European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 07, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 b the stars and stripes sunday april 7, 1991astronauts radio thoughts to children Cape canaveral Fla. A Atlantis astronauts circling 286 Miles above Earth chatted with Texas youngsters in the first of four Ham radio contacts saturday with hundreds of schoolchildren around the country. A do you intend to re evaluate your life when you look at the Earth a one boy. Asked Pilot Kenneth Cameron. A when you float up Here above the Earth in a Tittle spacecraft and look Down at the big spacecraft that we All Fly on it makes us All think about what our priorities Are a Cameron replied. It other elementary students from Clear Creek Independent school District in Houston asked Cameron about the Gamma Ray Observatory aboard the shuttle. The Observatory was to be released sunday. A if we had to boil Down our Mission to one goal that goal would be to take Steps to continue to explore our universe a a Cameron told the children. A a we re going to do that by deploying Gamma Ray Observatory which will look outward to things that helped create and shape the beginning of the  fifteen children gathered at Johnson space Center in Houston for the conversation which lasted about 15 minutes. Atlantis astronauts planned to Contact youngsters from nine schools in seven states saturday with children listening in at about 20 other schools. The Crew set aside about a half hour of Cheney from Page 1_a base infrastructure is going to take some big whacks As Well a the defense department official said. Congress created the commission after a heated debate Over a list Cheney  Congress in january 1990. Most of the bases named were Iball turd in democratic districts. A critics charged the move was a Republican political bomb timed to hamper democrats re election campaigns since bases provide jobs for thousands of voters. The new eight member base closure and realignment commission is designed to eliminate that kind of partisan. Feuding by taking the selection process away from Congress and the and m Mist ration. A a a. After the commission acts on Cheney a proposals the package then goes to president Bush whose Only options Are to accept it As is or reject it completely. Once the president is satisfied with the list it goes to Congress where lawmakers have 45 Days to look it Over. As with the president Congress must vote  entire package a lawmakers cannot add or delete individual bases. The list becomes final unless both Chambers of Congress vote against it. A rejection by either House would not be enough to Block the closings. A if we do this logically the. Bases that should be High on the list Are ones sitting on valuable land near big cities in states that have a number of other Large military bases a said a staffer with the Senate armed services committee. Another prime criteria should be to close bases with missions and organizations that Are identical at other bases he said. A. The Law Calls for the defense department and Tulve commission to draft closure lists again in 1993 and 1995. Both Are non election years. But Pentagon officials said the bulk of the closings might Well be accomplished with the 1991 list. Their second Day in space to talk with the youngsters. Cameron was the Only one with an operators License when the Amateur radio Experiment was added to the five Day Mission. The Experiment provided incentive for the rest of the Crew to get their licenses too. A a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a we re the Only shuttle flight Ever probably the Only space flight Ever with the whole Crew being licensed hams a Mission commander St Veri Nagel joked while preparing for the flight. A we were hams before but now we re  the four men and one woman aboard Atlantis spent their first Day in orbit moving the shuttles 50-foot mechanical Arm preparing for sundays release of the Gamma Ray Observatory. The Mission also will include the first spacewalk by americans in More than five years. Rookie astronaut Jay Apt was ecstatic about his first View of Earth. A you wont believe How Beautiful Hawaii just looked a Apt said. A i can see Mauna Kea. It had some Snow and it was  a. ,. A a a. A a. Jerry Ross who took nasal a last spacewalk on dec. 1, 1985, and Apt will go outside sunday if there is a problem with the Observatory a solar panels or Antenna during deployment. Quot their big Outing though is monday. They will spend six hours in the open cargo Bay testing carts and tools for Rookie astronaut Jay Apt wears a space helmet while breathing pure oxygen in preparation for his spacewalk. Building a space station. Ross examined the spacesuits saturday in preparation of a possible Outing sunday. Both he and Apt donned helmets to breathe pure oxygen and rid their bodies of nitrogen so they do hot experience the a a bends while walking in space. The pressure inside Atlantis Cabin also was lowered amp to reduce the amount of time their bodies will need to adjust to the Low pressure inside the suits. The $617 million 17-ton Gamma Ray Observatory is the heaviest scientific payload Ever carried by a space  from Page 1 Marne sector of France on sept. 29, 1918. A with Complete disregard of personal danger under devastating fire a Stowers crawled Forward leading his squad toward an enemy machine gun nest that was decimating his company according to an army citation. A the squad destroyed the machine gun nest and was moving toward a second Trench line when Stowers was gravely wounded by More machine gun fire. He pressed ahead urging on his squad members until he died. A inspired by Stowers selfless heroism and bravery company c continued its attack against incredible Odds contributing to the capture of Hill 188 and causing Neavy enemy casualties a the army citation stated. The Effort that has resulted in Stowers recognition stemmed from congressional pressure applied in 1988 by former reps. Joe Dioguardi r-n.y., and Mickey Leland a Texas. The lawmakers wanted the military to review the records of Black troops from world War i who. Had received High us. Or French military honors to see whether any were denied the medal of Honor due to discrimination. Although the Pentagon studied numerous records Stowers is the Only world War i service member to receive the nations highest military award in connection with the efforts of Dioguardi and Leland. No other reviews Are pending a military official said. Bush is scheduled to present the medal to Stowers surviving Sisters at a White House ceremony april 24.Iraq from Page 1 rebels and trudged toward Turkey and Iran fearful of president Saddam Hussein a vengeance. Iraqis ruling revolutionary command Council announced the amnesty offer Friday. The official iraqi news Agency said the Pardon covers rebels and iraqi army deserters but omits people guilty of premeditated killing rape or theft. Turkeys foreign minister Ahmet Kur Tecube Alp Timocin said saturday that about 1,500 iraqi refugees had1 died Over the past few Days of hunger disease and exposure while fleeing toward the turkish Border. He told reporters in Ankara that families had brought the bodies of dead relatives with them and they were buried in mass Graves along the Border. Kurdish rebels in the North and shiite Muslim guerrillas in the South  topple Saddam it after  Allied forces routed the iraqi army. Saddam a troops appear to have recaptured most areas and civilians fear retribution. At least 100,000 kurd had fled into Turkey and 246,000 others were encamped along the Border turkish officials said Friday. Iran has absorbed 120,000 refugees from iraqis kurdish provinces arid Huri dress of thousands More reportedly were waiting to Cross. Diplomats around the world have called for the humane treatment of the refugees and Many countries have offered Aid for them. The United states and Britain announced plans to air drop food blankets and clothing to rebels in the kurdish mountains. Two cargo planes took of from Germany on saturday carrying 20 tons of Relief supplies including tents Beds Medicine and medical supplies for the kurdish refugees. Transport planes were to begin Parachute drops sunday. _ in other Mideast developments a Secretary of state James a. Baker Iii was to leave saturday on a trip to Turkey Israel Egypt Syria and Switzerland to Deal with the problems of kurdish refugees and a slowdown in the drive for Middle East peace talks. V a a kurdish expatriate in London said saturday that he was recruited by the saudi government to make broadcasts urging fellow kurd to topple Saddam. Or. Fariad Hiwa Izi said he and other expatriates recorded the speeches for clan. Destine voice of free Iraq in february and March believing that Western nations would Aid an uprising. A Perez de Cuellar planned to inform the Security Council on saturday on his plan to form an observer group of about 400 officers to Monitor human rights in Iraq. A a a his plan followed an unprecedented Friday vote by the Security Council condemning iraqis repression of its kurdish population and demanding it end the repression immediately. Sold lev to to n sail or die i n g u if area Riyadh saudi Arabia apr the . Central come on saturday reported two More non combat deaths in operas Tion desert storm including a woman Sailor. The command said the Sailor assigned to patrol Sqq a 4 in support of desert storm was found dead Friday morning by other sailors in a restroom in her bar she died of an apparent heart attack the command a Aid but the cause is under investigation. Patrol so 4 is based in Barbers Point a Hawaii and has operated in the arabian Peninsula during operation desert storm. A Soldier died Friday when his vehicle collided with a civilian tractor trailer in dam Mam saudi Arabia. The Soldier was dead on arrival at the 85th evacuation Hospital. He was assigned to he arid he co 7th trans group 22nd support come. The names of the dead were withheld pending notification of their relatives. Non combat deaths now almost match the number of americans killed in action during the War a 115 is. 139, according to . Come reports