European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 2, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Wednesday. March 2. 19b8 the stars and stripes Page 3 growing up ended with aerosol can grim lesson Learned from teen Ager s tragedy to fun arrs tend to a Refl i of things. To emf Spart of Rui to up. I Juan Tvan Roidy that you Don i have to do no oftring la grow John tray b davkwa1.czak education Wriler Uridel Herg across kill. That s the message from maj. John tray. He knows. Troy s son Crnic died Jan. 22 soon after inhaling in Over the counter aerosol. Zernic was 15. He was also Bright. The Heidelberg High school freshman helped represent his school in the annual brain bowl Competition. He devoted time to skiing trumpet playing Apple computers and Stephen King novels. Lint Bernie also spent time inhaling foghorn which for 9 Marks �5.35 can be obtained at Many retail stores in West Germany. Foghorn is an aerosol that Powers a Laud Horn often used by fans at sporting events. His father insists that Crnic never fully understood the danger associated with inhaling aerosols. Bernie had talked about foghorn Troy said. He said. It says non ionic How can it Hurt me " but John Troy harboured doubts about he safety of foghorn especially after Crnic fainted in october after he and a Friend inhaled the substance in his Friend s Home. Crnic was rushed to the Heidelberg army Hospital emergency room but medical personnel tailed to warn the family of the potential hazards of aerosol. And the trays thought the incident could have been attributed . Nobody 1 talked in in october said this stuff was dangerous Troy said. " it was t until i talked id our pathologist. Or. Maj Thomas Jewell that we knew How dangerous the chemicals could be in a foghorn Jewell combed medical journals looking for information about aerosol inhalation soon after performing Eta note s autopsy Jan. 25. There in t very much he said. Jewell said the danger of inhaling aerosols comes from found in All of them. Heavier Shan Crnic Troy Al Calm of foghorn oxygen fluorocarbons supplant oxygen in the lungs affecting the brain. In Small doses the oxygen loss results m a dizzying sensation. In larger doses death can result. If Crnic s Case is any indication death from Aero sols is almost immediate. His father found him unconscious in his room a 5 55 . Less than an hour after Bemie had left the Kitchen. It was about 5 20," said his Mother Jean. For Tomc reason thai time Slicks in my mind. He was t in his room a Long time. Everything was Normal. Every Troy and a neighbor tried to resuscitate Bernie be fore and during Crnic s ambulance ride to the Heidel Berg Hospital. Bernic was declared dead at 7 25 . Troy later Learned from army investigators that Ber Nic had continued inhaling foghorn with friends in december. It does t seem to be a particular Type of student you re talking about. Bern had Good friends he said. I m sure there Are other groups in school doing similar a recent Survey by University of Michigan research ers reinforces Troy s statement. The Survey deter mined that students attending department of defense dependents schools Are More prone to use inhalants for a High than their stateside counterparts following Bernie s death Troy immediately sought to inform Dumie s classmates about what happened to his son. In a letter co written by Heidelberg High Prin Cipal Bud Korth he presented the facts of what happened the evening of Jan. 22. There were rumours thai he Hod committed suicide that he had cancer that he had a heart attack that he had a drug overdose Troy said. We were concerned that other kids should know what happened and to educate about the dangers of foghorn since then Troy has tried additional Means to in form others about the danger of inhalants. He at tended a local Parent teachers students association meeting to discuss the subject and appeared on an an spot announcement warning of the dangers of aerosol inhalation. Troy also is considering Legal action to Force the manufacturers of foghorn to provide a warning Label on the canisters. Thai concept was reinforced when he purchased a similar product called super sound in the u nil cd Stales that carries such a Label. But for now. Troy remains focused on trying to gel his message across we kind of Hope that some Good can come out of this tragedy he said. If we can save one life we will have been successful. But of course Well never combat unit no longer just a Man s world by Richard iia Loran Langley fab a. Not in the 1st tac fighter Wing a Large air Force combat unit whose fighter pilots have Long had a Macho image maj. Gail r. Duke says we pc earned our place. Duke is the second in command of the aircraft generation so which launches recovers and serv ices the Wing s 72 High powered Al 5 Eagle fighters. Of the Squadron s 900 Crew chiefs technicians and mechanics who work to keep the planes flying More than 20 percent Are women. Women have become such full fledged members of inc fighter wine although they do not Fly the jews that the Wing s ability to fight would be seriously jeopardized if the women were held Back when inc Wing went to War. Tic Wing s need for Ihm Illus trates some of the unresolved questions about the Issue of women in combat. The primary combat Mission of the Wing which trains mainly for operations around the persian Gulf would be to Clear inc skies of hostile aircraft seeking to attack . Ground or naval forces or to open up routes for american bombers or attack planes to strike. Because fighter planes must be based As close As possible to the War zone id give them maximum time in hostile skies their bases easily would be subjected to bombing commando raids and sabotage women serving there would thus experience inc same risks As men. Of the 5.400 officers and airmen in he 1st tac fighter Wing. M of the officers a women which is 30 percent of the officer corps a much higher ratio than the 12 percent across the air Force. They occupy nearly All positions except those of filler Pilot. Among inc enlisted personnel ss4 arc women or about 13 percent of the enlisted Force the same percentage As thai throughout the air Force. Almost All positions Are open to women with Many working in maintenance shops on the flight line and in support and administration. It is those Large numbers that make women Essen tial to la accomplishment of the Wing s combat mis Sion. Thus said Duke going to Battle is not an Issue for women. Most of my people Don t think that if we go to War we Don t gel to go she said. Nor is there a. Question about the ability of the women to do their jobs under fire. I have no doubt about the combat capability of the women in this Wing said Wing commander col. Richard b. Myers. Under the Law the air Force May not Send a woman into direct combat where she would confront an enemy up close. That precludes women from be coming fighter pilots. The definition of direct com i have no doubt about the combat capability of the women in this col. Richard b. Myers Bat has been refined Over time to narrow the concept of combat and permit women to go Ever closer to Battle. But the Law and the changing definitions do not resolve the Issue of women in combat most military women and men agree that emotion is a critical fac Tor whether the Public is ready to Sec women be wounded or die in Battle or to be taken captive and held prisoner by an enemy who would abuse them. As Duke put it one Ranson that americans Are reluctant to Send females into the combat forces is that we raise our men to protect in their peacetime duties women in the fighter Wing satisfaction with their lot despite some irritations. They said that they had equal Opportunity with men to compete for promotion and that sexual harassment or discrimination had diminished greatly in the last couple of years. Staff sgt. Patricia a Gordon Asci engine Mechanic said i am one of the Guys but they look at me differently i be had to prove myself More than the in repairing an engine there Are certain things i cannot lift she said. Most of the Lime the Guys i work with Are excellent about helping me but there arc still a few who expect me to be Able to do every thing by myself. Yet they Are inc ones who need two men to help them lift . Lauri a. Jackson who works on the night line said i love going out there and working on the air plane and seeing it taxi and then go up in the sky. Thai s my air plane i did Bui she agreed thai you have to prove yourself just because you arc a Jackson said i feel like i am one of the Guys but there arc Gilill a few Guys who feel that a woman should not be out there on the flight some time she said after she finishes a ask some Guy comes along and messes up my work to make me look Capi. Kimberley m. Allen an aircraft maintenance officer said that she is not bothered by the Law preventing her from lying fighter planes and that it had not hampered her career. The Job i do supports the Mission she said. I provide the aircraft in the nor did she have emblems with being a woman in a male oriented unit. I am not a shy she said. I m not intimidated at All. Other than flying air planes they Don t have much on me. I m impressed with inc fad thai they Fly cd Cpl when they break my
