European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 19, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 a a the stars and stripes Friday october 19,1990 i of Blip Marine stumps Europe for peace by Joseph Owen Stuttgart Bureau Stuttgart Germany a while . Forces prepared this month for a possible fight in saudi Arabia one Marine reservist barnstormer Europe to fight his country a troop deployment in the persian Gulf. Reserve Lance Cpl. Erik Larsen visited peace activists in Italy Germany and the United kingdom before returning to the United states this week for an Antiwar rally in san Francisco. Larsen 23, of Hayward calif., told a Stuttgart gathering last week that he applied for a conscientious objector discharge in january and he intends to resist any attempts to Call him to Active duty. A i could no longer see myself As a protector of . Policies the same policies that were responsible for 70,000 deaths in Al Salvador in the last to years the same policies that shipped weapons to the Philippines instead of feeding people the same policies that sent fragmentation grenades to Angola a he said. Larsen encouraged other service members to organize resistance to operation desert shield a deployment he said is designed Only to sustain the arms Industry and keep Oil prices Down. A you have a Way out and you can follow your conscience a he said. The 20 or so people in his audience at the ecumenical Center in Stuttgart a Vaihinger District consisted mostly of German and american civilians. But two . Soldiers also attended. Pfc. Jonathan m. Bruce of cob 4th in 16th inf regt in Goppinger said he also is trying to get a conscientious objector discharge. The other Soldier said he wanted to keep his identity Ana plans confidential. The process through which a Soldier must apply for discharge As a conscientious objector is outlined in army regulation 600-43. Members of other service branches also May apply for such discharges As outlined in the naval military personnel command manual Section 1860120, chapters 18 to 50 air Force regulation 3524 or Marine regulation 1306.16d. Bruce 23, said he notified his commander of his intention to seek such a discharge on july 27, a week before Iraq invaded Kuwait. Once a Erik Larsen mechanized infantryman he now serves As a chaplains assistant while awaiting his cases outcome. A i applied on religious grounds basically a Bruce said adding that he is opposed to War in any form. A Contact with the military was the changing agent. I Wasny to a conscientious objector when i  the Lake Oswego ore., native said he enlisted in april 1989 to serve his country and to Benefit from what he thought would be rigorous discipline what he found in the army instead was sexism abusive behaviour and bad morale he said. Larsen said he joined the service at 18 because he Felt a sense of obligation to his country. A my parents Are danish immigrants who came to the United states in 1958, and i wanted to join the marines to pay Back to the United states what my family had been Given a said Larsen who Learned How to maintain the radar system for a Hawk missile. A i also wanted to protect this idea of democracy in stick and the american  but As a College student he said he began studying Central american history and became disillusioned by what he Learned about . Involvement in that Region he also found his training to be dehumanizing. A throughout my military experiences in be been taught to View people As targets and to condition myself to the terrible effects of War a Larsen said. A in Boot Camp during our five mile runs we would sing songs like a rape the town and kill the people that a the Only thing to  a v he said he accepted the financial support of peace groups including the Green party in Germany and the committee for nuclear disarmament in the United kingdom to speak in Europe because a i feel its part of my responsibility to make Gas think about their  Marine who died following fight identified despite budget cuts army refuses to a equal Opportunity program budget that could fall $333 million Short of what the command requested for operation and maintenance expenses. Congress has not yet passed the 1991 budget. Guenter Schlesinger said she is confident about the future of the program which attempts to protect soldiers and family members from discrimination and sexual harassment. A philosophically speaking i done to think the program will Ever go away totally a she said. A i think he Saint is extremely sensitive to the fact that its still  however the program May be affected by troop withdrawals she said. A most Likely a like probably every single program Here in Europe a it will change somewhat somehow a she said. A i can to really Tell you How or what because we re still in the Early stages of All that. But it will never go away because our goal is to ingrain to in the Normal function of  Guenter Schlesinger noted that Saint has emphasized the program by making commanders the focal Point