European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 8, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday. September a 19b8 the stars  strikes Pago 9 Apo reorganization staff reductions May Lead to cuts in some mail services b Crista i  staff writer rheingau Weil Germany staff reductions and reorganization in army Post offices in Europe will nil affect How customers receive their mail hut inc Avail ability of some sen ices could he reduced in the near future Postil officials said. Short term there won t be much of an Impact said it. Col. John w. Dundas Deputy commander of the army postal group Europe. Bui Long term say in three or four months we May have to change some of our  window service for example Salt of Money or Ders and package mailing May be affected in Low traffic Post offices but nut before the operation is reviewed. We arc going to do everything possible to accommodate the communities needs within our constraints Dundas said. We won l make any arbitrary decisions. We will go to the communities and ask further input and consider that before any decisions Are  there will be no change to inbound mail service he said. More than Iso positions have been eliminated in the postal group from a department of the army re structuring of the organization hat includes convert ing about half of the military slots to civilian slots. In 1985, the postal group was authorized 1.2ch employees 1,058 military and 146 civilians. On sept.16, total authorized positions drop to 1,044, of which 546 Are military and 503 civilian officials said. The staff culs mean we will have to learn to oper ate More  Dundas said. And an increased civilian staff leads to additional constraints such As overtime costs no associated with military personnel he said. The reorganization of the group also entails taking an existing 26 companies and detachments in West Germany Belgium Italy and the Netherlands and put Ting them into nine companies said capt. Jonathan Miller chief of plans and programs. The move should have no effect on service. Seventeen units will be deactivated and six activated sept. 16 at Kilbourne Cavern in Schwil Zingen. Assets of postal operations of the Southern european task Force in Italy and four divisions in Germany 1st army div 1 St inf div 2nd army div and 8lh inf div also will Transfer to army postal group Europe. Before the reorganization the postal group offered technical assistance to Hose operations. The postal group still has responsibility for technical assistance to military forces postal operations in the United kingdom. West Berlin Turkey the Sinai Libe Ria and Zaire. Shuttle Crew scarfs escape countdown training Cape canaveral Fla. A with the first Post challenger space shuttle flight about three weeks away the astronauts assigned to the Mission began three Days of emergency and countdown training tuesday. The five Man Crew flew Here from the Johnson space Center in Houston and plunged into a Busy afternoon schedule. The astronauts who will ride the shuttle discovery were Given briefings on launch preparations and shuttle emergency escape procedures driving lessons in an armoured personnel Carrie which the astronauts would use to gel away from the launch pad in Case of trouble and practice runway landings Ina Jet modified to handle like inc shuttle. Commanding the Crew of Veteran shuttle fliers is Navy Cape. Rick Hauck. The Pilot is air Force it. Col. Dick Covey and the Mission specialists arc George Nelson Mike lounge and a discovery commander Navy Carl. Rick Hauck was upon arriving at Kennedy space Center tuesday followed by left to right Marine maj. David Hilmers Mike lounge George Nelson and air farce la col Dick Covey. Rine maj. David Hilmers. Speaking with reporters on arriving Here. Hauck said it s really hard to believe that at least by inc Calendar we could be less than three weeks from launch. Bui we Are and we re  the National aeronautics and space administration Hopes to launch the discovery in the last week of septem Ber but it won t set a firm Dale until sept. 14. Following a two Day night readiness review. Hauck and his Crew will visit the launch pad wednesday 10 inspect their shuttle and the communications satellite in its cargo Bay rehearse an Emer gency departure from the pad and fit Check the pressure suits they will Wear on launch Day on thursday the astronauts will de part for the pad shortly after 7 . And climb aboard the discovery to participate in the final two hours of a practice countdown. 1 St . Cruise missiles to leave from English base London a the first , cruise missiles to be removed from Europe under the superpower nuclear arms control agreement will leave this week from Raf moles world 50 Miles North of London air Force officials said. A 3rd air Force spokeswoman. Cape. Mary Ann Nacri said two of the 1b cruise missiles deployed at Molesworth would be flown Back to the United Stales on thursday along with two Mobile launchers and other equipment listed As treaty limited  the missiles from Molesworth were selected As the first Togo because they were the last to arrive officials said tuesday. Deployment at Molesworth Only began last novem Ber shortly before the elimination treaty was signed and four years after the first . Cruise missile deployed in Europe arrived at another . Air Force base in England at Rafer Canham common. No Dale has been fixed for the removal of the 96 missiles at arc chant or the remainder at Molesworth which had been due to Lake 64 missiles. First to leave Western Europe under the agreement were nine Pershing ii missiles removed sept. 1 from Camp re Legal Heilbronn West Germany. The soviet Union began removing its medium Range missiles from Czechoslovakia and East Germany in february before inc . Senate ratified the pact on june i the agreement signed by inc . And soviet Lead ers last december sets a 1991 deadline for the super Powers to remove some 2,700 land based intermediate Range missiles deployed in Europe. The missiles will be flown out of Raf Alconbury to Davis Mon Han fab ariz., for  War Heads which Are not covered by the treaty will be returned to he United Stales separately in due course the British defense ministry said. Ex-. Embassy employee accused of scam in Sweden Stockholm Sweden a a former . Embassy employee will be charged with smuggling tax free steaks into Sweden in a Case also involving personnel from dozens of other Diplo Matic missions a prosecutor said tuesday. The embassies applied for customs exemptions on about 30 tons of imported beef since i9s3, and the consign ments were delivered directly to a whole Saler for resale to restaurants said prosecutor Bjarne Rosen Rosen said about 10" people could go on trial including the wholesalers. Other suspects from about 30 embassies were protected by diplomatic immunity he said. In Exchange for ordering the meat the embassy workers could buy goods free of Sweden s 23.45 percent value added lax Rosen said. In line with swedish Legal practice he declined to name the suspected Ameri can but said he was in charge of Pur chases for the embassy commissary. A . Embassy spokesman said the suspect a . Citizen and Long time res ident of Sweden left his Job in 1985,before the investigation started. He said the embassy had cooperated in the Crimi Nal probe. Rosen said he expected to file charges within the month for so called Gross smuggling which carries a possible jail sentence of six months to six years. Utah science teacher wins Christa Mcauliffe award Salt Lake City a a High school science teacher with a mock space lab in his classroom to help Stu dents learn about space travel has been selected Winner of inc third Christa Mcauliffe award for Aero space education. John Barainca a teacher at Salt Lake City s Brighton High school will be presented the award by the air Force association on sept. 19 in Arlington a. The award is named for Christa Mcauliffe the teacher killed in the 1986 challenger disaster. The air Force association selected Barainca a teacher for 16 years from More than 1,000 National candidates. He was to be honoured locally at a Din Ner tuesday night. Barainca was one of two Utah teachers selected As the state s Candi dates for Nasa s teacher in space program the program thai ultimately selected Mcauliffe for the ill fated spare shuttle launch in which she and six astronauts died on Jan 28,1986. To illustrate his lessons he uses a Star lab to dramatize life in  shut themselves inside the mock spacecraft and spend up to five Days there re enacting a space Mission