European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 15, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 the stars and stripes saturday june 15,1991 ordered to pay fare by Deedee Arrington Doke Kaiserslautern Bureau Span Dahlem a Germany a colonel who oversaw the 52nd tac fighter wings financial and transportation agencies has had to repay the air Force $740 for a free round trip ticket to the United states for which he was not qualified. A. A department of defense inspector general investigation determined that col. Herbert s. Smith was not entitled to emergency leave and subsequently the free air fare on a commercial Airliner when he went to the United states in october 1989 because an Uncle had died. Smith was Deputy commander for resource management at Span Dahlem until he left May 24. He was responsible for Supply transportation comptroller resource plans and contracting activities. The investigation was part of the Dod Ign a scrutiny of a series of allegations filed last year against col. Rudolf Peksens 52nd tac fighter Wing commander. The Dodig recently released its findings in two separate documents to the stars and stripes. Names were crossed out in the report. The stars and stripes identified those involved through a copy of the in complaint that was Given to the newspaper last summer. One document dealt with the Spang Dahlem command allegedly overstepping its authority and the other dealt with other allegations. None of the second set a of allegations was substantiated. The in did not find Peksens Smiths direct supervisor of fault for granting Smith the unauthorized emergency leave and government paid travel. \ but the in said that Smith had to pay Hack the government for the plane fare. It also directed Smiths supervisors to a take other corrective action s As deemed tech. Sgt. Dave Torrence a base spokesman said no other actions were taken against Smith since it was determined he had no criminal intent to de warns from Page 1 Brackin then commander of the 52nd Mission support so at Span Dahlem testified on behalf of a senior airman in his unit during the sentencing phase of a court martial in february 1990 in which the airman had admitted to drug use. The airman who had an outstanding work record received a four month jail term demotion to airman Basic and a $480 per month Fine for four months. But the court did not give him a punitive discharge meaning dishonourable or bad con duct instead he later was Given a general discharge through administrative channels. A general discharge is seen As having a less Adverse Impact on a persons ability to find work outside the air Force. In investigators found that Peksens remarks were improper and created a a command influence problem a according to a memorandum from Susan j. Crawford of the in office to Secretary of the air Force Donald Rice. Ino transcript of the Span Dahlem meeting was available Crawford said. A but testimony from those present indicated Pek Sens talked about the incompatibility Between drug use and retention in the air Force and made at least an indirect reference to the recent court martial although he did not mention the name of the Squadron commander involved a she wrote. Crawford said that several people who heard Peksens comments told the in that they understood him to be advising them a not to testify in support of retention for convicted drug a May 23 interview with the stars and stripes Peksens said he a absolutely did not intend to adversely affect the military Justice system on this base.�?�. Peksens said he had been talking about the air Force policy on drug use a and if they did no to understand it they were to review it or to discuss it with jag judge advocate a j the policy states a drug abuse is incompatible with military service and airmen who abuse drugs one or More times Are subject to discharge for it also says that an air Force member found to have abused drugs will be discharged unless he or she meets All of seven criteria outlined. One criteria is that the drug abuse was an Experiment out of curiosity peer pressure or other similar reasons. A a a a a a a a a since the in investigation Peksens said he had discussed his comments at the meeting with Gen. Robert Oaks . Air forces in Europe commander and maj. Gen. James Chambers 17th air Force commander. A a a a. A a a no disciplinary action was taken against. Peksens a because there was no evidence of intentional wrongdoing a said maj. Jay de Frank a 17th air Force spokesman Peksens met last november with those who were at the original gathering and still worked at Span Dahlem to Tell them that the decision to testify is a a personal Call. Individuals or commanders will not be second guessed or criticized by me for their a seventeenth air Force Legal officials last summer reviewed five drug related courts martial at Span Dahlem after Peksens comments. They found no evidence of command influence said col. Charles Heimburg 17th air Force staff judge advocate. After learning of the complaint officials reviewed a who Aid what a pleas findings sentences witnesses a essentially whether people were inhibited from testifying a Heimburg said. A we just find anything a Heim Burg said. The five cases included four convictions and one acquittal. In one Case senior noncommissioned officers testified on behalf of the accused. Air Force office of special investigations agents testified on behalf of another. government. He left Span Dahlem in May upon his retirement from the air Force. Smith told investigators that lie regarded the Uncle As his father though no evidence was found the Uncle had actually raised Smith. A relative such As an Uncle must qualify As a in Loco Parentiss for an Ajr Force member to get emergency leave and free transportation Home when the relative Dies. Air Force regulations define a in Loco Parentiss As a one who stood in place of a Parent to the member. 