European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 29, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday August 29. 19b7 the stars and stripes Page 5 Poindexter asks to retire with 3rd Star Washington a former National Security adviser John a  has asked to retire from inc Navy wanting to leave with his head held High and before any Iran Contra indictments arc returned a close Friend said thursday. Poinc Jiter requested that he be allowed to retire at the rank of vice Admiral. Pentagon source said. He held that rank while working Al the White House but was reduced to the rank of rear Admiral when he left his Post last november when details of the Iran con tra affair first were disclosed. Such a request would have to be approved by presi Dent Reagan and then confirmed by the Senate. During inc congressional hearings to investigate the affair Poindexter testified thai he kept Reagan in the dark about the diversion of iranian arms sales profits to the  nicaraguan Contra guerrillas. Heals said he destroyed a presidential document authorizing the iranian arms sales As a weapons for hostages transaction fearing political embarrassment if in should become Public. Retired adm. Clarence a Mark Hill jr., a Friend docked a Day s pay Dan Kish 30, was the first to hear the cries of Cecilia Chin the Only survivor of Northwest flight 255 Ibe night it crashed it Detroit s air port. Elsb spent 22 hours at the crash site As Volunteer member of the Romulus fire depart ment and was unable to report for his Midnight shift Tihe Airport where he cleans planes for Northwest. Kish s wife said she notified an air line supervisor that her husband was Al the crash scene. However he was docked a Day s pay by Northwest. The machinists Union has filed a grievance on Kish s behalf. Of Poindexter s and the trustee of his Legal defense fund said Poinc scr is very concerned about the image of the .  kill said Poindexter wants to leave the service be fore Iran Centra Independent counsel Lawrence Walsh obtains grand jury indictments. Hill said Poindexter expects to be named in the  said he left the hearings with his head held High Hill said. He s in the position to do that from the Navy now. I think in makes Good  also said Poindexter faced an extremely difficult Prospect of trying to win a Navy Job carry ing three Star vice Admiral status now Given his role in inc affair and the possibility thai Senate members could Block his appointment. Poindexter Poindexter has no Job lined up and will probably take a year or so to decide what sort of work he wants to pursue Hill said. The Navy refused to discuss the matter in any detail thursday but did confirm that adm. Poindexter has announced his intention to  sources said Poindester disclosed his Deci Sion to request retirement to top officials on wednes Day specifying a desire to step Down effective oct. 1 after nearly 30 years of  made the request to retire Al the higher rank As a matter of principle believing he is entitled to the extra Star in retirement because of his service in a three Star position Al inc White House one official said. According to the Navy a two Star rear Admiral with 29 years of service can retire with a pension of ss2,764 a year. A three Star vice Admiral with the same amount of service can retire with Penston of 153,016 a year. Normally a military officer cannot retire Al a higher rank unless he held that rank for Al least three years. It is not unusual however for senior generals and Admi Rallo have that Rule waived Al the discretion of the president and the , so a 1958 graduate of the . Naval Academy now is a special assistant to the chief of naval operations for Long Range planning. Test of new shuttle Booster postponed after several delays Florida judge cans Case Aga psf Wurst offenders Brigham City Utah a a critical full scale test of the new space shuttle Booster rocket engine was scrubbed thursday after a series of delays including two countdowns halted with less than 15 seconds logo. Officials of Morion Thi Okol inc., manufacturer of the rocket said the test firing would be postponed until saturday. The 1.2 million Pound rocket was scheduled to bum for about two minutes in a ground test of four Rede signed joints in its steel Hull changes in design that arc expected to Correct inc Haws that caused the challenger disaster. The redesigned rocket has been tested in sub scale firing but thursday s Lesi was to have been the first involving he full 126-foot rocket Booster. National aeronautics and space admits Iraklion officials have said thai the test is the most critical yet of the rocket Booster redesign program. John Thomas Nasa director of the Booster Rede sign Effort said ground equipment caused the count Downs to be halted three limes. The first attempt ended just 10 seconds from ignition when a water pipe connection burst. Waitr is needed to Cool the rocket casing after the firing. The countdown was recycled loan hour and move smoothly to within three minutes of ignition when a computer detected an electronic flaw in test equipment and stopped the test Thomas said. The third attempt was hailed Al just 12 second before ignition when the ground computer showed that a Turbine that controls the steering movements of the rocket nozzle failed to get up to the right Speed Thom As said. The problem apparently Lay in the equipment monitoring the Turbine he Saio. At that Point the test was cancelled for the Day and postponed 10 saturday. The firing is he first of a series of full scale ground Sands of time or Viu officials and guests Check out space shuttle Booster molar prior to lest firing. Tests the new solid fuel rocket must pass before the shuttle Fleet is permitted to Fly again. The first shuttle flight is scheduled june 2. This is the most critical test since the redesign program began said Royce Mitchell manager of the rocket Booster program at inc Marshall space flight Center in Alabama. A flawed joint hat leaked superheated exhaust Gas pcs is blamed for the Jan. 28, 1986, explosion that destroyed challenger and killed its seven Crew Mem Bers. Engineers for Morton Thi Okol and Nasa Rede signed the joints Between segments of the boosters. A presidential commission that investigated the challenger accidents id thai a joint in one of Chal Lenger s boosters opened slightly As the shuttle roared away from the Kennedy space Center. Miami a a judge dismissed charges wednesday against a woman arrested for allowing her hungry children 10 Eal canned sausages on a metro rail train. It is a second decree Misdemeanour to eat smoke or drink on Dade county s 3-Ycar-old mass transit rail line. Dade county judge Arthur Maginnis dismissed the charge without explanation. A prosecutor said her office would de cide by thursday whether to Appeal the dismissal or refill the charge against Tobia Jinks. The ordinance was Clear and there is definitely a violation of it assistant slate attorney Kathy sync Snowden told Maginnis. Jinks 26, said earlier she let her Chil Dren cat on the train last month despite warnings from a guard because they had t eaten for hours and were hungry. Neither Jinks nor her attorney was at court wednesday. Most misdemeanours carry jail time up to 60 Days and fines up to j500, although Many first Lime offenders arc sent to a court program thai leaves them with no criminal record. Although Snowdon and capt. Richard Plager head of the metro police transit Section agreed that criminal penalties arc unnecessary for commuters caught eating smoking and drinking an met Orail. They bom said they Are bound to uphold  also agreed thai Many offences on Mel Orail should be handled As civil infractions for which tickets arc will in. In the stars and stripes 40 years ago . 29, 1947 the governmental crisis that had gripped Greece since last saturday was resolved with the reconstitution of the former Cabinet under Premier dam Clos Maximos. 30 years ago today. ,. Aug. 29, 1957 William Proxmire became the first democratic senator from Wisconsin in 25 years by scoring an upset Victory in the special election to fill the unix Pird term of the Lale Joseph r. Mccarthy. 20 years ago today. Aug. 29, 1967 fourteen of 18 skydivers who parachuted 20,000 feel from a converted world War ii bomber were missing after plunging into Lake Erie. Two were dead and two were rescued. W years ago today. Aug. 29, 1977 the new York times reported that budget director Bart Lance failed to disclose All of his financial holdings and debts in a net Worth statement submitted to the Senate governmental affairs committee before his january confirmation hearings