European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 4, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes saturday february 4,1989 army Navy recruits fare worst in drug alcohol tests by William j. Bartman Washington Bureau Washington recruits attempt ing to join the Navy and army were More Likely to flunk drug and alcohol tests than those trying to join the air Force and Marine corps the results of military testing in 1988 show. In the first seven months of congressionally mandated drug and alcohol test ing for recruits More than 11,500 men and women were prevented from enter ing the armed forces. From june 1 to dec. 31, 4.3 percent of those trying to join the Navy and 4.1 percent of those joining the army tested positive for either marijuana or cocaine use. By contrast 2.6 percent of those joining the marines and 1.1 percent of those joining the air Force tested Posi Tive. Alcohol testing followed the same trend although the totals were consider ably smaller than for the drugs. By serv ice 0.10 percent of army recruits and 0.11 percent of Navy recruits tested Posi Tive for alcohol. For the air Force a minute 0.03 percent showed positive and the marines had the smallest rate 0.01 percent. Overall the tests resulted in a 3.5 per cent positive rate or 11,279 individuals for marijuana and cocaine. The positive rate on alcohol tests was 0.08, or 265 individuals. By comparison the latest Survey of Active duty personnel found that 4.8 per cent had used drugs within 30 Days of the test. However beginning this Spring recruits no longer will be screened at Mili tary Entrance processing stations. In Stead they will be tested at Basic training. The change is the result of the 1989 defense funding legislation. Let s say we have 600,000 recruits. Well if we Only accept 300,000, and test them then we saved Money on 300,000 tests said army spokesman maj. David super. In addition to the Cost of testing every recruit military officials have maintained that such tests should be a sur prise. Sen. Ernest f. Hollings the South car Olina Democrat who proposed recruit drug and alcohol testing in 1987, in t so sure the new method makes sense. Others on Capitol Hill however particularly within the House armed services committee said the new idea will save Money. Hollings has maintained that the pro Gram catches substance abusers before they join the armed forces when the government has no obligation to  the defense department spent $3.1 million to develop the program and to conduct the tests from june through sep tember. Since Congress did not provide any special funding the services were forced to divert Money from other parts of their budgets. The Pentagon completed testing of 322,256 men and women for marijuana and cocaine use from june 1 to dec. 31 and 331,040 for alcohol abuse during the same period. The totals differ because the alcohol test is done with a breathalyzer and re sults Are immediate while the urine test for drug use requires Laboratory analysis. Those who flunk the marijuana or Al Cohol test can take a new test after six months at the discretion of the service. Anyone who flunked for cocaine use must wait at least a year. 31 Young armenian quake victims to arrive of Wiesbaden s of Hospital Wiesbaden West Germany is thirty one armenian children Hurt in the dec. 8 earthquake that killed an Esti mated 25,000 Are scheduled to arrive at Wiesbaden air Force regional medical Center Early next week. They will join five children who were flown from Moscow to Rhein main a thursday night aboard an air Force c 141 and then transferred to the Wiesbaden Hospital a Hospital spokesman said Friday. The five children were reported to be in stable condition but additional information about their condition and treat ment was not available. The children from 6 to 14 years old were each accompanied by an adult guardian. Military personnel Are serving As translators for the children and their guardians. All 36 children will be flown on wednesday from West Germany to the United states for further treatment the spokesman said. The associated press reported the children would be taken to medical Cen ters in Chicago Buffalo . Boston Tampa Fla. Syracuse . Phila Delphia Charlottesville a. And Ohio. They Are expected to remain in the United states for three to four months. The hospitals will provide the treatment free according to a reports. The air Force brought the children to West Germany in conjunction with project Hope s humanitarian evacuation of armenian children. The earthquake that rocked the mountainous area around Leni Nakan also injured thousands and destroyed several cities. 