European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 10, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Women from Page 1for a new Aii Basc at Croton Italy. The base would House the 401st tac fighter Wing which must leave Torrejon a Spain. On other personnel issues the panel accepted Pentagon plans to trim Active duty strength to just under 1.9 million by the end of fiscal 1992, a Cut of More than 106,000 from authorized end strength for this fiscal year. But the committee voted to ease cuts in the Reserve components approving personnel Levels that would leave 67,496 More reservists on duty at the end of fiscal 1992 than the Pentagon had wanted. The panels action on the combat role of military women comes just a few weeks after the defense advisory committee on women in the services recommended abolishing current combat exclusion Laws which Date to 1948. In the Wake of the invasion of Panama and the Gulf War a growing chorus of critics has said the Laws no longer made sense because women were As much at risk As men on the Modem Battlefield even if they were technically barred from combat jobs. A those Laws were designed for a Type of combat that we will never see again a said Carolyn Becraft who studies women in the military for the  and education Institute. Five women died in combat in the Gulf and eight others died in accidents according to Pentagon statistics. Women who Fly and work on ec-130 Compass Cal electronic combat aircraft at Sembach a Germany were pleased with the committees action. Air Force 1st it. Isie Schwarz a Pilot assigned to Sembach a 66th electronic combat Wing flew 10 electronic combat missions from in Ciurlik. A Turkey during the Gulf War. /. Schwarz 24, said she would have wanted to Fly f-15 Eagle fighters if the restrictions against women Hadnot been in place. A a it a kind of too late for me to Fly a fighter now but 1 think its Good a Schwarz said. A in the air Force i m not sure there Are any jobs that women   capt Mary Beth Bleyl also pilots ec-130s. She stayed at Sembach curing the War. A if they women could do ec-130s during the War what a the difference i think the right women can Fly fighters As. Well As the right men a said Bleyl 29. A there Are wimpy men and there Are wimpy women As Well As aggressive men and aggressive  a sgt. Kristine Hauswirth 24, an ec-130 Mission Crew member is working on her private pilots License. She said she believed allowing women to Fly fighters would a open a lot of doors for people who have that drive and desire. They done to want to see that Brick Wall that says you can to go any further.�?�. Schroeoer a amendment initially addressed Only the air Force because officials with that service seem to be the most agreeable to widening the roles of women her aide said. The air Force currently bars women from Only 3 percent of its Job slots. Rep. Beverly Byron d-md., who chairs the committees military personnel panel advocated expanding the Bill language to include the Navy and Marine corps saying there is no difference Between combat flying assignments in those a services and the air Force. That is an important Point said Doug Bandow a military manpower expert with the Cato Institute a Washington think tank. A if you let women Fly Navy combat air Craft you get into the area of assigning women to the carriers from which Many Navy combat aircraft Fly a he said. A then you get into the area of opening other Navy combat ships to women. That strikes me As being the next logical step in the  defense department officials had no it immediate comment in the committees combat exclusion provision. Current exclusion provisions Stem from two Federal Laws and on assignment policies based on defense department interpretation of those Laws. The Laws affect Only the air Force and Navy and by Extension the Marine corps. They prohibit women from serving aboard aircraft or ships that have or could be expected to have a combat Mission. The army a exclusion is not a Law but a policy developed by the service that closes certain units to women based on their a combat probability code a a measure of the likelihood that a unit could engage in direct combat. The Bill must be debated by the full House. The Senate armed services committee will begin work on its own version of the Bill in the next few weeks. Contributing to this report staff writer a Sass Are ringtone docs in Garmany Salute from Page 1 of the year a Soules said. A the Navy a gone six months at a  Soules said soldiers separation time tends to be unpredictable. The two women a husbands first sgt. . Soules and sgt. 1st class Mark Mello both of 4th in 18th inf regt in Gellhausen Ger Many spent nearly five months of 1990 in the Field before deploying to saudi Arabia in december. The lifestyle takes its toll on spouses Many of whom Are 20 or younger and away from Home for the first time. There arc also cultural and language obstacles for foreign born spouses to overcome. A a some wives get lost a said Mello noting that up to half the spouses Are Active in Community activities. The rest for a variety of reasons choose to not get involved Ana those Are the ones that spouses such As Mello and Soules try to help. A i do it because i know How the system works a said Mello who describes herself As a a a Catchall worker at the Hanau army Community service. A i know who to turn to for  Soules motivation to help spouses extends beyond her role As a first sergeants wife. A i was a Young wife married to a deployed Al in Germany at one time and i turned to another wife for help. After she helped me i asked How i could repay her and she said that i should help someone else someday a Soules said. A we have to be Tough enough of survive but soft enough to care about others a Mello said. A we ask ourselves and we ask our children to grow up much faster than they should have to a Soules said. A and i think that a what makes us so Tough. We re born into it we marry into  and Mello added a we die in  rape from Page 1 touched off a debate Over press Freedom and