European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 27, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday december 27, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 3 Ramstein pain fades but issues remain from Page 1 disaster has Shtawi us that i risks cannot be con railed and  he danger for the visitors and for the people living in his Region is far Loo  the . Air Force has postponed several times he release of ils investigation into the disaster Bill he document now is expected to be made Public Friday a spokesman said. The air Force report could shut Light on such specifics As the safety measures that went into planning he a i r show. A Tri National investigating Board announced in its tall report Only thai Pilot error had caused the crash. A third investigation into circumstances surround ing the disaster is being conducted in three stages by a Board made up of members of the West German bundestag or parliament. The panel s findings will be brought in the full bundestag after the investigation ends next summer a source close to the investigation told the stars and stripes hat the probe s firs phase a review of Legal issues related to the crash had been completed recently. Hearings on Lio disaster itself Wil begin Jan 19. The third phase will Deal with a party held by a West German air Force Wing at a Sevenich a hours after he Ramstein disaster. Whether . Air Force personnel will testify before the panel has not been determined the source said because no Law exists to summon foreign authorities to a legislative investigative commission West German officials predict the catastrophe s financial Cost could climb As High As 300 million Marks or $ 174 million. Still to be decided is How the tragedy s expenses will be split among Italy the United Stales and West Germany. To help defray expenses for disaster survivors the Flug lag memorial fund raid about $12.000 through a variety of Means including a Benefit concert at Ramstein that starred Rock Singer Ron Jovi and guitarist Lita Ford. A Small portion of the Money will go toward a me Morial for air show victims to be built near ram Ilcin a s Chapel t. The proposed location angered some residents of Ramstein Village who Felt non americans would have limited Access in the memorial. A majority of he Ramstein Community Council however ultimately agreed with Pili vice on the location. We think the memorial should be erected at the location where the disaster happened i Vivier told the stars and stripes. Just As Shock Waves from the disaster appeared to be settling tragedy again struck the Freece Tricolour a team Well known for death defying Aerial stunts. The replace ment for the Pilot who died in the Kamlein air show was killed dec. 12 when Sisac Smacchi mb-339jcl crashed As he practice an intricate Aerial Man Euver it was an Accident just a damned tragic Accident that could have happened to any Pilot team spokes Man col. Gianfranco Lapomo said of the death of la. Col. Paolo Scoponi. Because. It happened. 10 one of our pilots the Accident has become an exceptional event. Within the . Military Community in the Ramstein  area mental health specialists continue to track the disaster s psychological effects on medical professionals and schoolchildren. At Lan Stuhl army regional medical Center col. Lewis Kurke. Chief of psychiatry said Long term psychological effects on the medical stuff Are hard to predict however Menla health personnel at lands Tull attempted to nip potential problems in the Bud by offering voluntary group discussions in the Days immediately following the tragedy. No one is unchanged by dial kind of  Kyurkc said hut we believe the group sessions help when done  Nineteen schools in the kaisers Laulom school District reported 67 cases of problems with possible links to the crash Between the Start of school and Early de Cember said John a. Keating jr., a school psychologist with the Kaiserslautern education resource Center. Two thirds of the problem were mild and the remaining third moderate to severe. The most frequent symptom was bad dreams Keating said followed by a sense of  a Hough ,1 few cases remain Active Keating said students reactions to the disaster now appear to reflect a reconstructive phase. It s Way past the danger Lime for mild problems the disaster is in the past  Bui for army Cape. Roger Rad Lilc. A military policeman and an air show Spectator the sights and smells of that Day will never disappear completely. It s vivid Radcliffe said for three weeks 1 could t sleep at All. Now if i m driving by Ramstein i always look up at the sky and i think about it especially if it s a Clear Day. If a Jet goes Over on a Clear Day 1 tend to look for cover. This has taken Over As the no. 1 significant emotional event of my  Burn victims work to restore their scarred bodies by Janet d Agostino medical writer David Olson and Lisa Newton instinctively covered their faces when ail italian Jet crashed near a crowd of spectators watching the air show aug. 28 at Ramstein a b. The heal and flames from the exploding Jei scared i hair skin inflicting second degree bums on the backs of their hands and arms As they tried to protect themselves. Four months later. Seemingly simple activities such As painting a picture or building a toy with an erector set Are part of the therapy that helps make their hands and fingers As agile As they were before being burned. Newton. 