European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 23, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes wednesday november 23, 19b8 overweight males in 3 services leave earlier than thinner recruits by William j. Bartman Washington Bureau Washington overweight male recruits in the army. Air Force and marines leave the service quicker than their thinner counterparts Bui the reverse is True in the Navy where Slocky sailors serve longer than leaner enlistees a recently released Pentagon study shows. The study was designed to test whether lighter weight standards could improve retention among the services. For example tic study showed that Over weight army recruits leave the service after three Yean at a Rale 53.7 percent higher than men meeting weight standards. The i Terence is even greater after Basic training when Stocky male recruits so Pune at a rate 87.9 per cent higher than men within the service s weight guide lines. In inc air Force overweight male recruits were found to leave the service after three years at a Rale 13 percent higher than Normal and 20 percent higher after Boot Camp. Overweight Marine recruits leave after completing the three years 45 percent More often and49.2 percent More often during Basic training Accord ing to the study. Portly Navy Coli teis however remained on Active duty after three years at a rate 4.2 percent higher than sailors meeting the requirements. Their retention Rale was 0.4 percent better than their thinner counterparts after Basic training according to the study. I was surprised to Sec those Navy numbers pop Ping up said or. Michael t. Laurence who directed the weight study. And they do occur rather consistently for the  Laurence speculated that in Basic training the Navy is just not As willing to give up on people who have a weight problem. It could be that Tor uie Armand marines and so on Basic trainees who arc Over weight run into  while the study showed a Strong connection be tween weight and Early culls. "1 cannot provide direct cause and effect As o Why it happens Laurence said. In Basic training i would speculate thai overweight people have a very Tough Lime. It s got to be Lough on  military officials say they do allow overweight peo ple in the service with the understanding those people Wilt lose enough weight to qualify. However statistics show that while those people initially lose weigh virtually All regain the weight in a matter of years. They can then be thrown out of the service for being Over weight. Based on the report the army research Institute of environmental Medicine and the Center Tor naval analysis is studying whether stricter weight controls will improve recruiting. Laurence believes tighter weight standards can lower inc quotas recruiters need to till since such quo Las Are based on the fact that a certain percentage of enlistees Are Likely to leave. If indeed when you arc recruiting you took Only those who arc qualified by weight standards you could Lake a fewer number Laurence said. If you imposed the More rigorous Standard Al the beginning and followed it observed it. You would wind up with a smaller need of accessions recruits because there would be less  Laurence said the air Force and the Navy already have lightened weight restrictions for recruits. But he said the air Force shoots itself in the foot by granting a lot of  he said latest figures show that 1.1 percent of air Force recruits received waivers to excuse their being overweight the highest percentage among the fences. Laurence said the army used to Grant waiver for weight permitting recruits to be within 5 percent of the maximum limit but that practice recently we ended. Women in the military did not affect the  did because there arc virtually no Over weight  the reason for this he said ii that weight Standard hid been much More stringently in plea to female than male recruits. His study combined with pressure from the defense advisory committee on women in the services has helped change that Laurence said. In conducting the study Laurence used the medical definition of overweight which is a body weight 20 percent or More in excess of the population. For exam ple if the average weight of men who Are 6 feet tall were 190 pounds any Man of that height who weighed 228 pounds or More would be termed overweight news updates polish to debate Warsaw. Poland a officials of the Pozz. The All Poland Alliance of Trade unions said monday they Are ready to meet Solidarity advisers to discuss tech Nical details for a live to Debat Between Lech Walesa and Pozz chairman Alfred Mindowicz As far As i isnow1 if the representatives of Walesa s Side will come to us d in cutly Ifil concerns Only technical details i think we can hold such meeting Pozz Deputy chairman Jecny Uzick Mosaid. Walesa and Mindowicz have agreed to hold a nationally Tele Vised debate nov. 30, but the two sides have yet to work out the technical arrangements. French agents Wellington new zealand a the government on Mon Day said it had reached agreement with France in a dispute Over two French agents who were repatriated before serving out their sentences in the 1985 