European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 30, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday june 30, 1991 the stars and stripes b Page 9neu-Ulm bids fond Farewell of americans by Joseph Owen Stuttgart Bureau Neu Ulm Germany a Vernon Walters might have used a line from an old beatles song a a you say goodbye and i say hello a a to describe his trip wednesday evening to this City on the Danube. The american ambassador to Germany had never been to Neu Ulm until the City Council conferred honorary citizenship on him during his three hour visit. So when he greeted them at a City conference Center As a fellow citizen he really was saying a a hello for the first. Time.  ��.�, the Council decided to Honor the ambassador As a Way of saying goodbye to All the americans in the Neu Ulm military Community. It picked Walters in order to avoid showing favouritism by selecting any one of the former military Community commanders Neu Ulm lord mayor Peter Biebl said. The City did no to ignore those commanders however. It invited them to return to Neu Ulm with their wives for a visit paid All their., travel expenses and presented them with medals. ,. The City also threw a Farewell party wednesday at the Wiley Barracks recreation Center Complete with free food drinks and entertainment for the whole military Community. Or what s left of it. Most Community residents arc expected to leave by August but Angela Courtney a 22-year-old american employee of merchants National Bank said she will stay in Neu Ulm despite the army a withdrawal from the City. She was born there and never has lived anywhere else. A a it a breaking my heart. Its breaking a big part of my life a Courtney said of the closure. A most of my friends left already and the rest is going to leave this  her father Charles Courtney is a Vietnam Veteran who served under Wal ters when the ambassador was an army ambassador Vernon Walters and maj. Gen general. Now a retired contracting office who lives in Neu Ulm with his German wife Renate Courtney said he is going to miss the american facilities when they close in september. The Community was one of three Sites where the army had deployed Pershing ii missiles. The missiles were removed and destroyed earlier this year in accordance with Ai 1987 treaty with the soviet Union and the 56th Field arty comes amps Joseph Owen Horst Albrecht at the festivities. Units that maintained them have been disbanded. The. Military Community which once was Home for nearly 9,0.00 american troops civilian workers and family members will hold its official Clos Irig ceremony on july 26 at Wiley Barracks spokeswoman Liz Francy said. Biebl noted that 973 Neu Ulm women had married . Soldiers Over the intervening 46 years. A now Well have to marry our women ourselves a he said jokingly after the award ceremony at the conference Center. V the intermediate Range nuclear a orces treaty helped reduce cold War tensions in 1987. Since that time the United states and the soviet Union have been withdrawing other forces from Germany As Well. Walters referred obliquely to that trend wednesday when he addressed a recreation Hall full of americans and germans doing their Best to de Nolish Mounds of sausages pretzels French Fries Beer anti other refreshments at Wiley Barracks. \ a a we. Name Here to make sure there would be no War and there has been no War in Europe. And now practically All of Europe is free a  said. The decision to Honor Walters  controversy among the Council members. The Green party members who stayed away from the festivities wednesday disapproved of the decision citing Walters background As a Cia official and pointing out that he had no personal connection to Neu Ulm. But in his address to Walters Biebl recalled that the ambassador was one of the hundreds of thousands of american soldiers wounded in the fight to rid. Europe of the nazi dictatorship during world War ii and had fostered democracy in Germany by helping to implement the Marshall plan in inc late 1940.s lie said the award to Walters also was Neu Ulm a Way of thanking the departing americans for freeing up valuable real estate in a . . And German officials still Are negotiating about restitution for the prop cry the army is vacating Walters said. Asked whether he knows who his successor will be Walters said a i do but i can to Tell  that secret was a unveiled Friday by president Bush. It is Robert m. Kimmitt 43, a graduate of the . Military Academy at West Point. A by j. King Cruger staff writer the loss of hell Nikon Abs annual $44 million payroll health care facilities employment and a built in clientele for businesses on the Economy will affect a spectrum of greeks and americans from travellers to landlords. / t /. Hell Nikon located on the outskirts of Athens closed Friday. It had Long been a popular destination with people taking hops aboard military Airlift come flights. They would drink  greek capitals history and often steam off by ferry to the islands of my Konos Santorini or Crete. Those Days already Are past. Mac stopped regular flights into Athens in March. Now military vacationers depending on Low Cost  to Greece must take Mac flights to the naval support activity at Souda Bay or to Irak lion Airport both on Crete. To get to Athens from there involves Money and time. A 40-minute commercial airline flight from Irak lion to Athens costs Aboul $120 roundtrip. A one Way 11-hour ferry ride from one of several ports on Crete costs about $40. ,. V military id cardholders used to stay at hellenic Kong a posh but inexpensive Beac Side billeting facility the Apollon Foo Tel. Twice picked As the Best air Force billeting facility in Europe the Apollon closed april 15. Nov military travellers must find lodging i the Economy. About 250 american. Military retirees live in the Athens area according to John Williams 6e., president of the association of retirees in Greece. Williams who retired to Athens in 1972 after 26 years in the air Force said the biggest Impact Halle Nikon a closure has on military retirees is the loss of medical care. A hell Nikon s base Hospital took great care of us. Now Well have to go to greek hospitals or to the air Force Hospital at Iraklion air station on Crete Williams  a some of our members have already been to Iraklion Sas. Gary Miller pub owner Kosta Sarafis is already feeling the economic Downside of hellenic Kong a closure. And the Hospital has been very very Good about accommodating us. But its a Long Way away from where we live a said Williams who like most members of the my Hilary Retiree Community in Athens is married to a greek. Hellenic Kong a closure also brings with it a loss of Job opportunities for retirees Job seekers and a a couple of Young retirees who done to think they re capable of by ing away from the military have already moved near the . Installations on Crete a Williams  the number of Active duty . Military in the Athens area will soon number fewer than Lek a the air Force will continue to run a Post office and a commissary in the greek capital that will be accessible to  workers also must Job Hunt in a new direction. Hell Nikon a employed about 650 greeks when the draw Down leading to fridays closure began. The base began letting employees go last october and paid greek employees a total of $2.5 million according to Sally Cunningham the bases civilian personnel officer. A Many of the terminated employees worked Here for 25 years and they Are at an age when they can to find other jobs a Cunningham said. Unions representing the bases greek workers struck for 42 Days last fall in an unsuccessful Effort to obtain Job guarantees from the greek government for Laid off employees. Only 25. Former base employees Are being transferred to jobs at . Installations at Iraklion and Souda Bay. More than 3 x former employees applied for the 25 positions according to Cunningham. A the . Forces Are known As Good employers and there is a lot of interest on the part of the greeks to continue working for the .,�?� Cunningham said. Job losses at the base however Are not the Only economic Impact stemming from i Nellc Nikon a closure. A when the americans left no new business came in to replace them a said Kosta Sarafis owner of Kostas pub in the heart of Gly Fada a nearby resort. A my business is Way Down plus there Are no tourists around this year a Sarafis said. A a it a going to be a bad  Gly Fada already suffers from the Lack of american military customers according to George Fassoulas owner of Georges Steak House Long a favorite with americans in Gly Fada. A landlords have empty houses and they Are complaining loudly a Fassoulas said. In the old Days Fassoulas said a Ulsery night my restaurant would be filled with americans from the air Force and the Navy a 6th Fleet. 1 hese Days i hardly Ever see an american. Quot the music is user a he said. A it s the end of an Era