European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 24, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday. April 24. 1987 the stars and stripes Page 9 drug use in military hits 6-year Low officers crediting services drug testing Washington Nytz the use of illicit drugs in the armed forces has been driven to inc lowest Point in six years and officers in All four services credit the drop to the deterrent of pervasive testing through urinalysis. The authoritarian nature of military service permits Ibe services to impose controls on personal behaviour and Ihus to enforce a deterrent to the use of illicit drugs. But attempts by government and private organizations in civilian life to impose drug testing have run into Alt manner of resistance the main argument being that such testing constitutes an in Vasion of privacy. The use of illicit drugs among civilians apparently has remained High. The Institute for social research at the univer sity of Michigan reported last year that 17 percent of nigh school and College Stu dents who arc contemporaries of the vast majority of the people in military service used cocaine in 1985, the same percentage As in 1980. The Institute reported thai the use of marijuana the most frequently used illicit drug had dropped id 42 percent among the Young people in i98s, com pared with 51 percent six years earlier. Military officers said that in 1986, fewer than 3 percent of inc men and women in the armed forces who were tested for illicit drugs were found to have used them. With testing having become widespread he officers said that was a close indication of Overall usage. In comparison 27 percent of those in that almost everyone in the army and Marine corps can expect to be tested Over the course of a year the air Force and Navy arc expanding their testing to reach that level officers in those services said. Officers said that persistent warnings. Urinalysis has become so widespread that almost everyone in the army and Marine corps can expect to be tested Over the course of a year. The armed forces in 1980 admitted 10 having used drugs the previous month. Those men and women were queried in a confidential Survey before the testing program began in 1981, the army the largest of the services hit a monthly Low of 1,5 percent in tests for marijuana and cocaine last novem Ber. With even More testing planned for this year and next army officers said they expected the level to slay below 2 percent. Urinalysis has become so widespread educational campaigns by commanders and consistent punishment of violators also had deterred drug use. They also credited the higher level of education for recruits entering the services today and growing peer pressure within the serv ices. The military services have experienced Many disputes Over the legality of testing. The military also has been challenged on methods for taking urine Sam Ples maintaining custody during Transfer and doing the urinalysis itself in Labo desperate Phoenix Ariz. A a parachutist went into a 200-Mph dive to reach an unconscious colleague and managed to open her Chute seconds before she would have struck the ground at the end of a three mile fall. Debbie Williams was Aboul 3,500 feet or 10 seconds from the ground when Gregory Robertson pulled out of his headlong dive propped her into an upright position yanked her ripcord and released his own Chute witnesses said. To was like trying to catch a football that was flapping Down the Road Ai 40 Miles an hour said skydiver Bill Roth of Andrews Texas Williams Tiance who watched from the ground. Williams 31, a Veteran of about 50 jumps was knocked unconscious when she collided with a fellow skydiver Dur ing what was to have been a formation drop at a skydivers rendezvous sat urday near Coolidge. About so Miles Southeast of Phoenix. Observers said she hit the ground Flat on her Back. Williams a fifth Grodec teacher in Post Texas remained hospitalized thursday in serious but stable condition under intensive care with several broken ribs extensive internal injuries and a lung contusion a Scoll Daic memorial to spill spokes Man said. Larry Hill owner of the site where the rendezvous was conducted said it was t amazing thai Robertson a until up since that son of thing is done regularly in skydiving formations. What s amazing Hill said was saves Chutis Gregory Robertson that he saw this happen and was Able to do  Robertson who landed safely and resumed his own divine later said it was just another Day of skydiving. During the formation Williams Guy Fitzwater and four others were to have linked hands after jumping from a plane at about 13,500 feel. Robertson 25, of Phoenix who was in charge of seeing the divers off the plane safely recalled tuesday while visiting Williams at the Hospital that he left the plane a second or two be Hind the others positioning himself slightly above and to one Side to Check the formation. As Williams