European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 27, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes Friday july 27,1990 desertion charges reduced to awol for 6 gis by Chuck v1nch a i Washington Bureau Washington a desertion charges against six soldiers who disappeared from their unit in West Germany apparently to prepare for the end of the world have been downgraded to absent without leave an army spokesman said thursday. The six were reported missing from their unit the 713th military intelligence in in Augsburg on july 9 and were nicked up in Gulf Breeze fla., the following weekend. They Are being held at fort Knox by. The soldiers had been charged under a recent policy change that allows anyone with Access to top secret information to be placed in deserter status Ith medi lately after being declared missing. Soldiers usually Are a a Wol for 30 Days Sefc a Quot earned As a Ore being upgraded to l for 30 Days the More serious deserter offence Mai Ron Mazzia an army spokesman at fort Knox said the charges were downgraded to awol status and that the soldiers were offered articles 15, a non judicial punish latent instead of courts martial. The change came after an investigation found no evidence that the soldiers were involved in espionage Mazzia said. Quot they had been listed As deserters because of their Access to classified material and the sensitivity of their assignment a Mazzia said a if you Lake away that sensitivity All you re left with is a simple awol  the soldiers have been identified As sgt. Annette Eccleston spec. Kenneth Beason spec. Vance Davis pfc. Michael Hueckstaedt pfc. Kris Perlock and pfc. William Setterberg. The six have been Given until monday to consult with their lawyers and consider the proposed disciplinary action. If they accept the non judicial punishment the specific Terins will be determined by the fort Knox commander Mazzia said it could include any combination of reduction in rank fees extra duty and restriction. Even if they take the articles 15, the soldiers still could be discharged from the army later Mazzia said. A most times in cases like this the soldiers Are re turned to their unit but that a not possible Here because these soldiers have lost their Security clearances a Mazzia said. That Means the six would have to be trained in some other army skill if they stayed on Active duty. A pm sure that will be a Factor in the decision on whether to retain or discharge them a Mazzia said. Discharge deliberations would not take place until after disciplinary action on the awol charges is Complete he said. 1 it is still unclear Why tre six travelled to Florida. Stan Johnson of Bybee Tenn told the associated press that Beason said the group had been a chosen by divine intervention to help prepare for the end of the world which was supposed to occur in about eight years from  a they were going to Florida to kick off preparations a said Johnson a Friend of Beason a for several years. A the real interesting part of this was that when the second coming of Christ occurred Jesus Christ was going to arrive in a spaceship a Beason a sister Carolyn Reed of Talbot tenn., told the stars and stripes on wednesday that the Soldier also had talked about the groups plans to unveil a government cover up of ufos in Florida. Gulf Breeze a Beach town near Pensacola where Beason and others in the group were trained at the defense departments cryptology school has been the site of numerous ufos sightings capt. Ken Hicks of the Gulf Breeze police department said that when he questioned several of the soldiers none talked about religion or ufos a they did no to say much of anything except that they planned to go out West and sort of live off the land somewhere out around Texas a Hicks said. Top concerns Are care by Steve Taylor Munich Bureau Aviano Italy a Quality of life issues such As child care and housing will top a list of recommendations from a defense advisory committee its chairwoman said thursday. Quot those Are issues that make life better for everyone a said Meredith Neizer chairwoman of the defense advisory committee on women in the services nine members of the committees executive panel Are pit a seven nation visit of overseas military installations. Following a Stop Friday in the azores the group will return to the United states after interviewing nearly 2,000 women in uniform. What May top the list is a recommendation that single parents and dual career military parents get priority at child news update repatriated remains phenom penh Cambodia apr with a Blessing by Buddhist monks six sets of human remains were flown out of Cambodia thursday for tests to see whether they Are the Bones of americans missing from the Vietnam War it was the first time since the end of the War in 1975 that communist Cambodia has allowed the repatriation of suspected remains of those missing in action or Mia a somber american military Honor guard escorted six Flag draped aluminium caskets on Board an air Force transport that took off for Hawaii where the remains will undergo forensic examination to try to identify them. The team had flown to phenom penh earlier thursday from Bangkok Thailand to join the group of military experts who had examined 28 sets of remains collected by the cambodians and chose six for further tests. Care centers. Gen. Crosbie Saint commander of the . Army Europe recently changed that policy eliminating priority treatment at army centers. A a that a a readiness Issue a Neizer said. A parents with military commitments must have  another Issue on top of the list is Mili Tail construction. Neizer said that she is going to take the Side of commanders who Nave told her that