European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 18, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes wednesday january 18,1989 news updates Forest fire claims Yellowstone National Park Wyo. A businesses and residents have filed $1.1 million in damage claims against the Federal government from fires that raged through Yellowstone National Park and surrounding forests last sum Mer Forest officials say. . Forest service officials Are processing the More than two dozen claims which will be passed on to the . General counsel s office said Arlene Bateman who is handling claims filed through the Forest service s Region ii of fice in Missoula Mont. The government attorneys will then review each claim to deter mine whether negligence or nature caused the damage Bateman said last week. Decisions on claims could be months away she said. Fire toll rises Yonkers . A the death toll Rose to eight monday in the City s worst fire in 24 years and authorities said a Man smok ing in bed May have caused the Blaze that ravaged a three Story Rooming House. Yonkers fire commissioner William Mclaughlin said the House originally was a two family dwelling that had been illegally converted into a Rooming House by its owner Frank Thomas. It was not immediately known if charges would be filed against Thomas. The eighth person to die from injuries suffered in the sunday fire was identified As Bernice Mahler. Mrs. Mahler s husband Harold 77, and 45-year-old son Eugene died in the fire from Burns and smoke inhalation said or. Louis Roh the Deputy medical examiner. Amin unwelcome Manama Bahrain a former ugandan dictator Idi Amin is unwelcome at his Home in exile in saudi Arabia Arab diplomatic sources said monday. His nagging desire to recapture Power in Kampala Uganda has embarrassed his saudi hosts and put his african sympathizers on the spot said a saudi Arabia based Arab ambassador who insisted on anonymity. Amin 61, slipped out of saudi Arabia earlier this month and sur faced Jan. 10 in Zaire on a false passport with one of his sons. Report says of blocked probe of Lead Pilot s Remscheid role Hamburg West Germany a a news Magazine reported that Ameri can officials blocked a West German in Quiry into the dec. 8 crash of a . Air Force a-10 that killed the Pilot and five people in Remscheid. The report released saturday came one Day after a British warplane rammed a West German Jet fighter and Plum meted to the ground on the Edge of the Northern Village of Wie Smoor killing the two British fliers. A series of nato Jet crashes in the past year have led to an outcry of Public opposition against continued tactical military training flights Over densely populated areas of West Germany. The Hamburg based Der Spiegel mag Azine reported that local prosecutors wanted to examine whether the Ameri can flight Leader of the two plane team that approached Remscheid was indirectly responsible for the disaster by leading his fellow Pilot capt. Michael Foster into Clouds before Foster s plane crashed. But Spiegel said . Air Force officials told the prosecutors the americans wanted to Settle this matter  a Safe spokesman saturday told the stars and stripes that Safe officials had not seen the article nor would they comment on speculative articles in the Media the Magazine said the prosecutors wanted to examine whether the flight Leader could be guilty of negligent Homi  Spiegel said unidentified experts be Lieve the flight Leader changed the flight plan and entered a thick layer of Clouds with an inexperienced Pilot. The Pilot became disoriented and  however a letter from the Pilot s father to president Reagan noted that Fos Ter was a highly experienced a-10 Pilot having spent 1983 to 1986 flying at Raf Woodbridge in England. Foster went through a-10 re qualification training last fall following a two year ground assign ment As an air Liaison officer in West Germany said the letter which was printed in the stars and stripes last week . Air Force officials have not yet released their report on the investigation of the crash. West German defense minister Rupert Scholz was to meet with the parliamentary defense committee wednes Day to report on the Progress his ministry is making in the investigation of the Remscheid Accident a spokesman for the committee told the stars and stripes tuesday. A Safe spokesman said tuesday the West German air Force did assign an observer to the Safe team that investigated the Accident. We do not have any information As to what he reported to West German  Hamad denies he cheered news of flight 103 s crash in Scotland by de Reavis staff writer Frankfurt West Germany confessed Hijacker Mohammed a Hamadi denied on tuesday claims by prison officials that he cheered in his prison cell after hearing of the crash of pan am flight 103. Hamadi a lebanese shiite moslem is being tried for the june 1985 hijacking of a Twa jetliner and for the murder of . Navy diver Petty officer 2nd class Robert Dean Stethem. The trial resumed after a month s re Cess with its 45th session in the specially built courtroom in the Frankfurt Proeung Isheim prison. Chief judge Heiner Mickenberger asked Hamadi whether the official Pris on report on his reaction to the crash of the pan am Jet in Scotland on dec. 21 was Correct. A bomb caused the crash authorities have said. Hamadi denied that he cheered the crash and his lawyers