European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 16, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 news updates the stars and stripes wednesday August 16,1989 cocaine link Freeland Mich. A the brakeman on a chemical train that derailed last month forcing 3,000 people to flee used cocaine some time in the 48 hours before the Acci Dent a Federal Agency said monday. Blood and urine samples provided by the brakeman who was t identified tested positive for co Caine the Federal Railroad administration said in a news release. Sam Ples provided by the Engineer and conductor tested negative. Railroad administration spokes woman Claire h. Austin in Washington said the brakeman was rid ing on the Lead locomotive of the 37-car Cox transportation co. Train when 14 cars derailed july 22. A fire that began in some of the derailed cars caused the evacuation of about 3,000 people. Twelve people were injured. His role in the cause of the Accident if any has yet to be deter mined Austin said. Abandoned baby Redwood City Calif. A a woman who abandoned her Newborn daughter in a jetliner bathroom after giving birth on a flight from new Jersey to Sanfrancisco has been sentenced to six months in jail. San Mateo county Superior court judge Margaret j. Kemp sentenced 25-year-old Christina Locallo. Locasto s child Alyssa is in the custody of her paternal grandpa rents John and Frances Loc Stoof now York City where the girl s Mother also lives. The baby was discovered july 13,1988, under the bathroom sink of a United airlines Jet shortly after it arrived in san Francisco. San Mateo county sheriffs deputies traced Locasto the next morning through a passenger list. Panda pregnancy Washington up America s aging female giant Panda Ling Ling who has failed to give birth to a surviving cub in nearly two decades at the National zoo lost a tiny fetus in a miscarriage but May still be carrying its healthy twin zoo officials said. Of plan to scrap its blackbirds threatened by House report by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington air Force plans to kill off the sr-71 spy plane have run into a Snag in the House which wants the service to Transfer its two overseas Black Bird units to scale fab Calif., and give them to the air National guard. The air Force wants to do away with the reconnaissance aircraft to save Money. The sr-71 is an expensive proposition and we have other ways of getting the same information that it provides said a Pentagon official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Strategic air come officials announced plans in january to deactivate the two overseas sr-71 units Del 4 at Raf Mildenhall England and Del i at Kadena a Japan that belong to the 9th strategic recon Wing headquartered at Beale beginning oct. I. The air Force s total number ofsr-71s is Classi fied. The 1st strategic recon so at Balc also was scheduled for deactivation. To Date the air Force has made no decision on disposal of the aircraft which can Fly More than 2.000 Miles per hour at Heights of More than 80,000 feet. The service May not have to make that decision if some lawmakers have their Way. The report accompanying the House appropriations committee s de sense spending Bill for fiscal 1990 said it is readily apparent that sr-71 operations should be transferred to the air National guard. The full House approved the committee Bill aug. 4. The report said the sr-71 is highly survivable in peacetime operations would be survivable in Many wartime operations including penetration of hos tile airspace and can provide valuable intelligence not available from other sen sors at less Cost than what the Active air Force has traditionally  although the sr-71 budget is Classi fied the House committee report Esti mates that restructuring the Blackbird units and transferring them to the air National guard could save As much As $100 million. The air Force disagrees. It costs a lot to Fly and maintain those units the offi Cial said. We have a very tight budget cutting the sr-71 looks like a Good Way to reduce that  the official would not discuss Intelli gence gathering alternatives that could cover the sr-71 Mission but said the air Force would not lose anything by scrapping the aircraft. Transferring the blackbirds to the air National guard is not the answer he said. Someone would still be spending Money on them. It s just not practical to keep them  the Senate appropriations commit tee will not begin work on its version of the defense funding Bill until september. Once the full Senate approves the Bill the two appropriations committees will meet to work out differences in their respective versions. Air Force officials Hope the Senate committee will look More favourably on deactivation of the sr-7 is than its House counterpart and will be Able to prevail in that conference. Sex Navy Captai Given reprimand for harassing military civilian women by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington the former com Mander of the . Naval facility at Brawdy Wales was issued a letter of reprimand july 21 for sexual harassment of military and civilian women under his command Navy officials said. Capt. Carl e. Gustafson was relieved of his command june 3 and Given non judicial punishment at Admiral s Mast before rear . Edward Claxton jr., Deputy commander and chief of staff of the Atlantic Fleet according to a Fleet statement dated aug. 9. Gustafson who voluntarily retired aug. 1 after More than 23 years of serv ice was charged with fraternization oppressive conduct conduct unbecoming