they still desperately need construction Money. A the services still need this Money no matter what happens in Europe a she said. Neizer noted that Congress May be thinking differently. While the committee can t actually lobby Congress members have some political influence As individuals she said. A third recommendation Neizer intends to make is to allow Community command ers More authority in setting rates charged by Home child care givers. She said that at some communities Home care givers Are getting up to three times what the military child care Center gets. Commanders must have the ability to regulate1 these rates to prevent the a a Doug i no of military families a she said. All of the panel members visiting Europe Are volunteers she said and Are Eart of a larger committee of 33 Mem ers. While the Cost of their two week overseas visit is paid by the military members pay their own Way when travelling to military installations in the United states Neizer said. Following an interview session with the panel one airman remarked that some of the issues had been around for a Long time. A i understand what they re doing but will anything be done a asked tech. Sgt. Sharon Crouse. A How Long will it take a and some men were feeling ignored. A they just left us men out a said staff sgt. Adrian Williams. Why did no to they bring in a mixed committee the issues Are the same men or  some women at Aviano agreed. A i done to understand Why they did no to bring in. Men a said Crouse referring to the committees interview process. But staff sgt. Joyce de Vaux said the issues affect women More a when you re Only 12 percent of a Large organization that a male controlled you need someone to stand up for your rights a she said. Neizer agreed with both Points of View. She said that the committee was Given the Job to make recommendations that Deal with women a issues but a Many times when we make recommendations they men Benefit also a she said. By a King Cruger Mediterranean Bureau the alleged victim of a rape aboard a Navy ship testified thursday that the rapist was it. . Robin e. Brown the Man on trial for the assault. Quot i woke up at 3 15 . Because or. Brown was hurting me Quot said the woman an officer whose name and rank have been withheld to protect her privacy. She was on the stand for the entire morning of the fourth Day of Browne a general court martial at naval station Rota Spain. Brown who is accused of one count of rape faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. In response to queries by the stars and stripes Navy spokesman it. Paul Weishaupt provided the information upon which this Story was written. The woman testified that she had gone out for a night on the town with a group of officers including Brown while their ammunition ship the Suribachi was docked in Cartagena Spain. The woman returned to the ship with a Friend a male officer and they went straight to their respective Cabins about 2 . April 4 she said. A the alleged victim said she went to sleep around 2 15 . She said she was awakened about 3 15 . By a Man who was raping her. She said she became aware that the Man was Brown As she fully awakened. Get off she said she told him and pushed him away. Brown fell off her lower bunk berth onto the floor and curled up there she said. She was upset she said and rolled away from Brown to face the Wall. When she looked Back she testified Brown had left her stateroom. The woman said she then woke up her female Roommate who had been asleep in the bunk above her and the Roommate summoned help. Rape victim says As she slept defense lawyer Marine capt. . Drescher asked the woman a series of questions intended to demonstrate that she could not be sure about everything that happened in her room that night but she was Adamant that she had been raped by Brown. Drescher raised the possibility that she May have mistaken Brown for another officer aboard the ship with whom she has a close relationship. Navy policy prohibits intimate relations Between male and female personnel aboard ships. A special agent of the naval investigative service testified thursday afternoon that she conducted the rape investigation aboard the Suribachi. She said she had obtained a statement from Brown in which he admitted saying that he had seen the female officer had an urge to have sexual Intercourse with her Ana did so. Drescher argued that those weren this client s words. But Lisa a. Pace the Nis agent countered that the statement admitted into evidence was Browne a army worker arrested in wife a death correction an article wednesday on the defense advisory committee on women in the services incorrectly identified the location of the 210th Field arty brigade. The brigade is located at Herzo base in her zone Nakrach West Germany. Bremerhaven West Germany a amps a a 40-year-old West German Man employed by the . Army was arrested in Denmark on thursday in the slaying of his wife who was also a . Employee. Jasmine Wagner 34, died in a Bremerhaven Hospital wednesday night after being shot in a local sports club restaurant about 5 10 p.m., said Georg Weber a Bremerhaven police department spokesman. The club is located in the Bremerhaven suburb of Leher Heide. She had worked at the Carl Schurz Cavern civilian personnel office As a sating Smice 1982, army Wagner was shot during an argument with a Man Weber said. The Man fired several shots from a Small Caliper pistol striking her once in the heart he said. The suspect Heinz Gunter Wagner works As an Illustrator for the military 1 Ravlic management command Bremer Haven terminal. He has worked for the . Army since 1974. No other information was available on the arrest in Denmark Weber said