European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 03, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2the stars and stripes wednesday january 3, 1990 Busic wife visit soldiers wounded in Panama from Page 1 a fragment in his left hand. Twenty three servicemen and three civilians died in the invasion. Administration officials estimate that about 300 panamanian troops and 400 panamanian civilians were killed in the fighting. The Bushes saw All those who remained of the 252 servicemen treated at the san Antonio hospitals. News briefs i planes Deli to romanic Rhein main a two . Air Force Bucharest Rcman ii since Friday to Dalh revolution torn East Snow had prevent saturday. An air Force Spok expected to return night. Morocco s to fight 1 7 Rabat moroc pealed sunday for c 70,000 tons of crud african nation s All the Oil belched from moroccan author and Marine conserve teau for help with Tanker shark. The Miles of coastline r Meh Idya North of the its South. Or supplies on third try West Germany is c-130s landed sunday inon their third attempt r medical supplies to theoc country. D landings on Friday and Sman said the planes wer Rhein main on sunday eks help mile Oil Slick up Morocco a distance against a Slick of Oil threatening the North Itic shores officials said. N iranian Tanker dec. 19.es asked French explorer zionist Jacques Yves couple spill from the iranian ill has extended Over 170 a Rabat stretching from capital to mohammedia to one Man s left leg had been amputated another lost part or his left foot. Another s wounds had left him a paraplegic. Bush asked the men about their hometowns and How they had suffered their wounds and he asked if they were coming along All right. Where did you get clipped he asked Wallace Brooks a 19-year-old army Ranger from Inwood . Shoulder sir replied the red headed private sit Ting in a wheelchair with his Arm in a Sling. After his visits an emotional Bush praised the Gutsy courageous Young men and said he had tried to Tell them How grateful we  Bush was asked what message he had Given the wounded about Manuel Antonio Noriega the Panama Nian Leader who eluded american troops to seek Sanctuary in the Vatican diplomatic residence. We can Tell them he s not out threatening the lives of americans he replied. That s a Good  Barbara Bush told reporters the Story of one Soldier a paraplegic As a result of his wounds who gave her husband a Small american Flag and said it was from All the americans who had fought in Panama. I want you to have this from them the Soldier told the president according to mrs. Bush. And we thank you for sending  mrs. Bush had first urged her husband to Tell report ers the Story but he refused. You Tell them he said to his wife. The president concedes that he has a hard time express ing emotion in Public but that he cries easily when moved. He considered the moment too charged to talk about it calmly before the assembled television cameras. I m not too Good at that kind of thing he said Sun Day. He tried to talk about a Little girl he had met in the Hospital but broke off in Midson Tynce his eyes glistening. In a Ward at Brooke the president had asked Noella Almeida the 8-year-old daughter of sgt. 1st  James Almeida of Taunton mass., if she had had a Good Christmas. Yes replied the child standing beside the bed of her father who suffered multiple fragmentation wounds. What was your favorite present the president asked. My daddy Noella replied. About two dozen protesters lined the motorcade route to Wilford Hall holding signs that read no More Vietnam get out of Panama and bring our men and women  Bush said the invasion would serve a purpose be cause the country will get some idea of the kinds of kids we be got in the  the country he added is behind what you  asked before the president s arrival How he Felt about the Panama invasion Johnson said that s what we do for a living. That s our Job. I d have liked to stick around and not get shot. It s history and i had a Small part in  in the same room at Wilford Hall with Johnson and his family was the family of army sgt David Reeves 25, of Woodstock ga., a Ranger who had gunshot wounds in both shoulders and a purple heart on his Pillow. Diplomats from Page 1 about 30 . Troops broke into the Home of Man Agua s ambassador in Panama City rifling through cabinets and closets before leaving with an apology. . Forces invaded Panama dec. 20 and toppled Leader Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega an ally of Nicara Gua s. President Bush called the raid on the Home a mis Lake and said Ortega who also ordered the . Embassy s personnel Cut by one third overreacted to the incident. Louis Falino first Secretary for the . Embassy said the treatment the group had received by the Ortega government since the expulsion order was very  asked if the expelled diplomats had received death threats. Falino said i can neither confirm nor deny  Telephone to my House was Cut  budget Fri Page Listic nah Isle submarines or Ticonderoga guided mile cruisers when the decade began. It no Hhas eight Ohio class Tri dents and 11 Orn cruisers. It had fewer than Iso f-16s and Ofa-l8s. Today it has More than 1,20016s and nearly 500 Fa-18s. Between 1980 and the nov of 1987. . Nuclear Force capability by 70 percent and conventional Power by More than 50 percent acco ing to the Pentagon. The capabilities of the tactical air forces More than doubled and american naval anti air and anti submarine warfare capabilities increased As Well. Service members also got a pay boost. Hikes of 10.7 percent in 1980 and 14.3 percent in 1981 brought military pay up to Par with salaries of civilians with equal skills. But since then raises have fallen to Between 3 percent and 4 per cent. On two occasions former defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger wanted no raises but Congress rejected the in