European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 23, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday August 23, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 9over Here by Deedee Arrington Doke Kaiserslautern Bureau Kapaun air station West Germany a staff sgt Tom Traynor a eyes glow behind his glasses when he remembers his Christmas stint As papa Noel for 80 or so Spanish girls a a they re All dressed up in their sunday Best a Traynor recalled. A a they re ready. They re waiting for their names to be called. A the real tiny ones Are afraid but the older ones know who i am. When they come up to get their gifts each one gives you a kiss on the Cheek. And by the end of the night All the gifts have been traded a he said chuckling. Such memories Are what Spur Traynor and his coworkers at the european comm div through their year round project of preparing a Bountiful Christmas for the Reli Giosmas i licenses Girts Home in Moron de la Frontera Spain. The Holiday gift giving and donations get a jump Start just As summer hits its stride in West Germany during the divisions Quot Christmas in August Quot Campaign. The Campaign which ends sept. 8, is one facet of operation Sleigh Bells a 34-year tradition for the unit. The first beneficiary was a children a Home in Liutala Finland which the division supported until 1978, when the children were All placed in Homes. For the next five years operation Sleigh Bells Money paid for Holiday season groceries for needy airmen. In 1984, the division scoured the continent for another children a Home to support and members of det 4, 2186th comm so at Moron suggested the Reli Giosa i licenses girls Home. The 40 girls housed at the institution Are not adoptable. Often their families cannot afford to care for them and place them in the nuns care. Or the Young girls come from broken Homes and Are left at the institution so that they can live in a stable environment. At one Point each girl was allowed Only one of the eggs ass Lynda Davidson Kathy Hill left and tech. Sgt. Beth burkes hang ornaments bearing photographs of the children on a Christmas tree in the units offices two meals served each Day at the Home because there Wasny to enough food. A these people were re ally needy a a Traynor said a a tie re a not a Whon lot of Money in the Moron Are it a division members a w raised nearly $35,000 since 1984 for the Home in red donated thousand of pounds of clothing to the Spanish girls. So far $5,800 has been raised for Christmas 1990. They raise Money throughout the year with car washes and the Sale of Root Beer floats and Popcorn among other projects. The funds have bought equipment for vocational schooling and new mattresses. Money also has been put toward a new building that the girls will move into this fall. A we can say a we do this. We take care of these girls a a said tech. Sgt. Beth burkes an information manager at the division. Quot How Many units can say that they Lake care of a girls Home Quot the sponsorship does no tend there. Every girls name age and photo is pinned to a paper Christmas ornament and Hung on one of several Small Trees at division offices during the Christmas in August Campaign. Each office is encouraged to take an ornament or two off the tree and return with presents for that particular child. Stuffed toys Arentt sent because they re readily available to the Young girls a former Home resident married into a family that manufactures the cuddly playthings. Jeans and Slacks arc also not accepted because the girls Arentt allowed to Wear them. As Christmas approaches some members of the division usually escort the presents to Moron via plane taxi and train and spend a few Days with the girls. One highlight of the trip is a dinner out at a local restaurant for the girls the nuns and the visitors. Traynor has made the trip three times. �?o1 go Down As often As possible Quot said the father of two sons. A if the girls could be adopted i would have already adopted two or three of them. In be seen these kids grow up. I love the Little  a the project Isnit popular with everyone. Some be Optye angry with the Spanish government for requesting that . Forces leave the country say the Mondy should go elsewhere. A say a look these Are Little girls. They have no political affiliation. They re not throwing us out of their country a a Traynor said. Quot somebody needs to take care of  storms still causing deaths in Europe by Mary Neth staff writer the deadly storms that ripped through Europe in february and March continue to kill. Eighty two people died across Europe As a direct result of the winds which reached speeds of 112 Mph said Kurt Eisenkramer state Secretary of the West German ministry for nutrition agriculture and