European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 05, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday May 5, 1989 the stars and stripes military Roundup Page 9 magic number is 2 ass Elf bal Hun Katie Eikenberg. 2, holds her 2-week-old sister Kimberly while on he right Katie s twin sister Kris Llna holds Kimberly s twin brother Kevin in her up at the Home of the four youngsters parents capt. Steven and Michelle Eikenbery of Herzog Nakrach West Germany. Ekic Berr a member of the 87th medical oct. Is the Post dentist at Urzo base. Survivors of Stolon 17b gather to talk Over the horror of old times by David a. Goldberg Cox news service Andersonville. A. Nearly 300 survivors of Slala i7b the nazi prisoner of War Camp made famous in the motion picture stalag 17" gathered at Andersonville National cemetery on wednesday to dedicate the first National Monument to pos. The former prisoners most in their late 60s, came the russians were so hungry they would Cut raw meat off a horse while it was walking by and eat  Ray Elias with their families from As far away As California an Idaho for the ceremony which was scheduled to coincide with the 44th anniversary of their liberation from the nazi Camp. But what Drew them there was t the u a foot slab of Granite. It was the Opportunity to share the still vivid memories of an experience that altered their lives with the Only people who can understand them. Pos need to talk to each other to release pent up emotions said 69-year-old Hubert Davis of Tuscaloosa ala., a Tail gunner in world War ii who oversaw the efforts to establish the memorial in Andersonville. Doctors can t do it psychiatrists can t do it. We have to talk to each other. That s really what we re Here  stalag 17b was created in october 1943, when about 1,500 american prisoners were moved from slalag17a in Roosburg Germany to Krems Austria. The following year the Camp reached its Peak of 4,256 prisoners nearly All of them air Force fliers shot Dow during by 7 and b-2-1 bombing missions. On easter 1945, As russian forces were bearing Down on the Danube River not far from Krems their nazi captors marched the american prisoners More than 200 Miles in 28 Days to Brunau  did t cat for 11 Days during the March said Ray Elias of Minnesota the 66-year-old Leader of the stalag 17b group. The food was always bad but that was the longest we had Ever gone without  it was snowing like hell Davis recalled. Their new Camp was t one at All but a circular Clearing in a thick Forest ringed by a sanitation Trench that formed the Camp s Boundary. If you went past the Trench they did t say a word they just shot you the 69-year-old Davis said. The men slept on the ground under whatever shelter they could fashion from Pine boughs. They were joined in the new Camp by russian prisoners who had suffered even worse treatment Elias said. They were so hungry they would Cut raw meat off a horse while it was walking by and cat  the prisoners lived in those conditions for 10 Days until Gen. George Patton s army troops liberated them on May 3,1945. The stalag 17b reunion began monday in Macon,ga., and ended thursday. It was their first meeting in Georgia and by far the largest since the survivors began holding annual reunions in 1985, Davis said. The Effort to erect a Monument began with that first reunion he added. The " 17b-crs," As he called them first hoped to place it at the site of the Camp in Krems. But during a trip to Austria members of the group discovered that the area has since become an Airfield and they began to wonder who would be Likely to visit such a Monument there he said. In addition the austrian government was disinclined to approve the project. The group then decided to build a memorial in the United Stales but Learned from the National Park service that there was no official place where a private group could establish its own Monument. The Park service ultimately designated Andersonville As the proper place and set up guidelines for such monuments. The Monument is the first to commemorate a National pow group since the Park service designated Andersonville the site of a civil War pow Camp where 12,000 Union soldiers died As the official sit for pow memorials in 1970. A Monument to All Georgia prisoners of War was reeled in 1976 at Andersonville. Although the stalag 17b group raised inc $ 12,000 for inc Structure among themselves and their relatives the Monument is Dudi Calvd to All american prisoners in inc european theater. That was done at the request of Park officials who feared thai Andersonville would run Oul of space if every group tried to erect its own Monument there. Soviet team at Weierbach for Short notice inspection Weierbach West Germany a to Mcm bar soviet team thursday conducted a Short notice inspection of the perching ii missile storage facility Al Wei Zerbach near  a spokesman at Rhein main a said. The intermediate Range nuclear forces treaty Al lows for inspections at elimination Silas As Well As nuclear weapons facilities. Under the Accord both the soviets and americans can conduct 20 such quota inspections this year. The treaty eliminates land based nuclear missiles in Europe with ranges of 300 to 3,400 Miles. Ace Mobile Force plans 9-nation exercise in Denmark Casteau Belgium about 5,000 troops from nine nato countries will participate in a Field exer Cise in Denmark june 3-28, shape officials said. The exercise called Avenue express is designed to test deployment of inc Allied come Europe Mobile Force in Denmark. The purpose. Is to demonstrate nato s ability to deploy a Mullin Lional Force quickly to i Lucr of the flanks of Allied come Europe thus demonstrating nato s will and Solidarity of purpose to defend All Ace territory a shape slalom Cal said. The primary role of the Mobile Force is to deploy quickly to a threatened area to deter enemy attack. If thai deterrence fails inc Force is designed to assist local forces in the defense of the area. Forces from Belgium Canada. Wisl Germany Italy Luxembourg the Netherlands the United kingdom and the United Stales will exercise with inc danish army air Force and Home guard. Certified chess players wanted for Usa eur tourney Schwet Zingen. Wesl Germany the army in Europe is looking for chess players for inc command s annual chess championship at the Karlsruhe Confer ence Center june 23 to 25. Forty eight chess players will comic la in inc five round Swiss by slim tournament which will be con ducted under . Chess federation rules organizers said. Participants must be Usuf certified. Players with out Usuf membership May join during Rigi Starlion Al inc Karlsruhe Lodge june 23. Interested players should submit an army chess tournament application by May 23 to chaplain capt Daniel l. Frei Las Al Hub 6th in. 3rd air defense arty Apo 09227. The lop players in the Competition will be nominated for participation in inc 1989 army chess tournament. Army tourney winners will compete in inc .forces chess championship at Andrews fab md., sept. 18-27. Hahn no gets top award for systems management Hahn a West Germany master sgt. Ronald r. Fry has been named Safe s operations systems management senior non commissioned officer of the year for 1988. As the chief of the 50lh tac fighter Wing s Light management program Fry supervised operations on 17,000 sorties lolling 23,000 flying hours last year. The Wakeman Ohio native also supervised 19 peo ple working for the Deputy commander for operations and the Wing s Ihrck fighter squadrons. Cheney picks Craig Fields As new director of Darpa Washington a Craig i. Fields a longtime executive with the defense advanced research projects Agency has been selected by defense Secretary Dick Cheney to become the Agency s Leader. Fields 42, will replace Raymond s. Colladay As the director of Darpa. The Agency is an Arm  Pentagon responsible for investigating advanced scientific applications for future weapons. Fields joined Darpa in 1974 and has held a variety of leadership posts Over the years. He is now the Dep Uty director for research a Post in which he has concentrated on computer technology microelectronics artificial intelligence and manufacturing technology