and Fitzwater moved toward the rest of the group they collided at 40 to 50 Mph Robertson said. She sort of hit his Backpack and then skidded Down and hit his leg and then just sort of rag dolled off unconscious and out of control about 9,000 feet above ground Robertson said. "1 remember rolling Over on my Back and seeing Diane All crumpled up and i knew she was unconscious said  who was badly bruised in an interview from his Home in Van Guys Calif i said dear god How is she going to make in " Robertson who had been floating with arms and legs spread said he pinned his arms to his Side brought his legs together and with a Small movement of his shoulders aimed him self at the spinning tumbling woman. He estimates he was plunging to Ward the desert at about 200 Mph. Roth estimated Williams was moving 140 to 160 Mph in contrast to a nor Mal free fall Speed of about 120 Mph. I pulled up Loo soon the first time Robertson said but he tried again and managed to drop next to and Mease her Chute. Israel conducts airstrikes into Lebanon Tel Aviv Israel up israeli of the Southern. Lebanese port City of Sidon the military said. The air strike was the second into Leb anon since three members of Yasser Arafat s Ai Faith mainstream Furlion of inc Palestine liberation organization infiltrated into Israel sunday. In came hours after foreign minister Shimon Peres ruled out an israeli inva Sion of Lebanon. A spokesman for the israeli defense forces said he helicopter orly thurs Day carried out an attack on a terrorist target South of Sidon and returned safely with their pilots reporting icy Ito Rcd accurate i  the target was a building that served As a Headquarters far a terrorist organza.  said the if spokesman adding Thini it served As a planning and launch ing base Tor attacks against  in an unusual nighttime raid the Heli opt or gunships struck near the Sailani River i mile South of Sidon s port area delivering the i Ith israeli air strike into Lebanon this year the military said palestinian and lebanese operations both on Israel and its forces in Lebanon has  in the last four weeks. Peres said on Israel television wednesday evening Llanil a Rucci no siring of Racket attacks Over inc Northern Bor Der did Noi mean either another israeli invasion of Lebanon or closing Down inc i Alicc Region. A Longs. But the services have won enough backing in the courts to make testing pervasive. The army which has 900,000 soldiers reservists and civilian employees subject to testing conducted 1.2 Mil lion tests last year an increase of 25 per cent Over inc year before. An army officer said that would be expanded to 1.7 million this year and to 2.3 million next year similarly the air Force which has 613,000 members conducted 184,000 tests in 1985, with 4.9 percent showing evidence of illicit i drug use. Lost year the air Force nearly doubled the testing to 342.000, with 1.5 percent registering Evi Dence of illicit drug use. The Marine corps which had the wont drug problem in the 1980 Survey found Only 2.6 percent of those tested last year to have used drugs. In a corps of 200,000 marines there were 466,222 tests with some marines being subjected to several tests. The Navy which had the second worst drug record in 1980, found last year that 2.8 percent of the sailors tested showed positive results Aboul inc same As the year before. . Wants expeditious missile talks Geneva Switzerland a the chief . Negotiator on medium Range missiles thursday said he was prepared for expeditious negotiations with the soviets an eliminating missiles from Europe Bui would not be bound by timetable. The envoy Maynard Gilman also at tempted to reassure us. Nato allies. Who fear the loss of i All nuclear missiles i from Europe would leave them vulnerable to the soviets Superior Convcntio-1nal weapons the United Stales will ensure thai an of inner Midi at Range nuclear Force agreement en-1 Hanics the Security ill time of the United slates and its allies he said. The . Delegation is prepared for serious intensive and expeditious negotiations Gilman said in a statement read to reporters at the . Diplomatic Mission in Geneva. The .-soviet talks on medium Range missiles which have a Range of 600 to 3,000 Miles were scheduled to resume thursday after a one month recess. Lilman said Here Are grounds for optimism Aboul the prospects for reach ing an  he appeared to be responding to a statement tuesday by soviet negotiator Al Xci Obukho who said he had been instructed to seek agreement on a treaty on eliminating medium Range missiles in Europe this year. Obukho did he would present a draft treaty spelling out the latest initiatives by soviet Leader Mikhail s. Gorbachev. These proposals which reflect a for Mula worked out at hot year s Summit in Iceland would provide Tor the scrapping of All but 100 medium Range missile War Heads on each Side. The medium Range missiles would be restricted to each country s own territory