Sals. Nevertheless As the 1980s in service salaries had fallen 11 Pei Hind the civilian sector coi figures showed. Gen. Colin Powell joint chiefs of staff the buildup in the 19 today s military is a in our nation s  the powerful movement toward peace Freedom and democracy sweeping the Globe today is ample evidence of what a Strong America and a Strong free world can do he said in written responses to questions by the Stan and stripes. Powell said the strength begins with Quality people and extends to excellent discipline morale training and Readi Ness of a Force that has been Given mod prop. Of their because of Quality of As at any time Ern weapons systems to operate. We have made improvements in logistics and have enhanced the level of sustain  when defense officials talk about Quality Force they re referring to the fact that in 1980 barely two thirds of new recruits had High school diplomas. Now More than 90 percent do. Retention of personnel also has improved due largely to better pay and benefits. Not everyone agrees with the general s assessment of the spending in the 1980s. In terms of military strength we re worse off said defense department planner and in House critic Franklin c. Jinney. Yes the people Are better. But fib aug pent s older. Buildup in defense throwing Mucy out the wind Orr said Sid Taylor a Farner air Fofe  Only thing inns Cash the russians and everybody else i of missiles. That s about it. Of the  and Imus la tester said much the Money that  states Holt spent in the past 10 be Famias been pent getting ready for the last we re ready for world War ii. We re lot ready for world War Iii Taylor said. Sen. Sam Nunn a a. And chairman of the Senate armed services commit tee said it was Lime each of the nato allies began emphasizing its particular military strengths rather than trying to stage an entire symphony orchestra in each  under this scenario the United states would have less emphasis on Forward deployed heavy units and More on rapid deployment strike forces capable of dealing with major regional conflicts or crises outside Europe. Nunn would also have the United states provide major air defences for Europe contingent on nato constructing adequate shelters and minimum Essen tial facilities something he says has been promised for years but never delivered. More important the United states would continue to underwrite nato s nuclear deterrence. Powell said the military must prepare for such emerging threats As terrorism Low intensity conflict and drug interdict  these challenges and threats will quire a continuous refinement of of ability either to establish a ref Pitary presence or to have an info Tumcl militarily in those areas of the world critical to our National inter Earthe general said. Such in India Nas led to a spate of  the Pentagon. Army sources Dor example said planners Are look Rig at converting the Force into a Ger highly Mobile righting machine. But Spinney noted that the armed forces already have the Marine corps which is essentially an expeditionary Force of three Light divisions. And the army already has six expeditionary forces each one More lightly armoured than the Marine divisions he said. What arc we going to do with All these Light forces Spinney predicted that fiscal restraints in Washington would Lead to a much Nailer army with two heavy and four " divisions. He suggested that the per  of 43,000 people in 1990 would dec minute compared with the cuts ahead. Penh ids hundreds of thousands of troops will a Nuj de out of Europe and Asia he said. The air Force also a feds itself facing change in its Mission. It is designed to fight of Iowa spin Ney said. So with the  reduced you be got a question on Hal you re going to do with the air  sources inside the air Force report concerns Over proposals from Secretary of defense Dick Cheney s office that would severely reduce the service s Active Force relying to a greater extent on the air Force Reserve and air National guard which Are generally made up of experienced pilots. Air Force leadership has rejected an internal Pentagon report showing that the average Domestic air Force base is Operaupg-31 Only so per cent of its Capac Ift and that air bases overseas Hay even More wasted space. As Thor sir Force debate continue sly and behind Pentagon doors the Ijar thing that appears certain is More personnel cuts. Equally unclear is the future of the Navy. Although it and the Marine corps will escape personnel cuts this year sources in Cheney s office predict a blood Bath in the Pacific theater that will Lead to elimination of thousands of Navy positions in the car y 1990s. We must reduce the Cost of our for Ward deployments worldwide including but not limited to cuts in our troops and dependents stationed abroad nun told a group of International military strategists in a recent speech. This is inevitable when you look at the unite states budget when you look at the fiscal situation we Are in  said he thinks the 1990s will be marked by cutbacks in military operations and maintenance similar to those made in the 1970s. However this time twill be coupled with major cuts in weapon procurement. We need to Cut defense and we redoing to have to change our Way of Liv ing said Taylor now a research director for the National taxpayers Union a group that works to hold Down  must be Cut drastically be cause it s economically non productive. And then your next problem in America is going to be unemployment because our whole Economy is based on the defense expenditure right  in today world Taylor said there s Only one answer we be got to it out the belligerency. In a sense of ing Back the whole cold War was a Mif like. The russians and ourselves made mistake. We spent ourselves into bankruptcy in the cold War. Germany will reunite. Japan is the All time eco nomic Power. A won world War ii on the Battlefield and Tost it at the Cash Reg