European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 19, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 a a the stars and stripes wednesday september 19, 1990dugan called a a Little too honest by Deedee Arrington Doke Kaiserslautern Bureau air Force Gen. Michael a Dugan fired monday for talking about possible air strikes against Iraq was too honest for his own Good service members and civilians said in interviews tuesday. Defense Secretary Dick Cheney a firing of the air Force chief of staff also is expected to have a chilling effect on High level military officials willingness to be interviewed on sensitive issues observers predicted. That View was expressed despite the administrations claim it does not intend to muzzle commanders. An air Force Public affairs representative said a you know what this is going to do to the Public affairs Community. Its going to be impossible to get generals on camera  . Air forces in Europe officials would not comment on Dugans firing. The four Star general served As a Safe a commander for 14 months before becoming chief of staff three months ago. A i was shocked a said an air Force major assigned to Ramstein a West Germany. A a in a sure people Here Are bothered but with everything in the persian Gulf going on people Are just kind of pressing Forward with that. I guess you have to be very careful. A i would say he got caught being a Little too honest a said Collette Spangenberge a . Civilian. A admittedly maybe he should t have said what he did but i think what he said was what everybody a  an air Force staff sergeant assigned to Sembach a West Germany said Dugans firing scared him a a Little bit because if he can get fired for speaking his mind what about the rest of us a one High level . Official in Europe who spoke on condition of anonymity described Dugan As a a great Man a great Reader of people a real political animal. One of the quickest learning people in be Ever  the official added that it was too bad that Dugan had not held his office longer a before he was plunged into this  Rheinland Pfalz Interior minister Rudi Geil wrote Dugan a letter tuesday to wish him Luck in the future Ana to invite him to visit if Dugan returned to Europe ministry spokesman Jurgen Dietzen said. A there was a very close cooperative relationship Gen. Merrill Mcpeak who is to be nominated As air Force chief of staff is a Veteran Pilot who served in Vietnam. Mcpeak has 5,000 hours of flight time Washington a amps a Gen. Merrill a. Tony Mcpeak who will be nominated to become the next air Force chief of staff is a Veteran Pilot with More than 5,000 hours of flight time and 269 combat missions. He has also served a variety of assignments overseas. The 54-year-old commander of Pacific air forces at Hickam fab Hawaii has Broad experience in a variety of aircraft including the f-104, f-100, f-4, f-111 fi8hters. In the Early 1960s he flew f-100s for the 20th tac fighter Wing then based at Raf Woodbridge England. He later served with the 3rd air Force tactical evaluation team exercising and evaluating pilots and operational units in the United kingdom. He then flew Solo and Lead Solo positions for two years with the thunderbird the air Force s demonstration team before assignment to Vietnam during the War he flew of Loos with the 37th tac fighter Wing out of Phu cat a and later served in operational ground positions with the Wing. In 1976, he took command of the 513th combat support group at Raf Mildenhall England and a year later became vice commander of the 406th tac fighter training Wing at Zaragoza a Spain. He later assumed command of one of his old units the 20th tac fighter Wing which had moved to Raf upper Heyford England. He then served As chief of staff for Safe for a Little Over a year. During his 33-year career Mcpeak has had other assignments at stateside bases and with air Force Headquarters in Washington. He has been chief of Pacific air forces since july 1988. His Long list of awards includes the distinguished service medal Silver Star legion of Merit and distinguished flying Cross. He also holds Pilot wings from the air forces of Thailand Mexico and West Germany. Mcpeake a Hometown is Grants pass Ore. He is married and has two sons. Between minister Geil and general Dugan a Dietze Dugans daughter capt. Ann Mercer Learned Oft fathers firing monday evening in a phone Call her Mother. A i think he a still a Good Man and a Good officer in sorry the air Force is losing him As chief of staff a a Quot a Mercer the chief of engineering and construction Mal gement at Raf Chicksands England. Mercer said she did not know her fathers Blanc Cheney said Dugan would retire from the air Force a a in a sure hell take on whatever challenges come he Way a Mercer said. A a we la support whatever it k i plans to do in the  although she has not spoken to the rest of her family she said a a in a sure they re about in the same Nosi  v one . Official speaking on condition of Anonym Ltd said a i suspect we have not heard the last of him a contributing to the report staff writer Amy note Lomono. In England Convoy Security tightened after fake bomb threat by Peggy Davidson Kaiserslautern Bureau officials stepped up Security on trains transporting . Chemical weapons from West Germany on tuesday after police discovered a fake bomb with a message warning that terrorists were a going to play some  1116 fake bomb which an army official described As a a Box with some wires coming out of it a was found along the tracks near Kassel late monday. The note believed to have been written by a right Wing group from the Kassel area was made up of letters Cut from newspapers and magazines., it said a americans a tomorrow we Are going to play some music for  in an interview tuesday the commander of the 59th Ord brigade which controls the chemical weapons said the Security experts were not ignoring the threat. A i done to know what that Means a Brig. Gen. Dennis l. Benchoff said of the message a but the German police Are taking it very  monday nights train was the sixth of seven convoys carrying . Nerve agent shells to the North sea port of no Denham. On the first trip last thursday the three trains in the Convoy arrived about 1 hours late after a typewriter Case was discovered near the tracks. Communication problems and a loss in Brake pressure also plagued the first transport. In addition to the fake bomb engine problems also delayed monday nights transport. The first delay occurred at Darmstadt when train engineers noticed a Low Oil pressure Reading on one of two trains carrying the munitions. After a Short Stop to Check out the problem the train continued on to Kassel where the locomotive was replaced an army spokesman said. A second delay occurred Between Giessen and Lollar when another of the locomotives had to be exchanged because of a faulty electrical switch. A third problem with the trains occurred during the engine switch at Kassel when a communications problem Between the engine and the command car was discovered. The train Convoy arrived at no Denham at 7 30 . Tuesday about u/2 hours behind schedule. The More than 100,000 artillery shells Are being moved from Miessau in Southwest Germany to no Denham. From there the shells will be transported by . Navy ship to a Pacific atoll for destruction. The last train carrying the weapons was due to arrive in no Denham on wednesday morning