European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 18, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday april 18, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 9over Here a amps Peggy Davidson pvt. 2 Christopher Silvia turns up the radio to ease the Monotony of his drive. Right a civilian worker unloads a vehicle for storage at Heron Gen West  jobs a Long familiar haul for these Drivers by Peggy Davidson Kaiserslautern Bureau Heron Gen West Germany a the Drivers of 2nd platoon 69th trans co in Bremerhaven know Only too Well what it Means to be on the Road again. And again and again and again. These soldiers have been on the Road monday through Friday since March 7. The same Road from Zute Daal Belgium to Heron Gen West Germany. And  keep driving it until the end of this month when the last of the heavy equipment from january a reformer and Centurion shield exercise is to be stowed at the proper storage depot. Nearly 30 Drivers from the 2nd platoon have been making the two hour trip from the 16th combat equipment co site at Zute Daal to the 15th combat equipment co site at Heron Gen. First it. Michael a. Meneghini commander of task Force Mike a a i did no to name it a he explained a said his platoon had Only two weeks to plan the five Day a week treks from Belgium to Germany. A this unit does a lot of support missions a he said. A after a while you know what blocks need to be filled in the Check Sheet. I done to need five to six months to plan a the cargo has included More than 600 trucks wheeled generators ambulances trailers and 25-ton heavy equipment Mobile tactical trucks. All Are loaded aboard trailers and taken to Heron Gen where workers move them to humidity controlled warehouses. Each Convoy averages 16 vehicles. The largest has been 24 vehicles. Though the equipment is thoroughly serviced at Zute Daal maintenance Crews Check the equipment on arrival at Heron Gen said maj. Gary m. Gentry commander of the Heron Gen site. After the 2nd platoon vehicles Are unloaded they Are refuelled the Drivers grab a Quick bite and then head Back to Zute Daal. All this is accomplished Gentry said while continuing the full time Job of maintaining equipment in storage and avoiding All overtime. A no problems no accidents a said sgt. Raymond e. Smith a Driver making his 10th trip to Heron Gen. A sometimes it gets scary a said pfc. Aranya sub Ubol. A you have to make sure the Load is on tight and be Safe on the Road. You just have to be  the biggest problem is the boredom of driving the same route. A i just turn up the radio to combat the Monotony said pvt. 2 Christopher Silvia who was making his 12th trip. He said he had driven More than 2,000 Miles during this Mission and is aiming for 100,000 Accident free Miles during his four year tour in Europe. The unloading process at Heron Gen offers the Drivers a Brief respite. While waiting their turn they climb Down from the cabs for a bit of socializing to compare notes with the training noncommissioned officers or to catch up on housecleaning with Spray polish and a cloth. During the weekends in Zute Daal the Drivers pass time by playing football or swimming in the indoor Pool. No gripes were heard from the Drivers who were spending two months on temporary duty in Belgium for this Mission. Its All part of the Job they said. Besides said sub Ubol a a we get to see lots of  again and  Squirers make the gardens grow Byke Clauson staff writer Berlin a one glance at Werner Schiemann a pampered farm Stock would make a Catfish quiver. His carefully tended Herd lives comfortably in it built enclosures on the South Edge of tem Penof Central Airport. While munching a Well balanced diet of vegetables leaves cardboard and newspaper8, his 20,000 earthworms churn out compost destined for base gardens and Flower Beds. In a a ?1 pm nne chief of environmental planning for �?�,7e is proud of his project which is a perfect match of recycling and conservation. The food i aces a s Low maintenance operation is end Niv a worm Herd is self regenerating and the end p duct is perfect for planting he says. The original 15,000 Worms were bought a year ago from a West Berlin breeder for about 10 cents each. The species chosen was selected for its resistance to temperature changes and propensity to propagate Shieman says. A this particular Type of worm stays and develops a new population so you done to have to bring in new ones a he says. To help boost the population Schiemann checks the protein Levels of the decomposing garbage every few weeks. He Snow experimenting with adding outdated powdered milk to boost the protein Levels in Hopes that the Worms will reproduce faster. The Worms live in three 4-foot-High wooden boxes that Are about 15 feet Long and 8 feet wide. Only one Box is used at a time and when the six month garbage to compost Cycle is Complete the Worms Are moved to another Box having produced More than 500 cubic feet of incomparable compost. The Worms average 2 inches in length with some reaching 6 inches. A healthy worm weighs about a third of a Gram and will eat its own weight of trash every Day Schiemann says. They thrive at temperatures of 68 to 86 degrees but decomposing organic material often gets much hotter. To ensure that the Worms Arentt turned into Little sausages Schiemann checks the habitat temperature every few weeks. The boxes Are often hosed Down in the summer to keep them Cool and Aid decomposition. As further Protection each 18 inches of garbage is covered with up to 4 inches of Sand to provide an escape layer. When the food gets too hot the Worms Back up into the Sand. A when it cools Down they Start eating again a Schiemann says. A these creatures Are smarter than some people