European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 8, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Sunday novembers 1987 the stars and stripes Page 5 marines Battle to save attack plane Washington not the word swept a Cartel Hill part thereby Cele Brating the Marine corps birthday democratic and Republican leaders of the armed services committees in both houses of Congress meeting privately were planning to end production of the corps primary Alliek plane. Gen. Alfred m. Gray jr., the Marine commandant told the crowd of officers retirees lawmakers and lobbyists that he did not plan to Lake the assault on his budget lying Down. The Mcdonnell Douglas corp., inc american manufacturer of he plane the av-8b harrier swiftly mobilized to fight the decision which would Cost the company hundreds of millions of dollars in sales. Before the Day was out with the har Rier loyalists mobilized 10 save the Jet a single decision among scores that Houe and Senate conferee must make on a military spending Bill for inc current Fis Cal year Hud caused a rebellion primarily by republicans on the House committee that threatened to bring the process of Compromise to a Hall. The episode is Ai ii Hank Raif if the difficulties facing the Pentagon and Congress As they seen to bring an ambitious spending program into line with new fiscal realities that have effectively Frozen military budgets at current Levels. With Congress out of session for the weekend lawmakers and lobbyists continued to quarrel Over whether to eliminate 32 harriers costing ss64.2 million from a 1988 Pentagon spending measure of approximately s289 billion. Rep. Les Aspin d-wis., who Heads inc armed services committee was said to be furious that his Powers As committee chair Man did not allow him to Cut the kind of Deal needed to usher the Bill into Law. The harrier built by Mcdonnell Douglas under License to British Aero space is a compact aircraft that can land and take off vertically by swi cling it Rolls Royce engines. This Means it can land virtually anywhere from unpaved clearings to he decks of Small ships. The plane played a crucial role in Brit Ain s assault on the Falkland islands and is the Marine corps weapon of Choice for supporting ground troops with air cover As they seize beaches one of their major missions. It is also inc single Cost Liest program in the marines weapons budget for the 1988 fiscal year which began oct. I in addition the harrier has become Symbol of Allied cooperation in defense production. In Washington Friday inc British defense minister Carge younger cited it As a very Good example of the increase in very esd Ting and important collaborative ventures Belsen Britain and the United slates. A senior Marine corps official said thai the corps legislative specialists were try ing to do everything in our Power to per Suade the committees and inc Congress o change their he expressed Hope that the move 10 end production of the plane could be reversed although acknowledging thai perhaps not All 32 planes re Quested this year would be approved. In All inc Marine corps plans to buy 328 of the latest Model harriers of which 93 have been delivered. A decision to Stop production would bring the program us a hah a five the comp Tiomi of Iso planes including those ordered in previous years but not yet delivered. The new planes a that Point would constitute 44 percent of the marines Light attack aircraft. Mcdonnell Douglas argument said a company spokesman Michael Burch. Is that there is no suitable alternative which can meet their requirement for Basing flexibility and response the a so s employment from amphibious ships and Remote Sites Burch said is critical for the support of Marine forces in amphibious Bui a congressional staff member familiar with the budget negotiations said that the senior Republican and demo cratic members of the two armed serv ices committees had agreed that in order to meet budget targets some Mili tary programs would have to be halted and that the harrier was not a priority High enough to survive. Fight against aids could Cost $ 16 billion by 1991, Koop says san Francisco a surgeon general c. Everell Koop estimated Friday it could Cost americans Smuch As ji6 billion by 1991 to Cope Wilh aids which he called the Lite most vicious of infectious diseases in the history of the no cure is in sight although we eventually will have something thai will resemble a vaccine Hal is Safe effective and available Koop assured 1,300 pub Lic health executives and others Ai the National aids conference. The centers for disease control in Atlanta oa., has predicted that by 1991, 270,000 people in the United Stales will have the disease and Koop said care for its victims could Cost s8 by Ilion to $ 16 billion by then. The nation s top Public health officer said education on All Levels of society remains the chief weapon to fight acquired immune deficiency syndrome which destroys the body s ability to Light off disease. People at Low risk to catch aids should not smugly Comfort themselves that they Are in the Clear he said because they and inc rest of society Are affected by it in someway. It is imperative that we Tell the Public. That at the moment death is the partner of most people Wilh aids he said. Since 1981 the disease has afflicted More than 43,000 americans of whom 25,000 have died he said. The chief victims have been homosexual and bisexual mates and intravenous drug users. San Francisco City epidemiologist or. George lamp reported to the conference thursday that the median length of survival after persons Are first diagnosed with aids has risen in the City from 10.2 months in 19s1 to 14.4 months in 1986. However lamp said he could t explain it and cautioned that the statistic has no bearing on the Overall survival rate of people Wilh aids. This is the first time we be seen improved survival for san Francisco he said. Although he had no projections he said. All we can say is thai it s going to be belter Koop in a wide ranging speech counselled courage surgeon general c. Everett Koop in victims of aids those who have tested positive forthe virus but have no symptoms and especially people who weakened by the despair of the disease deny compassion to their fellow beings. He made forceful reference to physicians and nurses very few thank goodness who Don t want to treat aids patients because of the danger of becoming infected with the virus hepatitis he added is 40 times More infectious for people working Wilh patients than is aids. The risk is the conference continues through sunday. Union denounces double Standard Washington a a Union of Federal workers accused president Reagan of practising a blatant two faced double Standard Friday in mandating drug less for government employees while excusing past marijuana use by supreme court nominee Douglas h. Ginsburg. By Pooh pooling past drug use Only for its supreme court nominee the administration is sending a message to Federal employees of do As 1 say not As i do " said Robert m. Tobias president of the 59,000 a number National Treasury employees Union. Ginsburg 41, was nominated by Reagan last week for a vacant seat on the nine member court. He acknowledged thursday using marijuana once in the 1960s and on a few occasions in the 1970s. Reagan noting Ginsburg s statement that he has t used the drug in years said Friday he was confident the nation would show compassion to a Man who erred in his Tobias Union has a suit pending in inc supreme court challenging Reagan s order last year mandating lat Idom drug tests for Many Federal workers. The attorney general and inc president seem will ing to forgive and forget drug use by a supreme court nominee while using invasive unconstitutional Uri Natysi tests to ferret out drug use among All other Federal employees Tobias Saia Friday. It s a blatant two faced double vets ceremony for pos draws few participants Washington a Vietnam veterans trying to display their political Power Drew Only a few dozen supporters instead of an expected 10,000, to a Candle Light ceremony in memory of soldiers still listed As missing in action. A country Western band dressed in military fatigues serenaded less than 100 people on the Steps below inc Lincoln memorial where