bombing of a Greenpeace vessel. Foreign minister Russell mar shall said Eduardo Jiminez do Are Chaga of Uruguay president of the  International Law commis Sion will chair a tribunal to decide the Fate of the French agents. The two agents convicted in the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior were to Nave remained on the Mao atoll about 3,500 Miles cast of Australia until 19 19. Arafat says he s getting Ert . Says no application Cairo Egypt a Plo Chie Yasser Arafat tuesday said the United Stales has agreed to give him an entry visa so he can address the . General Assembly in new York the state department says no visa application has been received from Arafat. Arafat indicated in remarks to report ers that the visa was obtained with egyptian president Hosni Mubarak s help. Speaking after a meeting with egyptian foreign minister Esmat Abdel Meguid Arafat also said More than so countries have recognized the palestinian state proclaimed last week by the Plo s parliament in  Mubarak informed me today tuesday through or. Esmat Abdul Meguid that the . Administration has agreed o Grant me an entry visa so i can address the United nations Arafat said Abdul Meguid said last week that Egypt was interceding with the Reagan administration in an attempt to secure a visa Tor Arafat Leader of inc Palestine liberation organization. In Washington state department spokesman Charles Redman said no visa application has been received from Arafat lie said that if an application is received it will be subjected to severe  on nov. 10, Redman said the administration would take into account applicable Laws and regulations and other pertinent circumstances if a visa request is received. Under the . Headquarters agreement of 1947, the United states snot supposed to impose any impediment to transit of people involved inthe United nations on official business. On the other hand Congress has  the denial of visas to supporters of terrorism. Secretary of state George Shutlz has told Congress that he has no desire whatever to see Arafat in the United Stales ? he made the comment in a let Ter responding to a request from 51 senators to deny Arafat a visa. Stale department office us indicated however that Egypt and other moderate Arab slates have asked the United slates to Grant Arafat a visa. The official j said the United slates has nol Given Egypt or any of the others any indication that it would respond favourably to their request. Arafat did not specify a Date for i second address to the general Assembly. His first address in 1974, followed . Acceptance of the Palestine liberation organization As an official observer. Egypt s state owned Middle East news Agency in a report from Tunisia s Capi Tal Tunis quoted Emad Shakkour in adviser to Arafat As saying the Plo Leader planned to address the general Assembly on nov. 29 or dec. 1. Arafat also said 54 countries so far have recognized the Plo s newly pro claimed Independent palestinian tale and 1 am very Happy with the world wide . Army identifies 3 killed in tank Accident correction of Mana by s education Page Travis Caner cell Wei incorrectly identified As the alternate member of the  High school team that won the brain howl Competition. He is a regular Mem Ber of the icam. An article yesterday incorrectly identified a Soldier injured in a tugboat Acci Dent in the azores As a Sailor. Hohen Pels West Germany is the names of the three service Mem cars who died sunday night when their mini Abrams tank overturned at the combat Man Euver training area were released tuesday by 3rd i of div officials capt Donald m. Kessler staff sol. James Frear and spec. Anthonyt Tal los All of cob i sign 69th Armor Rygl in kit Angen West Germany died when their tank ran into a vehicle fighting position while conducting night Maneu vers and overturned a division spokesman said. Keister was 31, Frear 30 and Tallos 20. Pvt. I Dean c. Brown was slightly injured in the Accident. Brown whose age was unavailable was treated and re leased from an undisclosed facility the spokesman said. The names of the survivor and Home towns of the three dead men were not available from division officials. A memorial service will be Beld later this week but the time and place were unknown tuesday the spokesman said. Army authorities Are investigating the Accident. Free 5-m/nufe Holiday phone Calls to states Worms West Germany . Service members and civilian employees of the department of defense plus their families can Call family or friends in the United states during the thanksgiving Holiday weekend . Sprint Long distance service will pick up the charge. Using a military Telephone a caller can make a live mule Call Day or night by contacting the nearest military affiliate radio system a network of Ham radio operators. Mars operators then make Contact with a military base near the destination of the caller s phone Call. From there a connection is made with the caller s fam ily or friends and . Sprint picks up the Bill. The service is available from 6  until 6 Slid. Monday if a Mars location becomes overwhelmed with users Calls can be patched to another location to limit the wait