of the last two annual equal Opportunity conferences. The Heads of the mar mands in Europe As Wel Mand sergeants major attended this years conference. The commanders taught the classes using their equal Opportunity experts As advisers Guenter Schlesinger said. The 20 previous conferences were devoted primarily to equal Opportunity advisers. Air army Cornell As their com Gas prices up 72% in Italy Nied by a 50 percent reduction in the Price of motor Oil. A the increase is due to the volatility of the crude Oil Market a said it. Cmdr. Richard Nelson assistant Supply officer at the Naples naval support activity. Nelsons department is responsible for tax free products at american bases throughout Italy. Prices for the fuel and Oil which Are sold through coupons at italian Gas stations Are set in negotiations with the italian Golem meant. Although motor Oil prices also Are affected by the Cost of crude the prices will be reduced for americans in an attempt to partially offset the Impact of the gasoline increases a spokesman said. The Price of a liter of the most expensive Oil Sint 2000, will drop from $5.70 to $2.85. Multi Grade Oil will drop from $4.60 a liter to $2.30. Italian Drivers still will pay up to three times More for gasoline than the americans mostly because of italian taxes. Currently for italians the Price of a gallon of super gasoline is $5.33. Diesel fuel costs $3.77 a  update hundreds detained Cairo Egypt up a egyptian police have detained hundreds of men who resemble composite sketches of five suspected pro iraqi terrorists and have received almost 2,000 tips from egyptians reporting that tenants neighbors and strangers look suspiciously like the widely published drawings reports said thursday. The men Are wanted for the brutal assassination of the speaker of parliament Rifaat Elmahgoub who was killed along with five others Friday when the men riddled his car with machine gun fire in the Center of Cairo. Egyptian newspapers and Security sources have said the gunmen were non egyptian Well trained assassins working for Iraq a bitter enemy of Egypt a in the Gulf crisis. Iraq has denied the reports alleging Mahgoub was killed by egyptians unhappy with president Hosni Mubarak a pro-. Policy in the  to Blacks Tokyo apr a Cabinet minister whose racial remarks infuriated Blacks has sent a letter of apology to Black . Lawmakers who Are demanding that he step Down foreign ministry officials said thursday. The letter by Justice minister Seiroku Kajiyama was delivered wednesday in Washington by japanese ambassador Ryohei Murata to rep. Ronald Dellums d calif., officials said. Dellums chairs the 24-member . Congressional Black caucus. Murata asked Dellums to reconsider the caucus Resolution urging president Bush to demand Kajiyama a resignation and an official apology from prime minister Toshiki Kaifu a ministry official said. Kaifu has expressed regret and rebuked Kajiyama but refused to fire him. After a police Roundup of foreign prostitutes in Tokyo Kajiyama compared the prostitutes with Blacks in the United tates. By Rosemary Sawyer staff writer Heidelberg Germany a the . Army Europe commander will not a the commands equal Opportunity program even in the face of Radical budget reductions a program official says. An August budget message from the army commands resource management office had proposed that the program be eliminated if other Money saving measures failed to sufficiently Cut command expenses. But Gen. Crosbie e. Saint has rejected that proposal said sue Guenter Schlesinger chief of the commands equal Opportunity office. The message proposed the action As a possible Way of helping offset a fiscal 1991crisis driving Naples Italy a amps a starting nov. 1, americans stationed in Italy will pay 72 percent More for gasoline than they did before the persian Gulf crisis. On that Date prices will jump 28 cents a gallon to $1.76. Before the aug. 2 invasion of Kuwait the Price was $1.02. A 100-liter Gas Coupon Book will Cost $46.50, up from $38.50. All three grades of gasoline a leaded unleaded and diesel a have the same Price. The nov. 1 increase will be Accomma Tokyo up a a . Marine who died at the Yokosuka Fleet activities Hospital sunday after a fight with another Marine has been identified As Cpl. Robert b. Hitchcock 23, of Spokane wash., . Forces Japan said wednesday. Hitchcock attached to sub unit 1, 1st army assault in 3rd Marine div at Camp Fuji West of Tokyo was taken to Yokosuka naval base sunday following a fight with a Marine from the same unit the . Military earlier reported. It said the other Marine whose name was withheld was in the custody of military authorities. The incident occurred while the Marine unit based on Okinawa in the Pacific was undergoing training at Camp Fuji it said. The announcement sunday said an autopsy conducted by the Navy at Yokosuka indicated that Hitchcock died from a j Blunt Force injury to the head. Hitchcock is survived by his wife Kimberly the announcement said. J