18, and Olson 21, spend three afternoons a week at the occupational therapy clinic at Lan Stuht army regional medical Center. Without he therapy scar tissue would have pulled their fingers into stiff unnatural positions making in difficult or impossible to do even simple tasks such As writing their names on a Check or tying their shoes.  occupational therapy chips reverse the effects of injuries that prevent someone from performing the daily activities and tasks that occupy their Lime when her they Are a student housewife mailman or doctor said la col. James Mills chief of the occupational therapy service. Through therapy patients begin to a things on their own using their hands and arms in a constructive Way that indicates to them yes i can go Back to school and do Well or yes i can go Back to work and operate a Type writer a tank or a teletype machine " two other people injured in he crash which killed 70 and injured hundreds also receive therapy at the clinic Mills said. -. Four months after the tragedy eight people remain in seven hospitals West German authorities said. There was  on people still undergoing therapy. Immediately after the crash Newton and Olson were brought by Security police to the Ramstein clinic and then driven to Lan Stuhl in a Van. Mills visited the two the night of the Accident although neither remembers his Visil Olson primarily had second degree bums on both arms his left hand and behind his ears. Newton received mostly second degree Burns on the right Side other fact and on her handstand arms. Splints made of a malleable White plastic material and filled 10 i hair hands and arms were built in the occupational therapy clinic. The splits held their i Imbs in positions that would allow their injuries to heal properly. When the medically acute phase was past they began to exercise their hands by using specially designed equip ment or by doing other activities such As painting. New. Ton who liked to paint before the Accident said Mills asked them what their hobbies were in Hopes of inc Orpo rating Thorn into therapy ,. V Mills said painting stretches the skin on lop of new ton s hand and helps counteract the Normal tendency of. The scar tissue to contract. Every time she changes the position of her hand she has to flex and extend her fingers he said. It provides her with As much or More therapy than if she did the Lisa Newton and David Otson arc thinking about marriage Sis they near the end of their Burn to Trupy. S4s. Kin own go exercises using Only her hands. Newton and Olson have progressed to a Point where the Sorc nth of their hands and arms is close to Normal. Therapy now focuses on practising Fine Eye and hand move a cols and keeping the scar tissue supple and soft by rub Bing it with  tissue is scar tissue and scar tissue wants to lighten up Mills said pan of the task of the therapist and patient combined is to keep the tissue Loose and supple. It takes a Long Lime for patients to develop the hat of massaging and manipulating the sear tissue sever Allim casaday.-. Olson who had a skin graft on his left hand said he usually massages his skin three times a Day but should do it More often i do it once when i gel up in the morning because my hand is tight and it feels like i have arthritis and Hen i do in twice after 1 get Home he said. The Accident postponed Olson s plans for College and caused Newton a senior at Kaiserslautern High school to miss about a month of school. Olson also had to Cut Back his hours at the shopper s Mart in vog Cloch. Where he works moving furniture -. Olson and Newton who became engaged this month were dating before the Accident. They had talked about gelling married but the Accident kind of helped things along by bringing them closer together Olson said Olson is the son of maj Stephen Olson with the 86lh tac fighter Wing at Ramstein a and Pauline Olson. Newton is the daughter of 1st sgt. Leon g. A Cion Wil the 549lh maim co at Rhine ordnance Barracks in Vogl Weh and Linda Newton. Although the major disruptions to their lives Are Over the physical reminders still linger. Both a Cion and Olson cannot be Oul in the cold for Long because their burned areas arc sensitive to extreme temperatures. They also tire easily and often need to Lake naps because heir bodies arc still Healing and using More Energy than an uninjured person. The number of Days of therapy Olson and Newton need will be tapered off but they will need to be seen in the clinic until Spring or summer Mill said. They be gone through a severe traumatic experience and arc still coming out of Ihal in puts a great Strain on the body he  Accident has not changed Olson s plans to become a Pilot like his rather or from attending other air shows. In fact Olson has been out to the crash site numerous times since the Accident.,. 1 did thai before the crash he said. It s a Good place to see the jets take  Newton said the rams Cin air show was her first and last -.---. As tragic As the Accident was Olson and Newton said the memories Are not All bad because of the support and under standing they received from the Hospital Siatt from their families and  military units