European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 07, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Saturday october 1989 the stars and stripes Page 9 Over Here he balances tanks with thanks to god b John Millar fir Burg Bureau Cira Fenohr. West Germany dust coated and unbaked sgt. 1st class Joe Lunkin licked his thumb and ran it Over the name tag on his Olive drab jumpsuit his natural Way of say ing things Are going Well. Clambering out of the commander s Hatch of his Lank he Slid Over the Side in a thin Cloud of dust then hustled Over to shake hands with the rest of his s platoon had reason to be Happy their four tanks had blasted a near perfect score on a gunnery Range at graft Wohr in what has become atypical performance for Hunkin a Pla Toon sergeant for co a 2nd so Lith army c a regt. Sonic they Call me magic he said. But i Tell them straight up it s Munkins credits the lord for More than his Success on the Range. His Faith is the ballast As he balances his own delicate Irinita As a Soldier family Man and minister in the samoan Assembly of god. Hunkin s mix of Lank command an clergy dates Hack to 1977, when he joined the army As a Tanker in on Effort to better support his family. He d Al ready taught sunday school and did a Little Lay preaching in his h of Vailoatai in american Samoa after promising ins father also a mini he would try in spread the word of god. Military Servici gave Hunkin s family the financial Security he sought but hoped for spot in the chaplaincy not in the cards. The army needed tankers. So Hunkin continued preach ing on his own and. In 1983, took the written lest required to earn accreditation As a minister for the samoan As Sembly of god. For Hunkin inc sergeant the army and his men come first. Hell get in there and get just As dirty As the privates said Hunkin s commander. Cape. Steven Schlosser. He s very patient hut very firm. He would t make you do something he would t do on a recent fall morning. Hunkin joined his troops in the Job of cleaning the dust and other Graf grime from the barrels of his platoon s four Abrams closely with the troops is necessary Abr motivation Hunkin the sergeant believes. If they re dirty i m Gonna be Dirle. When they Lake ii test i Lake a tit Hunkin said in his scratchy and slightly accented voice. Hunkin s troops Admire their ser Geant for another leadership trait if he s wrong about something one sol Dier said hell admin with sergeant Hunkin there s no problem being a consummate Soldier and a consummate Christian said Cape. Gary Brown inc chaplain As signed to Hunkin s Squadron. Because of his reputation As a super troop. Hun Kin s unit lets him return from the Field on sundays to perform so macs i there s a Lull in training. On other Sunda s. Hunkin Sheds his Tanker duds for a Suil and tie and trav Els from his Home in had kissing in to deliver samoan services for the . Military Community in Schweinfurt. But Brown said. Hunkin under stands that the army comes first if he s doing gunnery on sunday Ilu n he s doing gunnery on Hunkin the minister has his own views on what Heads inc list in life according to Brown. He puts the lord first and feels if you put the lord first no matter what you do. You la do Well whether you re a Soldier or Back on the lock As a civilian Brown said. I � 5&s Jorin Millar sol. 1st class due Hunkin. Stands in his Dusty Tanker clothes a member of Lunkin s congregation added he always puts the lord in front of everything he docs. He cannot do anything without the support of other members of the Church cred Thunkin with caring and understanding for his parishioners and his soldiers some of whom have turned to him with marital problems or trouble in their military careers. Said another member of the congregation he s got a lot of under standing in the word of despite the strength of his beliefs Hunkin reserves his preaching for the pulpit according to members of his unit. For most in fact the sole sign of their platoon sergeant s religion is the cuss cup. Which holds the 25-Ccnt fines paid by those who made in mistake of using profanity in Blun Kin s presence. We think it s a Good said i pc. Thomas Villanueva. Noting that Hunkin returns the Money to the troops in the form of fresh to or soft drinks during stints in Thefield. Hunkin the family Man dived is his remaining hours Between Hir w Al two to can Agurs a situation that is Stu always perfect Lunkin s wife Vai. Once complained to the Squadron commander about her husband s Long hours. I should have just married Uncle Sam she remembered saying. Since then. Vai Hunkin also from american Samoa has Learned to accept her husband s Devotion to deity and duty. Let me put it this she loves his religion he loves his Job. Sometimes he s standing behind the pulpit with his army having not had enough time to change. But the congregation understands. It s not an easy Hunkin often lakes off in the mid dle of the night to Check on things at the unit other times he s up preparing fora religious sen ice his wife said. Sometimes he s so tired i encourage him to sleep first then i set the clock for four in the morning and i get up with him and help him read the Bible to prepare for sermons she said. Mud. The military and the Lack of sleep aside Hunkin professes having something close to Bliss. I m a Happy Man he said. Thai s the key. Sometimes the pres sure you cannot take it. Hut you be got to go with the flow be Hunkin who turns 40 this month admits wondering whether he s get Ting too old to keep Pace with All three of his lives. Sometimes i think i m too old for the game he said. But then he added. I think i can rape suspect s Acquatta called horrendous verdict fort Lauderdale. Fla. A sexual As Amilt Counselor and women s groups reacted with anger and disbelief thursday to a jury s acquittal of a rape suspect on the grounds that the victim wore a lace miniskirt without underwear. It s a fairly horrendous verdict said Ellen Vargyas at the National women s Law Center in Washington. No one regardless of How they arc dressed should by allowed to be raped under a the three male and three female Broward circuit court jurors publicly justified their verdict wednesday to acquit a 26-year-old drifter who was then ordered re turned to Georgia to face several rape and assault charges. We Felt she asked for it for the Way she was dressed said jury Foreman Roy Diamond the Way she was dressed with that skirt you could see every thing she had. She was advertising for she was obvious dressed for a Good time but we Felt she May have bit off More than she could said juror Mary Bradshaw the detective who handled the initial phase of the Case called the acquittal very i honestly believe As a police officer that he re cd her that he forcibly had sex with her said detective Tom White of the Indian River county sheriffs department. The 22-year-old Wotan testified that Steven lord abducted her at knife Point from a fort Lauderdale restau rant parking lot in november 1988. She said he repeatedly raped her during a trip North on interstate 95. She said she escaped five hours later. Defense attorney Tim Day told jurors that the woman agreed to have sex with lord in Exchange for$100 and cocaine but later changed her mind. Jurors said they also were swayed by the woman s Calm Demeanour in court compared with the emotional testimony of a 24-year-old Georgia woman who claims lord raped her at knife Point last year. When the Georgia woman testified my heart Sank said juror Dean Mideiros. But when the other one testified she did t appear to be shaken up. Basically we did t believe her i thought this was 1989," said Alexander Sicgel the woman s attorney. I guess this Means every per Vert and nut out there has a License to rape any person who dresses in a manner they think is
