European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 10, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                65 v1m Cutway the army. Isaw orid with just 760,000 people in it Ond you moot someone unforgettable every  r army s journalist of the year by Vince Crawley Nurnberg Bureau he must have clinched. Two overlapping Bullet Hole in the paper targe arc  Ono almost on lop of the other Sophat you have to look twice to see the Bolh. Bui the. I hid strayed a bit to the led. Ghoul a Genii Moir. The Nlle Quah Licarion target belongs to sol. Bill Mcmichael. Recent Winner of the army s highest journalism award and it hangs above his desk in the fron skies newspaper office of the 1st army div in Ansbach West Germany. The journalism plaque has t arrived yet still officially a Lanker by Trade the sergeant Gol he Ryou de into the writing we the same Way other soldiers get Lold to go pick up Ciao ice be bulls. But if it s True that i Ilcus should write from experience then the 38-year-old Mcmichae must have Many stories to Tell. V he began As a disc jockey then Well in search of a Erma Bombeck broadcast news career in the hinterlands around Washington . He ended up soiling insurance. Then even that ended. Four years ago Mcmichael says he was in Debl up to his ears his car had been repossessed he d moved out of his House and broke the Losaso he d been married for pvt years and Tiad a son. To also had a daughter from a previous marriage. "1 looked Al myself. And said you be bombed buddy ". So one Day he went Down to a recruiting station and said i hear you re paying  they were. To tankers. He joined. He won something called the pattern award while in Basic training so they sent him to the 2nd in 6lh Cav regl Al fort Knox. Ky., Tiero he said tankers work 80 to 90 hours a week keeping the army s Armor school oiling -. This won on Lor three months then Pic. Mcmichael got called up to the colonel s office. He did t know whal he d done wrong so prepared himself for the worst. Instead he found he d been summoned because of his College record. The colonel said that any unit Hal works 80 to 90 hours a week ought to have stories written about it. They needed a writer and were seeking volunteers. Mcmichael weighed an office Job versus the hours he d been working lately. He volunteered. The colonel Send him to inside Iho Turrel the Forl Knox newspaper where the sex disc jockey Learned How to write eventually becoming a sports columnist. Bui soldiers Seldom slay put Tor Long and Mcmichael found himself transferred to the 1 St army div headquartered in Ansbach. Since he was still a Tanker he figured his newspaper Days were Over " fully expected to Start working in a tank again an mgoa3. But As soon As i walked through the door they look me to the battalion s-4 Supply and logistics shop.". So spec. Mcmichael became a Supply clerk and a. Few months later was transferred to the Ballarion personnel and admin Section called an "5-1" shop in army circles. At the s-1, Mcmichael was a publications clerk mail supervisor and squad Leader was put in charge of live military vehicles and took care of All the Loose ends that the army asks Young admin sergeants to Takecare of. Also somebody found out he could write so to was supposed to write stories about Iho unit in his spare time. To wrote Lour Hal year. Then his battalion. The 1st in 37lh army Fleet began trading in its Vietnam Era m-60 tanks Lor the new Turbine powered my Abrams. He got a Call trom the Post newspaper they wanted to write a Story about the switchover and wanted Mcmichael to do some legwork or them. Ii was just More admin work so he figured Why nol but no one Ever got Back with him. So one Day i was Down Here Al division. Headquarters picking up distribution and stopped in. To Lalk to the reporter Mcmichael said. I found Oul he was posing being transferred in five Days. I asked him if someone was going to do the Story then he said Man. I m Oulla Here i said Well that s great. Who s your replacement. And he said maybe in could to you there obviously had nol been a replacement until Mcmichael walked in the door. Three weeks later after some strings were pulled the admin Tanker found himself sitting behind a typewriter again. That was March 1987. He s been telling stories. Mostly Soldier stories Ever since. Last month he won he Paul o. Savasuk military journalist of the year award. " Savasuk a staff sergeant had also ended up purely by Accident As a journalist and was killed in Vietnam while out on his Lisl assignment for the Pacific stars and stripes. The army to like a miniature world Mcmichael says. A world with just 760,000 people in it and you meet someone unforgettable  ,. He says he s found his Niche. Hell probably be " getting out of uniform and resuming to the . Area. His daughter Iron his first marriage still lives there. She s 13 now and when he joined the army he promised he d come Home to be near her during High school. He s due to leave in March and is already. Racking Down leads on newspaper jobs. V i Hope he says that the army got More out Jot me. In journalism than it would have out of  he seems very definite now like he s made up his mind about a lot of things. He s Cool sure and Friendly. He does i seem like a Man who would flinch. My Mother is known Lor her profound bits of Wisdom Hal have gotten me through Lifqi-11 you Don t Slop crying. I la give you something to cry  to you Cut off your Finger with Hal knife no one is going id put it Back on Lor you go to your room this instant. Don you dare turn your Back on me White i m talking to you."1 Bui her. Big message was always be. Honest an Tell the truth. ,.i bought thai until one Day in the ninth Grade when she set me Down and said. There is a right Way and a wrong Way to lose. I know Hal you and Marjorie Stewart Are up Lor the ninth Grade citizenship award. Pm no saying you re gang to lose but just suppose you do How will you handle in ill rip her nose Oil her face then run to the Loikets and lock myself behind a door i said Molher winced you will do frothing of the kind. You will smile and Lead the applause go Over to her and. -. Say congratulations. Marjorie you deserve to,win." alter thai i never believed a word of what my Mother said v a. Richard. Nixon was right. Winning is belter than. Losing and sending out conflicting signals does t make losing any easier. I have always contended that miss congenial ties Aren t born., they re heavily sedated. A. V. Vij  in Thailand the miss world losers react quite differently. Recently after Pap Hassara Chuta Upong. Was selected to represent Thailand in the miss world Coniel several of the unc Hosen beauties marched to the Queen s Victory suite ransacked it and stalled her Ece Pler and regal Cape Down the toilet. Several years earlier the losers reacted by snatching the Tiara a d Sash irom the Winner on live to now that s honest. So what do you Tell your kids about losing and still keep your integrity intact i Tell them thai losing hurts and in will for a Long time. It in t a moment thai in a few years they la forget. I can still see that 6-Inch trophy. Sitting on Marjorie Stewart s television set with a mood lamp illuminating he nameplate i Lelm hem they have to face up to the fact thai sometimes in life you re just nol Good enough to be. First. You Don t die frown it you just feel like it i Tell them Lisl place winners have Only one Way to Godown. I Tell them they re not failures they just tailed at something. Anyone can win and look great but losing .1 and looking great takes a lot of style. People remember style Long after they be forgotten who won. Of and another thing about losing. Don t gel too Good at in. " " ism Enra by  16 7he stars and stripes saturday. December 10,1988