moved to hear Hamadi s cell partner and the cell neigh Bor who made the complaint. Wilhelm he Finger 40, housed in the cell next to Hamadi said he not Only complained about the noise from Hama i s cell but also threatened him if it did t Stop. But i have no idea if All the noise i heard had anything to do with the pan am crash he Finger said. Hamadi s cellmate roman Kovaz Cyk 27, said there was noise in the cell but it had nothing to do with the pan am crash. Earlier tuesday the court heard three of 38 tapes German authorities made of Telephone Calls to and from the House of Hamadi s brother in Saarland Between july 1985 and october 1986. The tapes placed Hamadi in Iran six weeks after the hijacking. In an aug. 23 taped conversation with his brother s German wife Maria Ham Adi claimed to be in Iran with three friends and said he would stay for six or seven months because of problems with the Lebanon  Hamadi refused to comment on the tapes but he has been linked to Hezbollah a pro iranian Radical shiite group. The tapes previously were used by a Disseldorf court to convict Hamadi s brother Abbas Hamadi of engineering the kidnapping of two German business men in Lebanon in an attempt to free Mohammed Hamadi. Audit faults Dod s plans to keep essential civilians in wartime jobs sergeant convicted Over false leave slips Darmstadt West Germany is a sergeant first class assigned to the 44th signal in was reduced to Al and ordered to spend 14"days in confinement for being absent without leave and falsifying sick leave slips a Community spokesman said tuesday. Sgt. 1st class Gary a. Seymour was found guilty in a special court martial thursday of four counts of awol and four counts of submitting false sick leave slips the spokesman said. Seymour also was ordered to forfeit $460 per month for six months. Correction an article wednesday incorrectly stated the Date and time of a retail Sale to be held by the defense re utilization and marketing office in ludwigs Burg West Germany. The Sale will begin at 8 . Friday and end at noon. By Norman Black a military writer Washington imagine going off to combat Only to find the civilian technician who keeps your sophisticated weapons working in t interested in sticking around. The Pentagon s inspector general is warn ing of such a potential problem. The Independent inspector general in a 24-Page audit that recently became Avail Able says the Pentagon s procedures for designating and staffing emergency Essen tial civilian jobs overseas need to be Over hauled. Those Are jobs critical to making sure military equipment functions at the Battle front. Many of the jobs have been de scribed previously As involving the maintenance of highly sophisticated electronic and computer gear. Our audit showed that implementation of Dod s programs to retain emergency essential civilians did not afford a High de Gree of Assurance that civilian or contractor employees would continue to perform functions and services overseas that Are essential to the support of combat forces Dur ing mobilization or hostilities the audit states. The people now holding the jobs were not informed fully of their commitment or about their benefits the audit continues. Moreover of 228 civilian Dod employees who were personally interviewed by auditors "28 had not volunteered to remain on the Job during crises or hostilities be cause of family responsibilities and there was no evidence of contingency plans to replace these  we also found that 2 of the 228 Emer gency essential positions in this group were occupied by persons not physically fit to serve in a War  on the flip Side some of the positions designated emergency essential appear to be More desirable to have filled than essential meaning those civilians might be asked to stay in a War zone when they re really not needed the auditors said. The number of people involved is relatively Small the auditors continued. Exact totals Aren t available but it appears the defense department employs about 3,700 civilians overseas in jobs designated Emer gency essential while contractors working for the military employ several thousand More. Nonetheless the military services had better address the Issue because legally they re depending upon volunteers. Under current Law civilians cannot be required to stay on jobs during mobilization hostile action or an undeclared War the auditors wrote. Unless and until the Congress declares War Dod and contractor civilian employees May remain in or be sent to unsafe areas overseas Only on a voluntary  the audit states that defense depart ment civilians assigned to emergency essential jobs since 1985 Are supposed to be volunteers who understand that if fighting Breaks out they la be expected to remain a their posts. And historically Dod civilian employees and contractors have served in hos tile areas in time of need the inspector general said. However there Are no absolute assurances that a Dod civilian employee or a contractor s employee would Honor a commitment to voluntarily remain on the Job during  the inspector general recommended the services review the emergency essential jobs to make sure they really Are just that establish physical and medical standards for the positions explain the Legal and administrative ramifications attendant to acceptance of the position and make sure every Job Holder knows his specific War time