European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 6, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 28 the stars and stripes monday july 6,1987 balloonist describes scary plunge London a Richard Branson lately Home from his trans Atlantic hoi air balloon voyage spoke saturday of he final frightening Miles of flight out he made with his co Pilot. Per Lindstrand. Both men plunged into the sea off the coast of Scotland on Friday after they lost control of the huge Craft following an abortive touchdown in Northern Ireland. Branson and Lindstrand will go into the guinness Book of records As the first hot air balloonist to Cross the at lactic but their crash Landing it dec May not meet he More exacting standards of the International aeronautic federation officials said. Nigel tastier Secretary of the International ballooning committee of the Paris baud International aeronautics federation said the world distance re Cord has two specific rules no one May leave the Craft until final Landing and the balloon must remain under control until final Landing. Before heading to his country Home in Oxfordshire Branson 36. Told a reporter thai when they considered the Irish Landing he and Lindstrand saw a to of houses and did not want to Parachute out and abandon the Craft Over an inhabited area. We had a Good trajectory for Landing on the Beach but As we came in we realized our speeds were greater than we thought he said. Once out at sea again they tried to tire the explosive bolts to free the capsule from the balloon but failed Branson said. We were moving across the water at perhaps 200 Miles an hour. That was what in Felt like. Per compared the Cap sule to one of the fastest boats in the  still trembling As he remembered the last moments of he flight Branson went on per said. Jump but the balloon had started rising. We could no get out of the front door so we both went up onto the top of the capsule As we were hurtling along per Laid for god s Sake go he threw himself Over but 1 was t sure he would survive. Two seconds later we were up at 120 feet and i definitely would not have survived if 1 had gone then Branson said he climbed Back into the capsule. "1 suspect we were up to 15,000 or 20,000 feet by then As i was having difficulty breathing. So i put the oxygen mask  he said the balloon finally popped Down through the Clouds at 3,000 feel. I wondered again whether to throw myself out but decided against it. As i came Down i had a magnificent me going am View of the Rescue ship and two Heli copters. I brought her Down As slowly As i could but she was coming Down fairly hard in the end. About two seconds before the capsule hit the water i fell Over the Back of the roof. It was a wonderful feeling to be in the water even though it was a. Rough sea. Ii was  he Wai then pulled from the water by a of copter and a speedboat want to find Lindstrand. Responding to suggestions that he should pay for the Rescue of the Virgin Atlantic flyer balloon and its Crew bran son replied a have decided to put 25,000 pounds 140,000 toward the building of a new Lifeboat As a thank you to those people who rescued me Ana tomake up for the Cost "1 owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the people in the helicopters and to the medical people on the ship who Kepi g and Lent me clothes. Gulf from Page 1 kuwaiti paper says Waite is dead before Congress by it. Col. Oliver North the National Security Council aide fired for his Rote in the Iran Contra affair As the Only Way id put to rest months of speculation about what the president did and did not know. Baker s suggestion Hal the United states might re Duce its military presence in the Gulf followed a Call Friday by the soviet Union for All foreign warships to be withdrawn from the strategic waterway. If the soviets will remove theirs perhaps Well Lake a fresh look a incr said. But we certainly Are not going to cede control of that Region to the soviet  administration officials said afterwards that there has never been any question of removing the . Presence in the Gulf and thai Only the size of the . Force in the area increased in recent weeks is subject to review the soviet statement Friday carried by the toss news Agency called the dispatch of additional . Naval ves Sels la the Gulf to protect kuwaiti Oil Ankers from possible iranian attacks absolutely  Baker however said sunday that the operation to place the tankers under american flags subject to . Navy escort is proceeding apace and should begin by mid july. Meanwhile Marine Salvage executives based in the persian Gulf said saturday that Iran has begun to place its chinese made silkworm anti ship missiles on launchers at the strategic Strait of Hormuz the associated press reported. The missiles reportedly were test fired in the area in february but the sources said they weren t placed on launchers making them fully operational against shipping until Friday. However a . Official involved in Middle East Ern affairs said that according to information Avail Able to him Friday the silkworms were not operationally deployed a said Kuwait api a kuwaiti newspaper sunday claimed that anglican Church hostage negotiator Terry Waite who has been missing in Lebanon since Jan. 20, has died of natural causes. The syrian military command in moslem West Bei rut where Waite was kidnapped and various moslem militia officials in lie lebanese capital Rait they doubt the report is True. In a Beirut Date tined Story the Al Aib a paper quoted an unidentified lebanese party Visure As saying he has reliable information that Waite died a natural death either Las tuesday or  asked to Forward evidence of the death the source said i am under no obligation to do so. I knew of the death by  Ai a Baa is considered reliable on kuwaiti and Arab affairs and is known to strongly support Iraq and oppose Iran in the seven year Gulf conflict. It