European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 04, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes sunday february 4,1990 Wii vets tracking forgotten medals increase in requests swamps army by Bob poo Las Angeles times after hearing the same Story for 37 years. Jean he Cnway knew it by heart. Her husband was a world War ii hero who dashed through machine gun and Monar fire during a 1945 Battle in the Philippines to save a wounded buddy s life. Trouble was. Clyde Hemenway did not have any army medals to prove his Mettle if he re ally had done what he said where was his purple heart where were the combat ribbons1 and where was the medal for Battlefield Valori did believe  Jean Hemenway said. He told people about it All these years. Not that they did t believe him but there was t any  there is now. Two months ago the . Army awarded the 78-year-old retired Norwalk. Calif., mail Carrier six medals that it failed to present him 44 year Sago. And officials say a seventh Battle ribbon is on its Way. Heminway is among thousands of former world War ii servicemen who Are Rushing to get the military to present them with wartime commendations they earned but never received. Former soldiers applied for400.000 forgotten world War ii ribbons last year according to . Army officials. That is an increase of60 percent Over the number of requests received four years ago. Army officials say they ran Oul of medals when the War ended and they were caught in a crush of gis being discharged. Soldiers hurrying Home from Battle Fields in Europe and the South Pacific were told the could pick up their medals later. After the War. Many of the servicemen were Loo bus establishing families and civilian careers to bother. But these Days former gis who  reached retire ment age have the time and the inclination to track Down their awards. And military officials arc hurrying to catch up with a crush of requests. The medals Are shipped from an army warehouse i Philadelphia that is a Short distance from the Liberty Bell. Officials at times have worked around the clock to fill the requests. Still there is a four month backlog said Larry Smith acting chief of the medals distribution office. I think a lot of Guys now want their medals As legacy for their children or  Smith said. Some of the requests arc from elderly people who Are ill. We try to expedite  an army records office in St. Louis that checks each request for a medal is from six months to nine months behind in its work said Gladys Mauser. An army spokeswoman. The verification Job has been complicated by a 1973 fire that damaged or destroyed 80percent of All world War ii records. Military officials predict that they will also see surges in medal requests As servicemen who fought in Korea and Vietnam grow older. The army has already shipped out thousands of Vietnam War medals. Most of them Are first Tim Issue and not replacements. Smith said. Sonic of the Guys have told me they did t wan them Back then when they got out. But later on they be thought about what they went through or now their kids want to see their medals Smith said. Military officials say that their policy is to try a quickly and ceremoniously award commendations to servicemen involved in the infrequent combat of peacetime. To the dismay of some former servicemen fro world War ii however the Only uniform they Sec when they finally receive their belated medals is that of the . Postal service. As in he Cnway s Case the awards Are mailed unless Advance arrangements have been made with the army or a congressional office. Of former army airborne trooper Tony Marincola 72,Canyon country calif., received eight overdue soviet chess player Anatoly Karpov ponders a move against deep thought at Harvard on Friday night. Chess Champ Karpov barely beats supercomputer deep thought Cambridge. Mass. A Anatoly  world s no. 2-ranked chess player proved that Man can still outwit machine when he beat super computer deep thought late Friday in a hard fought match that went Down to the wire. With Only 90 seconds left to deep thought s 12minutes, the soviet forced the computer to resign in the face of inevitable defeat. Karpov made a decisive penetration into Dee thought s territory with his King after the computer which can calculate 800.000 moves in a second made a strategic error. The match which lasted nearly two hours was held in Harvard s memorial Hall. One member of deep thought s Crew san Hsiung Hsu moved the pieces based on the computer s commands. Chris Chabris. Alumni adviser to the Harvard chess club said Karpov was was very relieved to have finished the game with his world class reputation intact. He knew he was in a lot of trouble Chabris said. Karpov left immediately after the match in Stead of speaking As scheduled. Medals three months ago. He said he was not told of the awards he had earned when he left the service in 1946. When you re first discharged you re Young an you Don t care what happened the retired tool super visor said. Bui As you gel older your children ask about the War and whether you got any  Marincola has placed his awards including a purple heart belatedly received for a wound suffered in the Baltic of the bulge in a display Cabinet. My two daughters arc real proud of  he said. Sigurd Carlson a 62-year-old retired High schoolteacher from los Angeles said thai several of the five medals he belatedly received from the Marine corps weren t made yet when he was discharged in 1946 Afler fighting in four major South Pacific Battles. It makes my family feel Good. It s something Youcan leave  said Carlson who now works with veterans at a veterans administration Hospital through a service organization called am vets. Carlson has helped some veterans with the paper work required to apply for their awards. Heminway said he started writing letters to official about his missing medals two years ago. I decided my grandchildren might like to Sec  he said. I m glad to finally get them. Of course it Wouldhave been better if i d had them when i came Home from overseas. Back then everybody was talking about the War being Over. Everybody was interested in what you d  his awards arc the purple heart Bronze Star. Amer ican Campaign american defense Asiatic Pacific Campaign Victory and Good conduct medals. The purple heart and Bronze Star were awarded because of his actions As a 33-year-old army medic on May 12. 1945. The Rifle company he was assigned Towas involved in a five hour Battle on the philippine Island of Mindanao where he rescued the wounded buddy. Stateside police arrest couple in schoolgirl muggings new York a a couple arrested on charges of robbing three girls in a schoolyard Are also suspected in As Many As nine other schoolgirl muggings some at gunpoint since december police have said. Victor Gonzalez. 23, and his Girlfriend. Denise Aponto 24, were charged with robbing three girls Ages 6. 8 and 11. Of their earrings and rings said sgt. Nick Vreland. A police spokesman. The couple told police they were drug users and had sold the stolen property for narcotics Vreland said. Gon Alco and Aponte arc also suspected of robbing As Many As nine Oiher girls Ages 6 to 14. Since dec. 3, Vreland said. The police department originally said Gonzalez was suspected in As Many As 89 other schoolgirl muggings but sgt. Peter Sweeney later said a police spokesman had misunderstood eight or nine robberies As "89" in a phone conversation. Georgia teacher is fired for Bible Reading in class Toccoa a. A a Toccoa elementary school teacher has been fired for refusing to Stop daily Bible Reading in her fifth Grade class despite her Picas that both god and the founding fathers meant for the Christian Faith to have a place in the  contract of Nancy Kennedy 50, was terminated by the Stephens county Board of education after a 90-Minutc hearing. School Board members generally declined comment but one said Kennedy was fired for  at times preaching. Kennedy told the Board be fore it reached ils decision that she would not Stop Reading the Bible to her class her morning ritual for 10  Board attorney Sam Harbin or. Said the school principal was not aware of the daily devotionals until Early last month when an assistant principal observed Kennedy s class. The assistant principal Roy Hartley said Kennedy told her class that she her Home her car and her classroom were being spied on by unknown people