European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 8, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 4 the stars and stripes Friday. January 8,1988 Aldridge vows action on spouse Issue of officials feuding Over policy changes by William j. Bartman Washington Bureau Washington after reviewing results of unofficial inquiry into problems encountered by air Force spouses in the Pursuit of their own careers Secretary or the air Force Edward Aldridge or. Promised vigorous action against any command interference in a spouse s career or vat activities. The air Force is delaying release or the inquiry s findings however because a Battle is brewing betwee the civilian and military chiefs Over How far policy changes should go. Said sources in the service Hier Archy. An air Forte spokesman said thursday the results or the inquiry conducted by a special Blue ribbon panel would not be released until mid february or possibly As late As March. The sources said Aldridge and Gen. Larry d. Welch air Force chief of stiff arc in disagreement Over a course of. Action with the general wanting less change in policies affecting the role of Scricc members spouses. Sources close to the Blue ribbon panel said the air Forte s Active duly commanders worn the panel report watered Down while the civilian leadership wants to use the findings to bring about policy changes. In a message sent to the Field through the air Force news service Jan. 6, Aldrice said hat vigorous action has been initiated or will be initiated in the Imine Dinic future to eliminate any Clement of coercion i spouse activities and to More actively support the Range of aspirations of the fans labelled Aldridge s message must run for air Force base newspapers worldwide and said it must be used in a prominent position in lie next Foo photo Edward abridge or. Gen. Laird. Welch the panel s report stems from complaints from Sev eral air Force wives who said commanders had tried to coerce them into quilting their jobs and supporting their husbands Careen by getting involved in military Volunteer work. Those complaints led to establishment of the Blue ribbon panel chaired by Mai. Gen. Anthony Jour so Niclo. Assistant Deputy chief of staff Tor plans and operations which visited air Force bases around the world to meet with and their spouses. Aldridge said that Over the years there has devel oped a set of attitudes that spouse of military Mem Bers in certain leadership positions Are expected to fill preconceived role in terms of Volunteer work social functions and membership in social organizations to insure the career Success of military the Secretary said that this set of attitudes had gained such widespread acceptance that it constitutes an unwritten policy.1" to eliminate those perceptions we must focus on the tact hat career Success a based upon evaluation of the performance of the military members in their As signed roles he said. Aldridge said that he and Welch agree that Volunteer work unit social function and base social organizations Are Good for air Force members and families. But he stressed that spouse participation in those activities must be absolutely voluntary. Pressures to participate can and. In Many cases have constrained opportunities for individual spouses to pursue employ ment or other opportunities of heir own participants in he panel s sessions said at Force members and their spouses were open in their criticism of current service policies. I did a workshop overseas and i met women who attended sessions of the panel said Carolyn Becraft research associate with decision resources corp. In Washington. They were quite sceptical. Politically for he air Force How they come out an this Issue will be very significant. They be had a groundswell from the grass roots if you will. They Servic members said we re dissatisfied with your policies. Hear us " Bycraft who is retired from the army and ii mar. Rich to an army officer is Active in women s issues. She said the air Force personnel and spouses she met were glad the panel Wax formed but sceptical thai there will be air Force members Are rebelling against a policy that unofficially states thai the commander would have a wife that she would not work that she would be a Volunteer and so Beer aft said. It s not that these folks Are disloyal to the air Force. They just Don t like the present policy the raid. What you have is a Clear generational residency denied Man with aids Baltimore apr the inv migration and naturalization service has denied s permanent . Residency petition by a for Mer Johns Hopkins Hospital cardiologist who contracted aids while trying to save a patient s life. The ruling could Force Aoun who is taking at the Only .