European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 23, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Thursday. April s3, 1987 the stars and stripes Page 3 army to create new special forces career path Washington api the army in what in de scribes As a Milestone tar the Green berets said tuesday it has decided to upgrade forces to a separate career path within the service. The decision is designed to improve management of he special opera ions farces and raise their status by establishing this As a separate career Branch said maj. Phil Soucy an army spokesman ii also could increase promotion opportunities Tor men who j9in the special forces since it moves them beyond being considered simply As super infantry men Soucy said. In a related move the Navy announced tuesday it has established a naval special warfare come at he naval amphibious base in Coronado Calif the command was created As the coordinating body Between the Navy and the new . Special operations come established recently in response to a Law passed by Congress. The special operations come for the first Lime brings almost All of the special forces of each service under a single Headquarters. Congress ordered creation of the command in Hopes of overcoming coordination problems that have marked past . Commando operations such As the aborted attempt to Rescue americans held hostage in Iran. According to Soucy the army currently has 14 Pri Mary or Basic career branches for its soldiers. They Range from Armor and infantry to artillery aviation ordnance and transportation. Special forces will become the 15th such Basic Ca reer Branch. This decision is a Milestone in the army s efforts to strengthen the capabilities of its Spe Cial operations forces the army said. If special forces units arc to be used property a systematic process is needed to ensure thai special forces leaders arc intensively managed through the course of their careers the statement said. Management under a separate Branch will accomplish this goal the new special forces career Branch will be open Only to Green berets excluding rangers Soucy said. Like the rangers Green berets receive advanced instruction in combat skills. But they also receive additional technical instruction and schooling in How to train new soldiers and mount guerrilla campaigns behind enemy lines. The army said costs of creating the new career Branch Are expected to be minimal adding thai responsibility for training special forces soldiers will remain with the John of Kennedy special warfare Center and school at fort Bragg . Million Dollar Blaze Appolo firefighters Battle Lames roaring through 16 condominium units at Riverside calif., tuesday. The fire was started by an explosion sparked by a a Vjio apparently was trying to kill himself Kennelh , is believed o Hare caused he blast by turning on the Gas in his apartment and igniting it officials said. He was reported in critical condition a a Burn Center. Justices consider lawsuit of go Given Ltd in 1958 Washington a secret gov Crement chemical warfare tests were the focus of supreme court arguments tues Day in a cose involving a former army sergeant who without his knowledge was Given Ltd in 1938. The Reagan administration asked the justices to kill a lawsuit by the former Soldier on grounds the government enjoys Broad immunity from suits involving the military. Servicemen May not pursue those sorts of claims said Justice department lawyer Christopher j. Wright. There is no question the program under which the former sergeant was administered Ltd was an army the court is expected to announce its decision by july. Wright acknowledged that the army administered Ltd to approximately 1,000 individuals Between 1953 and 1958. He said the tests were prompted Ine Arl by evidence that the soviet Union and purchased enough Ltd for 50 Mil lion doses and in might be used against american soldiers. Richard a. Kupfer a lawyer rep resenting former master sol. James a Stanley said the mistreatment Stanley suffered at the government s hands should be grounds for an exception to inc military immunity doctrine. You would not be opening up a floodgate to lawsuits by other military personnel Kupfer said. This is not a Case where military judgment or discipline is being challenged he said. Stanley 53, now living in West Palm Beach fja., with a desk Job in the Palm Beach county sheriffs office volunteered in 1958 to take part in whal he thought were army experiments for Gas masks and other protective clothing. The program was administered at army laboratories at Aberdeen proving ground in Maryland. The real intent of the less was to observe the unwitting reactions to Ltd of those Given the powerful hallucinatory drug that Yean later became popular with Many users and was associated with anti Vietnam War protesters. On four occasions Stanley swallowed drinking water with Ltd and he said in result Din a Nightmare that lasted for years. Stanley returned 10 Active duty at fort Knox ky., a tier the experiments and he said he continued to have hallucinatory episodes or flashbacks. He said that an one occasion he awoke and beat his wife and children and later did not recall what happened. Stanley said inc Ltd led to the break up of his marriage and his inability at times to work or think coherently. He retired from inc army in 196?. Stanley first Learned about the Ltd experiments in december 1975 when i Hearty Loid him in wanted to do a follow up study of the drug s effects. The Lith . Circuit court of appeals said a year ago that Stanley appeared to have grounds to sue and or dered further hearings before a rial judge. The appeals court said the doctrine of military immunity from suit typically applies to cases where a Superior officer s authority is challenged. The appeals court said thai since Stanley did not know he was being Given Ltd he could not possibly have challenged any Mili tary orders. Named As defendants in Stanley s suit Are the government former Cia director i dined Helms the University of Maryland and iwo doctors at the univer sity who helped run the experiments. The supreme court in 19501 set guide lines for governmental immunity in Mili tary cases. The court generally has remained reluctant to allow challenges in civilian courts 10 military decisions. . Planes fumigate drug crops in Guatemala Guatemala c1tv up american air planes tuesday swooped Over Remote marijuana patches in a Northern Jungle Region and fumigated the illicit crop at he Start of a anti drug operation. We Hope Iluigi who the help of the United Stales we can Deal a severe blow to the drug trafficking business said Treasury pnbu1 chief Oscar Dia uru i a. He spoke to reporters before air planes look off at the Start of the operation coordinated by the . Drug enforcement Agency. The spraying operations arc designed o destroy the numerous marijuana patches in til i Eten prov Ince Diaz said of the Vasi and sparsely populated Northern Jungle area. He said american supplied air planes will Spray a chemical solution oi""2j-d Glyco phosphatic thai Alleg edly Only destroys marijuana plums without aft ring people wildlife or other vegetation in fumigated areas. The 24-d solution dries out the Root of the marijuana Plum and. After a period of three Days kills the Plant saving considerable labor and equipment Dit said. He said inc operation was the first Lime such a drastic and severe operation Hud been carried out in guatemalan marijuana patches. Similar operations have been carried out before in tropical regions of Brazil and neighbouring Liziie. He s4id. Because of dense Jungle growth marijuana patches arc difficult to eradicate even if spotted in the 14,000 Hiu arc Mili Region bordered by Belize to the cast and my 10 the North and Wisl. Land in Western Guatemala Aiu has been dedicated to the production of marijuana which is generally dec lined for the lucrative . Market. local drug Emu Eplion has increased in re cent years demand remains Low. Guatemala has nil been a country Ofira Lional drug production or trafficking. In the Pas iwo years authorities have joined forces with the Dea the Fri and inti pol to combat Mari Juana production and Trade Diaz said
