European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 25, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday october 25, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 9 desert rites Honor heroes of Alamein Alamein Egypt a kill wearing bagpipers resumed to this Barren wasteland on sunday. 46 years to the Day after another generation s pipers led their Commonwealth comrades into he grisly 12-Day Battle thai would change the course of world War ii. Under a hot hazy Sun he Mournful strains of rowers or the Forest rolled Over the Bleak desert where on oct. 23, 1942, infantrymen followed screeching martial music and attacked German an italian troops softened up by a massive nighttime Artil Lery barrage. The second Battle of Alamein which ended Early on nov. 4 with the germans and italians withdrawing toward Libya in the rain and mud Cost 71500 killed wounded and captured 13,500 for the common wealth 59,000 for the Axis. The Battle pitting English Gen. Bernard Montgom Ery against the elite Panzer forces of the German Mili tary Mastermind Field marshal Erwin Rommel was the War s first major Battle won by British commanded troops. Since 1978, War heroes from both sides have been honoured in a joint ceremony on the sunday nearest oct. 23, held in turn at the Commonwealth cemetery and the italian and German memorials to the West. A smaller ceremony is held at the greek memorial cast of Alamein. British defense Secretary George younger brought delegation of 41, including 12 War widows and 17 vet Erans to sunday s 90-minute service attended by about 1,500. They shall not grow old. Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn read Robert Simpson the Commonwealth War Graves commission s director for North Africa. At the going Down of the Sun and in the morning we will remember diplomats and families of both sides heroes Laid More than 40 wreaths and butlers sounded the last two minutes of silence for the dead followed and the three pipers of the Argyll and Sutherland High Landers played from atop the cemetery s cloistered in trance. The Commonwealth cemetery its yellow Sahara dust offset by Green White pinkish purple and red plants has the Graves of 7,352 soldiers from More than a dozen countries. . Ambassador Frank g. Wisner who Laid a Wreath with on it said 12 Ameri can airmen lie in the cemetery. They were forerunners of a huge american Effort in North Africa led by Gen. George Patton who arrive too 1at to help Montgomery at Alamein but later encountered Rommel s retreating forces. For War widows in Black and for old soldiers with ribbons on their chests Alamein remains acutely per Sona. Alamein veterans w. Mulching 74 kit and Cyril Spencer 78, photograph the Graves of three friends. From retaining Wall to retaining Wall Are rows and rows of gravestones �.537 with names 815 marked known Only to Many Bear poignant Farewell messages from loved ones far away. There is pvt. J. Fleming who died at 19 on Theattle s first night with this from the gospel of is. John greater love hath no Man than this that he Lay Down his life for his j. Mcm. Gibson 25, also a first night casualty in 1942 remembrance is a Golden Chain that binds us till we meet and . Orca Batch 20, a driven in proud and Loving memory of duly honorable done by our dear pvt. . Paget 34, Queen s Royal regiment " a Corner of a foreign Field that is forever and another private from the same regime no . Jackson 22 at rest in god s Beautiful Garden sheltered from sorrow and Cpl . Elm 25, the Queen s Royal regiment to the world he was just one to us he was All the world. His Loving wife and Archdeacon Howard lev Cal of the anglican diocese of Egypt led the ceremony aided by italian and Ger Man clerics. Each prayed in his native language. Levett called on world leaders to rid the world of wars. Among All nations. And to free the world of hatred bitterness and All spirit of the spectators included military attaches from embassies in Cairo 1 so Miles to the Southeast each in the uniform of his country. Additionally two buses brought officers and men from the ., French. New zealand and italian contingents to the multinational Force and observers peacekeepers along the Israel Egypt Border in the Sinai Peninsula. Col Ronald v. Growden a pennsylvanian and air Force attache at the , embassy said the ceremony had special significance for him because his father died in world War ii. I think the ceremony is very touching very appropriate he said. It s something for our generation to learn he said also the Alamein Observance has additional importance because it remembers the War dead of All sides. Not just the Commonwealth. Today we heard German and debaters Shamir Peres clash Over talks Jerusalem a in a pre elec Tion face off foreign minister Shimon Peres claimed Progress in his peace efforts but prime minister Yitzhak Sha Mir accused his rival of seeking Arab support. Sunday s 30-Minutc, prerecorded de Bate on National television gave the pub Lic its Only Chance to see the two party leaders face each other before next tues Day s parliamentary elections. Peres head of the leftist labor party seemed to Benefit from the endorsement by Jordan s King Hussein of his approach to peace talks. It put Shamir Leader of the right Wing liked bloc on the defensive and provided the missing ingredient to Peres peace proposals a possible partner. Shamir said Peres was out of Bounds in arranging for Hussein to endorse la Bor s peace strategy in a Television interview last week. I must say thai to involve an Arab ruler in Israel s election Campaign is crass interference Shamir said. Peres responded is it a sin or an accomplishment to enlist an Arab country in the cause of peace i wish we could enlist All countries in the cause of Peres his voice often turning angry vowed to get out of this terrible Circle of War and. To begin negotiations immediately after Shamir also pledged to seek talks with the arabs but was critical of Hussein alluding to the jordanian Leader s meet ing Over the weekend with Palestine liberation organization chairman Yasser Arafat. Is this inc Way to peace just the opposite Shamir said. Hussein Arafat and president Hosni Mubarak of Egypt met in the jordanian port of Aqaba on saturday and report edly tried to work out common ground for an International peace conference. Shamir pledged not to surrender to the arabs but to seek peace based on autonomy for the 1.5 million palestini ans in the israeli occupied West Bank and Gaza strip even though the arabs have rejected this plan. Peres called for an International peace conference but Shamir said the arabs would talk direct to Israel without for eign interference if there was no other option. There will be no International Confer ence and they the arabs will therefore have no alternative but to enter direct negotiations Shamir said. Peres sought to portray Shamir As blocking All moves toward peace during the four years of the National Unity government that United the two major Polit ical blocs after the stalemated 1984 elections. Under the arrangement Peres served As prime minister for the first half of the term and Shamir is now serving the second half. Economic and social issues also played a major role in the debate. On these Peres appeared More evasive and Shamir promised to lower taxes a move opposed by labor. Aides for both sides claimed Victory but neither expected the debate to have a dramatic Impact on the undecided Vot ers whom analysts said account for about 8 percent of the 2.9 million eligible voters. One reason is that after four years of Public bickering Over the peace Issue israeli voters Are Well versed in he approaches of the two leaders. Two Post debate Telephone polls gave Peres the Edge on the issues and As a potential prime minister. China s Leader urged to kick smoking habit Hong Kong a chinese news papers have published a Reader s letter urging Leader Deng Xiaoping to launch an anti smoking Campaign by kicking the Habil himself a Hong Kong newspaper reported. Policeman Zhang Jinxin wrote that by smoking in Public Deng encourages thousands of chinese to keep smoking the Independent chinese language Ming Pao reported quoting the Hong Kong China news service