has not previously reported any major Story related to the hos tages. In London Church of England spokeswoman eve Keally said archbishop of Canterbury Robert run if the spiritual head of the Church had do word that Waite is dead. We hear so Many conflicting stories she said. That s certainly not anything we be  Waile Dija Peard last january in Lebanon shortly after he arrived there to resume an Effort to mediate for release of Western hostages held by pro Iran shiite moslem groups. There was no claim of responsibility and in could not be ascertained trial Waite was kidnapped. There have been reports that Waile had been smuggled into Iran and is still held there. Iranian leaders have denied that Waite is being held in their country. Barbie sentenced to life in prison France a Klaus Barbie sentenced to life in prison for crimes against humanity is Back in the suite of three cells at St. Joseph prison that has been his Home Tor More than four years Barbie the 73-year-old former Gestapo chief known As he Butcher of Lyon was convicted just after Midnight saturday of an Sling and deposing hundreds of jews and resistance workers to nazi death Camps. The three judges and nine jurors gave him the Maxi mum sentence. France has abolished the death penalty. Before being taken on the id minute ride Back to prison in a police Convoy. Barbie raising his arms in the air told his lawyers that the verdict was incredible defense attorney Nabil Bounita said. By prison standards Barbie has a comfortable life one cell for a bathroom one for a toilet Shower and washstand and a third for his Library and television. Barbie is visited regularly Only by his chief lawyer Jac ques verges andhis47-year-old daughter Ute Messner. He has been hospitalized twice for operations since his return to France in March 1983 fora hernia and in 1987 for prostate problems. Barbie is expected to remain at is. Joseph prison for another year at least while an investigating magistrate is preparing wha could be a second trial. Barbie would be charged with deporting two men that he had arrested along with resistance hem Jean Moulin in 1943. After the new trial which is expected next year French prison authorities would face the question of whether to move Barbie to quarters with other inmates serving life sentences. Under French Law he must serve at least 17 Yean of the sentence before asking to be freed. By that Lime he would be 90 years old. Rimini from Page 1 actions. We have very few incidents said it. Col. Michad Miller Squadron commander. However Miller said life at Rimini in t All Sun surf and the swinging sin Gles scene. Being stationed Here is like having two different pcs assignments he Saia the place is maxed out with tourists from All Over Europe in summer. Then comes sept. I the end of the tourist season and hotels and Orcsi Aunanu Alt along the Beach gel boarded up. From then on. 85 percent of them Are shut tight. It s like a Grosl town in  but even the Winter has its consolations said sgt. Tracy Ahern a 24-year old Bachelor administration specialist from Onstead mich., who has been stationed at r mini for nearly two Yean. I go skiing up in the dolomites to Ano a Italy is the via Ron s Parent organization a .my facility Al Vicenza provides the Squadron with sup port. The Exchange and commissary As Well As medical and dental care Are located Al Vicenza a four hour bus ride away. A 45-passenger bus provided by the italian air Force lakes Rimini s Ameri cans to Vicenza on thursdays. The bus leaves Al 7 . And returns 12 hours later. The americans have four hours Al Vicenza to Lake care of their shopping and health needs. Anyone from Here can ride the bus Miller said. Usually there Are Only about 30 people aboard. People take along big coolers to Load up with milk and Frozen goods so when you have those plus grocery and shopping bags on the Bui i Here really in t room for More than about 30 people. People adapt rather quickly to the inconvenience of it All it makes for a common  although the 40th tac group at Avi the tour length at Rimini is 8 places like Cortina d am Pezzo about a five hour drive from Here. You get a Chance to Deal with the locals More in the Winter and to go to places that Aren t packed with tourists. You be got to make do with what you be  making do with what they be got is a familiar situation for the air Force Community Al Rimini. The base has a total american Popula Tion of 250 people counting family members. It has no healer Bookstore fast food outlet Chad housing or quarters gym Day care Center commis sary or Hospital. What in docs have is a 3 a student elementary shool located 10 Miles from the base a Small All ranks club and a compact combination Exchange and convenience store providing All their . Food. Little a neat in a Loi of ways Milter Laid but being at the far end of the logistic Chain makes hint really Chat months for unaccompanied personnel and three years for those who Are accompanied. About half the people opt to serve consecutive Tours at the base located 30 Miles South of Ravenna. All base personnel live on the econ omy. Nearly All the Quarter they rent Are unfurnished. Most have no Central heal ing and in Tome the Mani must Supply everything including the Kitchen Sigil Many of our younger people entered the air Force straight out of High school and then came Here Milter said. It s scary for Tome of those 18-year-Olds. Most have never lived on their own. Liv ing on the Economy requires a big adjust ment on their pan. They arrive Here with a couple of suitcases and a stereo and then Are faced with setting up a place to live from scratch. Right now the construction peo ple from Aviano a arc erecting build ing we can use to store furniture we can lend people on a temporary baits. When the building is ready in August we will be Able to offer the kids something to get them started in lie Irown apartment