the pub lies right to know is. Rape victims privacy. In Washington Smith said thursday a a in a very confident that when this thing is resolved that ill be Able to stand by my original statement which was that i did no to commit an offence of any kind. In Florida sexual Battery is the same charge As rape state Legal officials said. Second degree sexual Battery is a rape that uses physical Force Ana violence not Likely to cause serious personal injury. A defendant with no prior criminal record could face a sentence ranging from probation to 41/2 years under sentencing guidelines. Smiths attorneys indicated that they intend to have him surrender to the Palm Beach police department Early next week said police chief Joe Terlizzese. Smith has declined to talk to police on advice of his lawyers. Smiths Miami attorney Mark Schnapp did not immediately return a Call. Senator Kennedy said in a statement issued in Washington a i have great affection and respect for Willie. I have every Confidence that when All the facts Are known about this Case Willie will be found  senator Kennedy and his son Patrick Kennedy were at the family mansion at the time of the incident. Service held at Rhein main for go killed in Cycle crash Rhein main a Germany a a memorial service was held at Rhein main on thursday afternoon for a Soldier who died monday in a motorcycle Accident. Spec. Michael e. Hunter jr., assigned to Usa eur Headquarters apparently lost control of his motorcycle shortly after Midnight while travelling on Highway b-44 about a Mie from the base an army spokesman said. The 20-Ycar-old Soldier was pronounced dead at the scene by German medical officials. Hunter a native of St. Paul minn., had been a Security escort for the army a visitor coordination Center at Rhein main since june 1989. He is survived by his father Michael e. Hunter sr., of St. Paul. Policy from Page 1 \ ruled out commercial travel by the chief of staff and National Security adviser. Non official travel by National Security adviser Brent scowcroft has been slight and has drawn no criticism. In a separate report to the president Gray said Sun Gnu was guilty of a innocent misunderstanding in some cases. For the most part the chief of staff did nothing a Quot wrong and followed existing travel policy in his extensive political and personal use of military aircraft. Gray told the president. Sununu said the review a reflected the requirement of the existing policy  it Clear i had to Fly on gov Ern Merit aircraft. He said additional reimbursements a not detailed by the report a were being made. A White House statement announcing the changes said that a to ensure that military aircraft Are used Only when necessary the new policy will require the White House counsels office to review on a Case by Case basis All requests for travel on military  Bush banned the use of government planes for personal travel without immediate and compelling need such As a family illness. In those cases Gray a office must determine that Security communications or scheduling considerations require a military plane. The new policy allows the use of a military plane on a political Outing if the predominant purpose of the trip is official. Even then the counsels office would have to f return to Hahn a Germany a Twenty three f-16c jets returned to their Home base and a Flag waving Welcome thursday after More than four months in the Middle East. A a a a a Quot a. A a a a a / a it. Col. Edward Houle commander of the 10th tac fighter so piloted the Lead aircraft that touched Down at about 5 30 . _ the group from Hahn which departed for the Gulf Region on dec. 29, was temporarily assigned to the 363rd tac fighter Wing provisional unit deployed from Shaw fab . The 10th tac fighter so flew from a Forward operating location just 60 Miles from the iraqi Border the Only f-16 unit in the War to do so. The Squadron flew 1,378 ground to air combat Sor determine that Security communications or scheduling needs require a military plane. Bush did not change the policy for Sununu and n scowcroft to reimburse the government for non official business. In those instances they will be required to pay the government Only the commercial coach rate plus one Dollar a often Only a tenth of the real Cost of operating the plane. A where the chief of staff or National Security adviser take an official trip and also engage in an incidental political activity on the trip some part of commercial coach fare will be charged to the sponsor of the political event a a White House statement said. Gray raised some questions about Sununu a calling skiing vacations a a official business but noted in each instance Sununu had Given speeches thus allowing the trips to be considered at least partly business. However Gray said a there does not appear to be any official purpose for a june 21, 1990, trip to his dentist in Boston. Gray said that Sununu listed several trips As official business that should have been at least partly characterized As  one example a May 21, 1989. Gop fund raising dinner in new York City on the same Day that Sununu delivered a commencement address at St. Johns College. But by the same Token Gray said that some Sununu a a political trips actually were More official in nature such As a july 29,1990, address to the National governors conference in Mobile Ala. In this Case Thuc Republican National committee is entitled to a refund from the Treasury the report said. Ties in 4tdays during operation desert storm averaging 34 missions per Pilot. The. Unit dropped a total of 4,293 bombs on enemy targets. The Only loss was a Jet flown by capt. Bill Andrews who was shot Down and taken prisoner by the iraqis. Andrews was later released and has returned to Hahn. About 550 of the 900 service members from Hahn Are still deployed. The base has a total military population of 5,500. The maintenance Crew from the 50th tac fighter Wing at Hahn compiled a 99.7 percent weapons release Rale the highest of the three aircraft maintenance units in the provisional command