European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 12, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Testing summer campers on the Art of treading water is Susan Johnson a Counselor at Camp Akawa near Mcpheeters Barracks in bad Hersheld West Germany. Youngster at right is daydreaming while fishing atone of the Camp s three Ponds. Page 14 the stars and stripes making the Story and photos by John Millar Wurzburg Bureau puzzled and perplexed the lather Slaivis two youngsters wondering what was con they had just asked him it they could another i to week session of summer Camalier getting a noncommittal answer each raised a clenched list to his forehead looked Al Tho o and giggled  icy gestured to each other Wilhour speaking. Dad s still confused. We have kids who harass their parents to come b another week explained Camp Akawa Counselor m Dvorsky. Although the Counselor a Kahn awake India Canada leaches ancient hand signals at the Camp j does t encourage youths to use them to sell the car Home. They do thai on their own. Take Tiano Patterson Lor example. When Tho 10- old Lisl went to the Camp in bad Hersheld. West Gerr he was nothing less Shah terrified after learning he d t gelling Inlo a real can of in real water. Dvorsky who teaches canoeing said Zallerson screamed cried was  but with patience time understands a mile coaxing Pattarson was soon paddling away o Fulda River i like it now said Zallerson i got used to it i started to get fun " Bui As Camp ended the 10-Yeai cried again this time because he wanted to stay. H parents amazed Al the entire situation let him return next week. Only several months before Patterson s exp Enen what is now known As Camp Akawa was Only a Coll of decaying buildings the remnants of a Arm tha alter being seized by the German government the acre Arm near Mcpheeters Barracks in bad hers Fol offered to the  army Lor a Long term lease said i Michael Williams Deputy Community commander to Fulda. Most of the tract is used by artillerymen for i drills and sighting of weapons said Williams bul a s slice was hollered to the Community recreation dive use As a youth summer Camp. The organization s director Portia Mary Boggia. S lust got wind of the Camp in january. Accepting the Challenge of Starling a Camp from scratch Boggia i race against time to open it by summer. The race in a trip to the Stales to see How other Camps were or selecting Counselor to stall the Camp and a Tot of Wheeling and dealing she said making the Camp liable was one of the Bigge challenges. Boggia said army engineers were Callio raze what she edited Burnt Down barns and St and levelled roads to the Camp the farm House n Only permanent Camp building was also in bad St every window in Tho place was broken. A Small a volunteers worked weekends and evenings scrub painting and poking the House to get it ready we had some funding from the military comm Fulda said Boggia. But it was mostly scrounge in that got the Camp ready not Only did the Camp gel support from to Lunoc but also from the bad Hersfeldt and Fulda civilian communities. An Auto dealer in Fulda donated cat shirts Lor the youths bad Hersheld s City owned a club lets the Camp have full use of their facility Frei saturday /