European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 18, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday january 18, 1s90 the stars and stripes Page 7 �. German family returns lost pow tag to by. Man Louisville by. A Carroll Witten has gotten a memento of his Days As a world War ii prisoner of War from an East German family thanks to the historic opening of the Berlin Wall. In 1945. A year after his b-17 bomber was shot Down Over Germany Witten and about 40 other pos were being marched from Poland to a pow Camp at bad Muskaug. Near the German polish Bor Der. During an overnight Stop at a barn Witten lost his brass pow identification tag. He had All but forgotten the lag until he got a Call from Berlin last month. On the sunday following the nov. 9 opening of the Berlin Wall an East German family visiting West Berlin for the first time approached . Army Cape. James Allen and gave him a tarnished brass tag. The tag bore Only a four digit pow number and the words Flag Luft 3," a designation for a prison Camp for air officers. Allen said the family told him they had found the tag in the rubble of their old barn which had burned in 1988. Using red Cross archives Allen traced the num Ber to Witten. Who is now 65. Witten said Allen telephoned him from Berlin in Early december and that when asked he could clearly remember his prisoner number. I said. Sure. I could t forget it. 4854, " Wilton said. He said. You re the Guy " just before Christmas Allen routed himself through Louisville on a flight from West Germany and gave Wilton the Long lost tag. It was a funny feeling when i held this tag in my hand  Witten reflected.  Carrol Witten holds charred pow tag lost in 1945. Witten said Allen has promised to get the exact address of the family who found the tag so he can get in touch with them. I want to write them and i d like to go Back to Germany maybe in a year and see them he said. Random drug testing begins for rail workers Washington a mandatory random test ing for drugs and alcohol Wen into of feel tuesday for the 90,000 men and women who operate the nation s railroads one year after drug abuse was singled out As a Factor in a 1987 Amtrak crash that killed 16 people and injured 175. The program requires thai at least 25 percent of Railroad engineers Brak men. Dispatchers signalman conductors and All other Railroad employees directly involved in the movement of trains be subjected to random testing this year. A full 50 percent of inc operations personnel of the nation s largest railroads must be tested by the end of 1991 for the presence in their blood of alcohol and such drugs As marijuana cocaine and opiates. But Claire Austin a spokeswoman for the Federal Railroad administration said Federal officials expect As Many As 40 percent of those affected by the new requirement to be tested by the end of this year alone. She said Railroad administrators expect results will show that drugs arc a far More serious problem among rail workers than is alcohol. It is evident that drugs arc the problem rather than alcohol she said pointing to the results of Post Accident drug and alcohol testing a requirement since 1986. In that year 738 people were tested with 27 testing positive for drugs and seven for alcohol. In 1987, 770 persons were tested with 39 testing positive for drugs and just three testing positive for alcohol. In 1988, 682 people were tested three tested positive for alcohol and 39 tested positive for drugs. Of 21 Railroad accidents linked to drugs or alcohol last year 14 were drug related while alcohol was involved in seven of the incidents. The National transportation safely Board found in 1988 that marijuana use was a Factor in an Accident near Chase md., that left 191 people dead or injured. The Board said drug impairment caused Engineer Ricky Gates to Speed through several warning systems and into the pah of an Amtrak train. Hijacking attempt foiled by Texas police Austin Texas a a Man claim ing he had a bomb look Over an America West Airliner late tuesday and demanded to be flown to Cuba. But he was arrested soon after the plane made an emergency Landing in Austin police said. No one was seriously injured during flight 727 from Houston to Las vegas with 34 passengers and a Crew of five aboard or in the arrest at Robert Muel Ler municipal Airport officials said. Swat team members overpowered the Man aboard inc plane officials said. Fri agent Byron Sage  the Man As Jose Manuel Gonzales Gonzales 39. And said he was believed to be from new Orleans. Gonzales Gonzales was believed to be of cuban descent. The flight was diverted to Austin and landed shortly