24 hours a Day for a period of at least 5 continuous years before the member. Became 21 years of the Ign a findings say that after Reading the regulation at investigators direction Smith i said he had never read it before and that his Uncle did not qualify As an a in Loco Parentis a he paid Back $692 last november and had to pay an additional $48 in january after a financial audit revised the amount due. Smith did not show up for a scheduled interview with the stars and stripes on May 23 to discuss the incident. Torrence said Smith was in the process of checking out from the base to retire and left May 24. According to Smiths october 1989 emergency leave orders he was scheduled to stay at Span Dahlem until 1992. Torrence said the colonels Early departure was Smiths a personal from Page 1 a grappling with military budget cuts around the world had considered pulling out of this wears air show until the Pentagon agreed to pay much of the delivering . Military hardware Here. Dick Wright manager of Trade shows and exhibitions for the firm said the department of defense asked Raythelon to attend. Quot Dod approached us because they were going to put a lot of operation desert storm weapons Here and they asked us to support them a he said. Judging by air show attendance Friday the first Day the general Public could attend the 11-Day event Rathe on a decision to come to Paris was Worth it. A before the Gulf War people did no to know what the Patriot was a Wright said. A there we be gotten 10 times the interest in the first two Days that we got last september at the big air show in Farnborough As always at the show the line Between corporate promotion of military equipment and the military a interest in putting new technology to work is a Fine one. 1 but . Military personnel attending the event say they Are going to great pains not to promote any particular defense contractor while featuring the aircraft and other equipment that vanquished Iraq. A the image of the american aerospace Industry was really enhanced by operation desert storm and bringing the . Military Here with its planes and technology will reinforce that image a said it. Col. John t. Kirkwood chief of Public affairs with the air Force systems come Headquarters at Andrews fab Maryland. A a we re not Here to sell any particular contractor but aerospace in general As a major . Export a Kirkwood said. I air Force maj. Robert Taylor an electronics warfare. And avionics expert from the air forces Wright research lab at Wright Patterson ,1 Ohio said the air show gives the military a a Chance to put a plug in for operation desert storm and the advanced systems we think Are 1 a. . Military aircraft Arentt making demonstration flights at the air show however in part because of the Cost involved. Still military officials Are putting on a Good show. The Star of the event As expected continued to be the f-117a stealth fighter. Crowds gathered throughout the Day Friday to snap photos of the radar eluding Black aircraft and to get pilots autographs. Attendance at the air show Friday was Strong despite a morning drizzle and overcast skies. By midday though Blue skies had appeared and flyovers by commercial and military aircraft including the so Viet unions Mig-31 fighter were under a Serviceman dashes from his Post As volcanic Ash Falls Friday on Clark i from Page 1 i lava from the we Klong eruptions. A a it a very Beautiful a Abs gun reporter Vic Lima said in a report from the scene. A a there a a Stream of Orange flow on the two sides of the but later Raymundo Punongbayan director of the philippine Institute of volcanology and seismology said the glow was actually an a i incandescent pyroclastic flow a hot gases stones Ana Ash that travel at High speeds and Are an even greater threat than lava. Meanwhile typhoon Zyunya was bearing Down on the Eastern coast of the Island of Luzon which includes mount Pinatubo. It was expected to come ashore late saturday or sunday near Baler 90 Miles Northeast of the Volcano. Storm warnings were raised Over much of Luzon and heavy rain fell Friday in Manila and provinces around the Volcano scientists fear that rain from the typhoon will unleash mudflows a giant Rivers of Earth boulders and debris fused together by Sticky volcanic Ash a that could Bur it whole towns As far As 25 Miles a Way. A British newspaper the guardian reported thursday that the americans declared a nuclear Alert at Clark late wednesday and informed governments in Manila and Hong Kong that a a nuclear Accident in the Region was possible if Gurkis weapons caches were destroyed in an eruption. Aquino told reporters the Story was a baseless and purely fabricated a and foreign Secretary Raul Mang Lapus said he had not been informed of any such Alert. The United states refuses to confirm or deny that it stores nuclear weapons in the Philippines. Mang Lapus also said the eruption should have no effect on talks on the future of Clark and Subic whose lease expires sept. 16. The talks Are deadlocked Over compensation and the duration of a new agreement and the eruptions cast doubts whether Clark can be used in the near future. Quot i Mang Lapus chief philippine negotiator 1 said it was up to Washington to decide i whether it no longer wants Clark in Japan . Military officials said 18 i american warplanes 10 f/a-18 Hor j nets two p-3s and six a-4 sky Hawks had \ been moved since thursday from the Phil i Pines to Kadena a in the town of a 7 Dena on Okinawa Island 1,000 Miles 1 Southwest of Tokyo. A Subic spokesman Robert Coble said r Many of the planes were based on Okinawa and had been in the Philippines for i training. To