26 killed when Airliner strikes tree and crashes near burmese housing Rangoon Burma a a Burma airways air plane taking off from rang Oon s Minga Ladon Airport struck a tree and crashed Friday killing 26 people on Board and injuring three state radio said. Four people on the ground were injured when the Turboprop crashed near housing for families of air Force person Nel radio Rangoon said. The radio gave engine failure As the cause of the crash. The plane failed to gain height and hit a 15-foot tree shortly after taking off on a flight for Kingtung 380 Miles Northeast of Rangoon. The plane then swerved to the left and slowed through Trees and Power lines it said. The aircraft a dutch made Fokker f 27, carried 25 passengers and four Crew members. The radio report did not identify the three survivors. All on Board were presumed to be Bur Mese nationals since Kingtung is usually off limits to foreigners because of Security in the area. Burma airways has lost four Fokker people were killed after Takeoff from hero Airport in the Shan state. All 49 people on Board were killed oct. 11, 1987, in a crash near Paga in Central Burma. Last june 16, a chartered aircraft crashed on a flight from myi Takyi a to Putaro in Northern Burma and All four aboard were killed. Burma Airway s Fleet of eight aircraft is plagued by a shortage of spare parts and poor maintenance. After Friday s crash the airline has five Fokker f-27s for Domestic service and three Fokker f f-27s since june 21, 1987. Forty five 28 jets for International flights. Conrad to be tried for treason Karlsruhe West Germany is when a former american Soldier goes on trial later this year for his suspected role in passing nato and . Army documents to the East bloc he will refacing a charge of treason not espionage. The change in the charge against former set. 1st class Clyde Lee Conrad comes after an expert witness concluded that the documents contained state secrets a spokesman for the West German Federal prosecutor s office said Friday. " the witness says the documents Thater. Conrad has Given to the hungarian secret service Are state secrets Alexande Prechtel said. We Call it  treason carries a possible sentence of life in prison he said. The maximum sentence for espionage is 10 years. Conrad who was arrested in August is accused of being the Leader of an inter National spy ring that funnelled Armand nato defense secrets to the hungarians for 10 years. The facts Are just the same Prech Elsaid. The Only change is in the known Content of the documents Conrad is accused of stealing. Prechtel said no Date has been set for Conrad s trial but it probably will be held in the Middle of the year. He s still in prison the spokesman said. Hell stay in  Conrad a former 8th inf div Soldier had lived with his wife and teen age son near bad Kreuz Nach. News updates ski accidents rising Zurich Switzerland up Switzerland s air Rescue service on thursday reported a Sharp in crease in serious skiing accidents because of a widespread Lack of Snow this Winter. It said it made 314 medical evacuation flights in january mainly with helicopters to Rush injured skiers to hospitals. That was More than double the Iso such flights in january last year the Rescue service said. By thursday there had been a record breaking 75 Days of uninterrupted Sunshine in the Southern re Gion of Ticino on the italian Border and six weeks of Sun in the Alps and other areas of Switzerland. Arms in Nicaragua London a Nicaragua is believed to have taken delivery of six North korean made torpedo boats in a Large assignment of weapons that arrived on a soviet freighter Jane s defence weekly said in its thursday Issue. The shipment is thought to in clude mortars anti tank weapon launchers air to ground rockets anti personnel mines ammunition and vehicle spares said Jane a a respected journal of military affairs. The consignment aboard the freighter Junda arrived in the last weeks of 1988 and was unloaded at the Atlantic port of Rama it said. Jane s said the six fast attack Craft will make Nicaragua s Navy the most powerful in Central America. It said Nicaragua already has two North korean torpedo boats eight soviet mine Hunters and mine sweepers and 14 soviet French . And israeli made patrol boats. Burmese ban Rangoon Burma a the military government said Fri Day that it would keep its ban on Public Assembly As Long As anti government protesters continue their activities. There Are elements who Are Bent to incite trouble at any Given Opportunity government spokes Man Kyaw Sann told a news con Ference. He said some people had shouted anti government slogans at the recent funeral of Yan Naing a hero of Burma s 1940s struggle for Independence from Britain. The spokesman also said political parties and other groups could be prosecuted if they continue distributing pamphlets and videotapes in violation of registration Laws. Merger stay sought Detroit up foes of a business merger of Detroit s daily newspapers have asked a Federal appeals court to halt implementation of the plan now scheduled to become effective monday and to Grant a review by the full court. A three judge panel of the . Appeals court last week voted 2-1 to affirm former attorney general Edwin Meese s approval of the joint operating agreement for the Detroit news and Detroit free press. " if the stay is denied the opponents could Appeal to the supreme court. They also could ask the full appeals court to review the Case even if the stay is not granted. The management committee of the Detroit newspaper Agency which will operate the Joa announced late sunday the newspapers would Combine business operations and begin splitting profits on monday