before 11 30 . After trouble was reported aboard. America West spokeswoman Kathy Christensen said at the airline s Phoenix Headquarters. The Man said he had a bomb and had some electronic device that blinked when he pointed to the front of the air Craft said passenger Herb Atwood of cold Spring. Texas. He grabbed one of the stewardesses and had something around her  Atwood said in an interview with radio station Kvet. He was shouting orders. He said he wan cd them to Fly to Cuba but the Pilot said that we did not have enough  the Man ordered All the passengers to move to the front of the aircraft Atwood said. Austin police received a report of a bomb threat at 11 28 ., said police spokesman Harold Elm orc. After the plane landed nearly 40 police officers including hostage negotiators surrounded the aircraft shortly be fore Midnight. Police capt. Loyd Polk said he climbed up an escape Hatch into the air Craft Ihen subdued Gonzales Gonzales. I saw he had the stewardess so i took action  Polk said. I had a struggle with him. But i was Able to hold him to the ground until More help a  passengers evacuated the plane and police began searching the air plane for a bomb. We doubt there was a bomb aboard the plane Elm orc said. Gonzales Gonzales was taken to a Hospital Early wednesday for treatment of cuts to his head suffered when he was arrested said City emergency services shift commander Bob Gutierrez. The stewardess who was grabbed was also taken to a Hospital for minor cuts and Burns resulting from Coffee spilling on her Gutierrez said. Several passengers were treated at the Airport for minor injuries suffered when they evacuated the aircraft. Elmore said passengers were taken to an Airport terminal for questioning. City aviation director Charles Gates said inc passengers were to be put up in a hotel for inc night and flown out wednesday morning. Sage said authorities planned to charge the Man with air piracy and kid napping. You always hear about this Passen Ger Atwood said and i never thought it would happen to me. I was scared like everyone else. I was looking Forward to a trip to vegas. But my gambling ended before it  Dukakis in state address issues a Mea culpa Boston a gov. Michael s. Dukakis in his final stale of the stale address said tuesday Hal he had not anticipated inc damage his presidential Campaign would have on Massachusetts and his family. Dukakis said he was swept up by the excitement and euphoria of what he called the Massachusetts Miracle when he ran for the democratic presidential nomination. But a funny thing happened on the Road to the White House. I ran a great Campaign for the Nomi nation and a Lousy one for the final Dukakis said. "1 lost and in inc process Massachusetts took an unfair beating. And i feel terrible about  Dukakis said he had underestimated the demands of running for the presidency and managing state affairs at the same time. It s Clear to me now that i underestimated the amount of time and Energy it takes to seek the modern presidency. Try ing to do two jobs at the same Lime was More difficult and More grueling than i expected he said. And i underestimated the toll it would Lake on my family  his wife. Kitty entered an alcoholism treatment program shortly after his defeat. Dukakis 56, announced a year ago that he would not seek re Csc Cimon. His third four year term expires at the end of 1990. He also said he was wrong in trying to expand government in his fiscal year 1990 budget instead of consolidating it and trying to make it work better. The slate legislature still has not balanced the state s $12 billion budget which remains about $500 million in the red. I wish tonight instead of delivering a slate of the state address i could sit Down and talk with each and every one of you and restore inc Bond thai was broken during the Campaign a Bond Hal Over a Quarter Cen Tury of Public service i treasure More than you know Dukakis said. I know that Many of you arc angry with me. Feel betrayed. Feel that i put myself before you and the Commonwealth. But in arc comes a time and 1 believe it has arrived that nobody s interest and certainly not the Public a is served by laying on More blame Dukakis said in a speech Hal was conciliatory in tone and up beat about the stale s future. Dukakis repeated his Call for new taxes to solve the state s nagging fiscal problems but said he was optimistic about the Long term future of both Massachusetts and of new England both suffering economic declines. I think we have a great future ahead of us if we Stop singing the blues and go to work together to make things happen in the 1990s," Dukakis said