European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 6, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday september 6,1987 the stars and stripes pages is to fight Forest fires by the associated press the lightning strikes thai Igni cd inc West la pc Rcd off Friday but exhausted firefighters had their hands full Wajih Marly Haifa million acres of Brush and Forest fires including a Blaze within Yosemite National Park. Up to 1.000 soldiers and even a Small number of Federal surveyors and secretaries prepared Friday for crash firc fighting courses that would enable them Lojkin nearly 20,000 firefighters some from As far away As inc East coast who Are trying to contain the worst rash of fires in a decade. Mosi of the scorched Earth is in California where .175,000 acres were blackened and Oregon where the total reached 75.000 acres. We be Goi a Loi of tired people out in inc Hills said firefighter Ray Naddy in Oregon. About 16,000 people were forced to face inc flames All but 1,000 of them in California. Nearly 1.000 soldiers from fort Ord near Mon Terey calif., were being trained saturday for deployment sunday said maj. Larry acc Nogic a Pentagon spokesman. They will be deployed to mop up operations to free regular firefighters to hit the hot spots said Tom Mac Kunzic. Another Pentagon spokesman. Dick Thomas a spokesman for the Bureau of land management in Phoenix ariz., said the Agency gave physical examinations to secretaries surveyors and other employees 10 who was Quali fied to join he Battle in California. As of late Friday about 50 people had passed the physical and were to undergo firelight ing training saturday officials said. The fire in Yos mitc National Park which started thursday had grown o 100 acre Friday afternoon. The major Battle however involved a  fire that was burning toward the Park in the Vicinity of Tuolumne City. New fires arc cropping up the sleepers that have been soldering Ana Ihnn the wind comes along and we be got a fire said Jerry Ahti ram of California s fire information Center. Firefighters also contended with 13,000 acres ablaze in Idaho but let an 18,000-acre fire bum by itself in a wilderness area near Cascade. Smaller fires were burning in Washington Montara South Dakota Wyoming and Arizona. They will be fighting some of them until the Snow  said George Leonard associate chief of the . Forest service said in Boise. This is one of inc worst fire situations that we have had in Mure than 30 Yean in these Stales Forest service chief Dale Robertson said. A helicopter fights a fire near rogue River mine sweeper two years late Sturgeon Bay wis a the first ship in the Navy s new class of sophisticated Avenger mine sweepers will be commissioned this week two years late and millions of dollars More costly than projected. It s Loo bad it was t around a year ago cmdr. Chris Baumann. A Pentagon spokesman said Friday. He said the 224.foot-Iong Avenger had no received its orders and he could not comment on whether the wooden hulled ship which will be based in Charleston s.c., would be sen 10 inc persian Gulf after its commissioning. It s certainly a Welcome addition to the Fleet Bau Mann said. It would certainly be beneficial to the Mission in inc persian  mine sweeping has become a concern since the United slates began escorting Oil tankers in the Gulf in july. One of the tankers in inc first Convoy struck a mine near iranian con rolled Farsi Island. The United states has seven mine sweeping helicopters and six mine sweeping boats usually used in in land Waters either in the Gulf or scheduled for deploy ment there Baumann said. Three older mine sweeping ships led the West coast for the Gulf a few weeks ago and three Are expected to depart from the East coast soon he said. The United states has lagged behind Many nations in mine sweepers. The Avenger class is designed to replace ships that Date to the 1950s. The program to build 14 Avenger ships however is two years behind schedule and is expected in Cost about $1.6 billion $200 million More than original estimates. When the Navy decided to build the Shim officials said it discovered Many . Shipbuilders had lost the ability to build wooden boats which do not have the magnetic Fields that can set off a mine. The Avenger faced other problems. Cmdr. Robert Rawls Captain of the Avenger said he believes part of the problem was that Many people thought the Avenger was simply an Extension of older mine sweepers instead of a prototype ship. Besides carrying rear mine sweeping gear like that towed by the older ships he Avenger is equipped with state of the Art sonar and navigation systems. It also has a new mine neutralization system with an unmanned submersible that enables it to Hunt and de stroy mines in Waters too deep for human divers. Navy officials have declined to comment on How deep or Al what distance the system would work. The Avenger was built and has been undergoing sea trials at Peterson builders inc., a shipbuilding Compa by on Lake Michigan. Peterson is building four other Avenger class ships. Another Wisconsin shipbuilder Marinelle Marine has contracts to build three others. Contracts for three More have not been awarded and the final three arc requested in the Navy s fiscal 1983 budget. Wrong patient gets ear operation Timothy and Lori Botille Post with the Larson Nicholas. Robbinsdale Minn. A two year old Nicho Las to Chloc went to the Hospital to have his tonsils and adenoids removed. Instead his cars were operated on when he was confused with another Young patient also named Nicholas. I feel it is a terrible mistake said Nicholas father Timothy. Nicholas who went Inlo he Hospital aug. 24, is Back Home in Brooklyn Center recuperating from the ear opera lion and from subsequent surgery 1o remove his tonsils and adenoids. During the first surgery tubes were inserted in his ears. They were removed during inc tonsil and adenoid surgery. He still has a Lille blood coming out of his cars but they said it was just the dry blood from his tubes his Mother Lori said. North memorial medical Center in Robbinsdale apologised Friday. A mistake was made and we Are very sorry . Buckland director of surgical services Lold a new Confer ence. He said operating room personnel failed to Check the boy s identification Ora Del. No disciplinary action has been taken against those responsible for the mistake he said the fio hikes say they and Nicholas were in the waiting room before the operation when three Hospital personnel came in. One of them referring to Nicholas by his first name said the were ready for his operation. The Hospital Lold the parents they would t have to pay for either operation Bui inc Boch lots say inc costs have already been paid by health insurance. The couple has relay cd attorneys but has not cd filed a lawsuit. Sands or time in the stars and stripes 40 years ago foe . 6, 1947 voiding court mar tial proceedings for Lack of jurisdiction a Federal judge ordered Kathleen Nash Durant released from prison. Duranl was serving a five year term for her army conviction in connection with he theft of the 11,5 million Hussen Crown jewels at Kronborg Castle near Frankfurt. 30 years ago today. Sept. 6, 1957 labor racketeer Johnny Dio was sentenced in new York to a year in prison and fined shoo for a conspiracy conviction. He was Given the same sentence for a bribery conviction. 20 years ago . 6. 1967 israeli and Jordani an artillery tanks mortars and machine guns exchanged fire across the Jordan River Over a seven hour period in inc second violation of inc Middle East cease fire in less than 24 hours. J 0 years ago today. Sept. 6, 1977 voyager i blasted Inlo space from Cape canaveral fla., taking a shortcut designed to put it near Jupiter and Saturn ahead of its Iwin Craft voyager ii which was bundled 17 Days earlier