forestry. Another 150 people have been killed in accidents while cleaning up the Forest destruction. West Germany with 31 percent of its land covered by Forest was hit hardest by the storms. Officials said 40 million to 70 million Trees were uprooted or broken by the winds. That added up to 78 million cubic Yards of Wood double the amount normally felled in a ear that had to be removed from West Germany a Forest floors. In comparison the storms left Only 10.2 million cubic Yards of damaged Wood in France 5 million cubic Yards in both Britain and Belgium and 3 million cubic Yards in East Germany. About 8.5 million cubic Yards were knocked Down in Czechoslovakia. Left on its own to rot the Wood would become the nesting place for millions of bark beetles that could endanger healthy Trees nearby. Eisenkramer said about 40 percent of the Wood had been treated or removed As of july. A up to now the feared bark Beetle calamity has been avoided Quot he said. A weather conditions and intensive Forest cleanups and spraying have prevented them from becoming a  to keep lumber prices from plunging the Wood hauled from the forests is being marketed by Means of Long term contracts Eisenkramer said. In addition after years of poor lumber sales Wood is again in fashion and being used widely in apartment buildings and for Home renovation he said. A it also will be needed for the extensive reconstruction work that will be needed Quot in East Germany Eisenkramer said. West Germany plans to replant about 217,360 acres of forests in the next few years to make up for the unprecedented damage caused by the storms he said. The Federal government has provided about $200 million to help pay for the plantings. Arc prepared to begin hiring stateside workers for Winter jobs by Steve Taylor Munich Bureau the armed forces recreation Center seriously Short of employees for its upcoming Winter season will again resort to hiring from the United states if vacant positions Arentt filled soon officials said. Charles Walker of Rcd a employee relations and development specialist was set to leave thursday unless a sudden surge in applications was received by the hotel Chain. He did no to think that would happen. This will be the second time the hotel Chain in Southern Bavaria has had to hire employees directly from the United states said arc spokesman Harry Connors. The first Lime was in May when it filled 40 positions with stateside applicants. While the number varies on a Day to Day basis arc is currently Short some 50 employees at its three resort areas in Garmise Chi Emsee and Berchtesgaden. Arc has been advertising in West Germany for the past month but without Success Connors said. The hotel Chain needs people to fill custodial food service and other entry level positions. In previous years arc has always had enough walk in applicants to fill seasonal requirements which jump about 200 positions in summer and Winter. The growth of the resort business in Bavaria coupled with the declining Dollar and relaxed travel requirements in Eastern Europe has reduced the number of people looking for work in Southern West Germany Walker said. In Bavaria alone there Are about 2,500 vacancies in the hotel Field up from 2,000 at the beginning of the summer he said. Arc has increased its beginning wage from $4.57 to $5.17 per hour mainly because the new jobs require More flexibility from employees Connors said. Under the previous system a person hired in food service would slay in that position but arc now moves employees to where they Are needed most. Walker could still be recalled from the United states if the number of local hires jumps within the next week Connors said. The recruiting efforts will be in the Denver and Minneapolis areas.1bad Luck prompts record traffic Jam Tokyo apr a powerful typhoon combined with the summer Holiday Rush to create the longest traffic Jam in Japan a history a an 84-mile-Long Highway mess the Japan Highway corp. Said tuesday. A it is the longest traffic Jam on record and it was basically caused by bad Luck a corporation spokesman Katsutoshi Furuya said. A Many Drivers were on the Road that Day because the typhoon had kept them off it the Day before. Every thing just seems to v have come together in the worst  about l5, 0 vehicles were involved in the traffic Jam which occurred aug. 12, he said. Japanese generally take holidays from aug. 10 to 19 to Mark obon or the festival of the dead. It is a time when families gather to pay respects to their ancestors. Typhoon Winona had caused Highway officials to close several sections of roads across the country just As the Holiday season was beginning the record setting traffic snarl occurred on a Highway Between Hyogo and Shiga prefectures in Western Japan