-Approvcd Anli aids drug to return o his native Vene Zuela. But Aoun Hopes to enter experimental treatment at the National institutes of health and he said Hewill not be Able to get the same medical treatment including at in Venezuela. Aoun became infected when a test lube holding the patient s minted blood broke and pm his Finger in 1983, he was diagnosed m having the fatal illness in 1986. In Early december he agreed to Settle a j34 million slander an libel suit he filed against Johns Hopkins Hospital alleging it humiliated and defamed him and drove him out of the Aoun 32, who is married to a physician and has a 22-month-Olddaughter, said he got the news of the ins action by letter last week. Ins spokesman Duke Austin said the . Senate voted unanimously late in 19s6 that people with acquired immune deficiency syndrome should not be admitted to the country and that those who have been in the United states temporarily should not be permitted to continue Iti Tir residence if they Nave aids. Austin said Aoun t Only administrative remedy now was to a a for a humanitarian exemption. W Neu to r attitude raid. What Issue Bush gets More ran Confra questions while stumping Iowa Campaign Trail by the associated pros Core who was campaigning again Bush 115 supporting arms shipment vice president Cedirc Bush faced a thursday in the South defended his do Iran. Preh George drumbeat of Iran con Ira questions on his first Campaign trip of the new year and Democrat Gary Hart said thursday he would love to face Bush and let voters decide whether my personal and human mistake is on the same scale As the mis takes of the last seven Yean of the Rea Gan administration. Bush. In. A 20-Minule session with re porters in Iowa said thursday he saw nothing new in news accounts of what he did or did t know about the run con tra affair and be added "1 think the american people Are focusing on other issues. Well find out whether the voters care about it Bush said. He said As he has Many limes in the past concerning the arms deals "1 did not think it was arms for Hart who returned to the race Las month after dropping out in May amid news stories of a relationship with Miami Model Donna Rice raid thurs Day his personal life is not what is on the mind of the people of this what they want to know is when and where Are we going to commit our troop and Are their Ems Gaing to lose their lives in the persian guff How arc we going to shelter the homeless and feed the Hun Gry Hart campaigning in Manchester n.h., made his comments in an inter View on Abc to s Good morning one Day earlier his democratic rival were increasingly turning their fire on one another. Former Arizona Cov. Bruce Babbitt derided Illinois sen. Paul Simon s Bud get plan As laughable and Jesse Jack son criticized Simon Missouri rep. Richard Gephardt and Tennessee sen. Albert Gore or. For abandoning Gore thursday decision to by Pau Iowa and stake i Hopeson a Good performance in the March 8 super tuesday primaries and caucuses. Bush in Iowa told reporters he expects More questions from Iran Contr investigators but said neither he nor president Reagan is the target of an probe. I will answer any question put to me by the special prosecutor he said wednesday. It has been made Clear to me Lam not a target of any investigation nor is the Bush said he has not yet been contacted by special prosecutor Lawrence a Walsh or any of his aides but i we the Washington Pott reported thurs Day it had obtained classified notes fro Bush s dec. Is 1986, interview with the Tower commission a panel appointed by Reagan to investigate the Iran Contra notes of the Bush interview say he did have a general knowledge of arms sales to Iran As a result of attendance a various briefing on the hostages and. Wilh the president the newspaper did. Bush told the Tower commission that if Only half the allegations about Marine it. Col. Oliver North were True he has run amok the Post said. Bush told re porters wednesday he considers North a hero although the tired National Security aide clearly made some the Post said it obtained the Tower commission notes from someone who is not connected with any of the other presidential campaigns Republican or democratic. Bush has consistently downplayed his role in the Iran Contra affair saying he was out of the Loop on details and decision making. However the committees last month released a White House memo dating from february 1936, which described Quill a shipment Toiran Bush Aid earlier this week he would not reveal his private advice to the presi Dent on the arms sales. Bush has said he expressed reservations to the president about the affair but has declined to say exactly what he told Reagan. I m not a Kiis and Teller. I m not going to go out Here and try to Loo Good he said. The Post quoted source at eying Bush s reservations did not concern the Basic policy of setting arms to Iran but was focused on whether Israel might gain leverage Over the United states by participating in the secret Iran arms talks. The Campaign of rep. Jack Kemp ii complaining that Bush hat tried to change the format of Mother upcoming gop debate set for Jan. 15 at Din Mouth College to avoid being auctioned by tiie other candidates about thei run Contra affair and other matters. A Bush spokesman Andrew card said the Bush Campaign has no problem with any format including one in which the candidates question one another such a format was used at an earlier de Bale on Abc to during which Bush was needled by a gop rival former Secre tary of stale Alexander Hafg. About toe arms for to Sulci Deal. Buh was campaigning thursday in Iowa where a poll Oire distend republicans indicated he was trailing Dole. The vice president acknowledged he is in a Tough fight in the state. The same poll indicated Hart has a 2 to a Lead in Iowa Over his closest demo cratic rival. But Hart said it does t mean a Jackson campaigning in frigid North Ern Iowa said Gore Simon and Gephardt along with the rest of Congress had surrendered to As a result of Federal budget cuts be said 50,000 Homes will not be weather sized this year
