European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 04, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Inside stripes o special Armor added to soviet tanks Page 5 d House foes agree on clean air Bill Page 6 o education news in stripes Page 8-9 d raiders name Shell new head coach Page 21 the St find Fries authorized unofficial publication for the . Armed forces Good morning vol. 48. No. 170 wednesday october 4, 1989 St to i d 8693 a Panama coup crushed i -. Panama City Panama a panamanian troops Loyal to Gen. Man Uel Antonio Noriega recaptured military Headquarters from rebel soldiers tues Day after a six hour Battle and officials in Washington and Panama City agreed that the coup was crushed. The rebels failed to capture Noriega in the coup attempt according to the re ports. In Washington White House press Secretary Martin Fitzwater said the coup appeared to have failed. The rebel troops claimed that they seized and held the defense forces head quarters in downtown Panama  Loyal to Noriega climbed the roofs of surrounding buildings throwing hand grenades firing mortars and snip ing at targets inside the compound. Noriega has defied for two years . Efforts to oust him and he survived coup attempt in March 1988. He has been indicted on drug charges in the United slates which accuses him of hav ing ties to Colombia drug traffickers. The coup announcement was read Over National radio at about 11 30 . It said the entire High command was forced into retirement by Middle ranking officers led by maj. Matises Giraldi Vega head of the Urraca battalion in charge of Security at defense forces Headquarters. The communique was signed by Giraldi. Capt. Javier Licona of the cavalry and capt. Jesus George Balma of the special forces. This is strictly a military movement. There is no politics involved the com Munique said referring to the civilian opposition that has been trying to topple Noriega with . Help. The communique did not say whether any members of the High command were in custody. An hour later a Man who identified himself As it. Col. Arnulfo Castro Joncade a television broadcast saying that forces Loyal to Noriega arc ready to give their lives to defend Gen. Noriega. This is a  however nobody was visible on the screen As the broadcast was made. The camera showed Only a clock on a Wall. The communique said Noriega and six top colonels were being retired be cause they had been on Active service for More than 25 years and exceeded the deadline for mandatory retirement. Jose Blandon a panamanian defector and former close aide to Noriega said i Washington that he had spoken by Tele phone with Balma one of the leaders of the coup who told him that Noriega had been wounded and was in custody. He said that officers intended to Send Noriega to the United Stales to face drug charges but that it would be difficult to see Panama on Back Page bodybuilder s life was Sweet until steroids turned it sour a Sis Biliti Hoitt Dpi. Clint Medford. Awaiting trial second in a three part series byte Bolvin and William Bartma staff writers army capt. Clint Medford seemed to have it All. The 29-year-old officer with the Adonis body graduated from easter Washington University in 1984 and was commissioned through the Roth program. He advanced quickly in the army serving As a platoon Leader and then moving to the 32nd army air defense come in Darmstadt West  became a general s aide and then executive officer of a Battery. He also competed in bodybuilding and Power lifting in Europe an interest that started As a teen age Effort to strengthen his body and adolescent ego Medford said in an interview with the stars and stripes in november. Medford left the command in de Cember for fort Bliss. Texas where he works on an air defense artillery system As a Trainer. But two months after leaving West Germany Medford s secret life was coming unravelled. Eight months after leaving Darmstadt Medford was arrested in connection with North Ameri Ca s Jar gust confiscation of illicit Ster oids intended for human use. Medford s steroids secret began to emerge on feb. 13, when the Spokane wash., House of his Hometown Friend Steven Andrews was searched by . Customs agents. Found in the search was a huge Quantity of steroids according to . Postal service investigator Bill Ross of Elpaso Texas. Also found were express mail wrappers boxes and in an Drews address Book Medford s name and Elpaso address. Coincidentally Medford mailed a package to Andrews on feb. 13, Ros said. When Medford found out about Andrews arrest he called the Spokane Post office seeking to retrieve the Par cel. But a postal employee recalled Reading about Andrews arrest and told customs which obtained a search War rant to open the Box. Ross said it was stuffed full of  Ross notified the army s criminal investigation come which interviewed Medford in March along with customs and postal authorities. Of course during the interview he knew nothing about steroid distribution nothing about  Ross said. He denied knowledge of every  however customs had already started talking to Medford from Cincinnati through an undercover agent setting up an $800,000 Deal for Ster oids. Mudford met with the undercover agent several times in London Onta see steroids on Page 26 Manuel Antonio no Ramstein draws fire Over Aud f by Chuck Vinc Washington Bureau Washington a lawmaker has vowed to close the loops that led to the mismanagement of $20 million in mor ale welfare and recreation funds at Ramstein a West Germany. The mismanagement involving club operations and construction at Ramstein Over More than two years was documented in a highly critical internal air Force audit released monday by rep. Marvin Leath a Texas. In a statement accompanying the re port Cath blasted service officials Lor blatantly disregarding internal controls and accounting regulations dealing with club operations and base construction at Ramstein from late 1984 to Early 1987, Cath the head of the House armed services committee s mar panel that oversees military club operations said the attitude at the base was get it done and worry about regulations  maj. Bruce Lewis a Ramstein spokes Man had no comment on the report tuesday. We have not seen the report and will not comment until we have he said. The final version of the audit essentially unchanged from a draft obtained by the stars and stripes in june documented numerous examples of lavish unauthorized spending at the base which is Headquarters for the air Force in Europe. Beginning in late 1984, Safe policy appeared to be that it wanted the no club to take care of the morale of the troops without concern for profitability the report  no and officers clubs at the base lost More than $3.3 million from see Ramstein on Back Page