21, 1946 five Man made me Leors were launched with a v2 rocket from while Sands . 30 years ago today. Dec. 21,1956 the hungarian government in Budapest re established the internment system under which thou Sands were jailed without trial during the Stalin Era a limited circulation Publica Tion reported. 20 years ago today dec. 21, 1966 look Magazine said it would demand up to $5 million irom the Kennedy if the family suppressed publication of the death of inc presi Dent by William Manchester. 10 years ago today. Dec. 21, 1976 president elect Jimmy Carter announced new Cabinet members including its first woman and Ageorgia judge whose decisions prompted opposition from civil rights groups. Carter named Duke University vice president Juanita Kreps As Commerce Secretary an Griffin Bell former Federal appeals court j us Cas attorney general. Release those you arc holding give them that special gift of at a time when the route Between the United states and Lebanon is strewn with difficulties the toys arc getting Afree ride from airlines to get them there in Lime for Christmas. The last leg from London to Beirut will be on Middle East airlines and they will be distributed bust. Francis Church in Beirut which ministers to moslem and christians. Carmella Laspada chairman of no greater love which sponsored the gift project sent an open letter from an american woman to the Muslim Broth ers who Are in charge of the hostages asking that the captives be freed. She said the humanitarian Organiza Tion was Irving to Lessen the troubles of the child victims of the catastrophes of War and harsh events which afflicted the bleeding Lebanon and we will make this Campaign in the name of the suffer ing children of your most of the gins were bought from manufacturers with Money donated bythe painters Iron workers. Sheet Metal workers and fire fighters unions. We have Learned much about islam concern for children and about the Prophet s Mohammed love for his Chil Dren and grandchildren and the children of All people Laspada said at a news conference Friday attended by representatives of the unions and the american Arab anti discrimination committee. With her were Peggy say the sister of hostage Terry Anderson and Elaine col leu the american wife of British hostage Alec Collett. Anderson chief Middle East correspondent of the associated press was kidnapped in Beirut on March 16, 1985. Collett was taken hostage nine Days later South of Beirut. Say told of an Ohio girl named Rebec Ca who sent an obviously cherished doll to Send to the captors. She fell that if she gave up something she loved they should Send Terry Home say said. If the captors Don t respond to the toy shipment we Haven t lost a refugee children from Cambodia. Al Salvador Haiti Ethiopia and Vietnam were at the Send off ceremony each dropping a gift into boxes marked in arabic and English compassion is the Root of we like to Send these toys to inc Chil Dren of Lebanon said seventh grader Moi Chung from Cambodia. " they have been through a army charges officer in copter tampering fort Rucker Ala. A Mili tary authorities on Friday charged a fort Rucker flight instructor with attempted murder saying he tampered with 11 army helicopters. Bill Hayes a spokesman for the sout Alabama base said chief warrant offi cer Louis h. Plunked jr., 27, was charged with tampering with govern ment property and attempted murder under military Law Hayes said the attempted murder charges did not arise from any crash of a helicopter but from several instances in which oh-58 helicopters that had been tampered with earned pilots and Stu dents into the air. In the course of these Many Lam pc rings some of the aircraft had people aboard Hayes said. The first reported tampering was inlay and involved damage to helicopter Oil pressure lines some of the Tam pc rings also involved Sand in Oil tanks and sugar in Gas tanks. A Light instructor and a student Pilot were killed dec. 9 when an oh-58 Heli copter crashed in a Clearing about a mile Northwest of inc base but army investigators said they found no evidence of any intentional damage to the Craft. Hayes said no fatal crash had been raced to a tampering incident but in investigation will continue. He said plan kill a helicopter Light instructor at the fort Rucker training school was apprehended nov. To and was reassigned to ground duly while Mil itary police and the Fri investigated the Case. Plan kill was not placed in the army stockade but was under strict supervision of his commanding officer. Hayes said pending further of now the judgment was that pretrial confinement is not Hayes said. He said he could not Tell How much prison Lime plan kill might face if convicted on All charges because of the nature of the military jul slice system