an officer and assault in the form of non consensual touching the state ment said. No civil charges Are pending against Gustafson and no charges have been filed against anyone else at Brawdy. Several Days after complaints of harassment at the facility surfaced in May Atlantic Fleet Legal officials conducted a three Day investigation into Gustafson s conduct and recommended Admiral s Mast Over a court martial the statement said. Admiral s Mast is a non judicial proceeding in which one senior officer is appointed to take the Case weigh All the evidence and make a judgment a Fleet spokesman said monday. Two female officers two enlisted women and one female civilian employee were identified As victims of sexual harassment from Gustafson the statement said. Details of the incidents will not be released under regulation that keep information handled through Admiral s masts confidential. After being relieved in june Gustaf son was assigned briefly to the naval personnel support detachment at Mira mar Calif., until his retirement the statement said. Capt. Raymond Woolrich assumed command at Brawdy on july 10, the statement said. The facility collects and reports oceanographic data used by at lactic Fleet ships. Soviets to launch new Crew for Mir sept. 6 Soldier drowns swimming in Lake sch Ibisch Amund West Ger Many a 56th Field arty come Soldier drowned about 2 30 . Tuesday while swimming in  Lake about 20 Miles cast of Stuttgart. The Accident occurred when the sol Dier assigned to 2nd in 9th Field arty at Hardt Cavern in nearby sch Sobisch Amund apparently became tired and disoriented while trying to swim to a raft in the Lake command spokesman maj. Jerry Hart said. Another person who had accompanied the Soldier to the Lake Noti fied the police he said. The command is withholding the sol Dier s name until relatives have been notified. The incident is under investigation. Correction an article on enlisted wives clubs Sun Day incorrectly identified the club affiliation of two women who were inter viewed. Cami Harris is president of the Feucht enlisted wives club in the numbers West Germany military Community. Pat Byron is a member of that club. Star City .s.r. A two cosmonauts will blast off sept. 6 to reactivate the orbiting space station Mir after a four month lapse in the soviet manned space program dictated by finances and technical delays officials announced tuesday. Among the highlights of the six month Mission by Alexander s. Victorenko the flight commander and Alexander a. Sere Brov the flight Engineer will be a ride out Side Mir in a new space  Mir the showcase of the soviet space program launched in february 1986, was designed to be permanently manned but was unexpectedly vacated april 27, when three cosmonauts rocketed Back to Earth. Officials have said the Mir was mothballed to save Money and because two new mod Ules were not ready. The soviet space program has come under fire recently for lavish spending at a time when the country is suffering a 120 billion Ruble $192 billion budget deficit and has a shortage of Basic consumer goods and food. A 20-ton module containing the space motorcycle a new space Shower and a More comfortable Hatch for spacewalks will be launched in october and attached to Mir Srebrov told a news conference in Star City the cosmonaut training Center 25miles East of Moscow. Alexander n. Balan Din a backup Engineer for the flight said the motorcycle is similar to the manned Maneu vering unit used by is. Space shuttle Astro nauts. It can travel 495 feet from Mir for two to three hours at a time. Alexei a. Leonov the Deputy director of Gagarin cosmonaut training Center at Scarcity and a former cosmonaut himself told reporters he had worked with soviet Engi neers to develop a space motorcycle in the Early 1970s, but the project was cancelled because some Wise Guy said it want  a second module with equipment to ,5 to bet i -.n. February Serebro said. The crystals Are to be used in electronics optical observation equipment and Batter ies. The 20-ton Mir already has one module attached to it and a space observation Laboratory called Kvanli it has Docking ports for three More modules. " a. Serebro a Veteran of two earlier space flights and Victorenko who flew once be fore Are to blast off at night aboard a soyuz rocket on sept. 6 from the Bai Konur space Center in the Republic of Kama than Leo nov announced. Balandin and cosmonaut Anatoly y. Solovyov Are to join the two aboard Mir in Early March Serebro told reporters. Mir had been manned for 880 Days Sunee its launch hosting four resident Crew. Cosmonauts Vladimir Tislov and Musa Man Rov broke space endurance records by stay ing a year before returning to Earth. Goppinger go Dies in motorcycle Accident Goppinger. West Germany is police Are investigating a motorcycle Acci Dent that killed a Soldier from the 1st inf div fwd on saturday near Stuttgart. Sgt Lucio f. Davis 22, of he co 299th support in in Goppinger apparently was trying to pass a tractor at 5 30 . On a Rural Road Between Kom Westheim Andrem Seck Aldinger North of Stuttgart when the Accident occurred division spokesman master sgt. Frank Stachowiak said. The 1989 Kawasaki motorcycle that Davis was driving struck the Side of the. Tractor which was turning left. He was pronounced dead a few hours later at the near by army Hospital in Stuttgart s bad Cann Stan District Davis is survived by he wife spec. Cynthia Davis who is assigned to the same company. A memorial service win of at 11a.m. Thursday at the Cooke Barracks Chapel in Goppinger