European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 2, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday july 2, 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 3 Quick to Bronze stars by Effie Bathen Niernberg Bureau Nurnberg Germany a on the third Day of the persian Gulf ground War air Force staff sgt. William Burns frantically called out Grid coordinates Over broken radios and screamed to an operations officer in a vehicle 20 Yards away. Burns Job was to Call in the air Force to blast the enemy lying ahead of army ground forces. But his radios failed at the height of a three hour Battle against iraqis Tawa Kalna div. A i could listen on one and talk on the other a he said. A they were All freaking left and right.�?�. Burns overcame the obstacles earning the Bronze Star for valor. He and two other recent Bronze Star winners Are members of the air forces 8th air support operations group who Are attached to army units in Northern Bavaria. The others Are capt. Phillip Tau who is with 1st army divs-2nd brigade in Erlanger and staff sgt. Steven Baumgartner who worked with 2nd army Cav regt a 2nd so from Bamberg. Burns was with the regiments 3rd so based in Amberg. Burns said the broken radios a some of Vietnam War Vintage a were the scariest part of the War for him. Turning to portable backups he controlled air support with two radio handsets to his ears and a third swinging on aboard in front of him. At one Point a helicopter dropped a red Hare behind the americans. It was a signal that could have been mistaken by attacking pilots As a Marker for the american front line. But Burns called the air units in time. He also called in other air support missions that destroyed 15 enemy tanks and 12 enemy armoured personnel carriers. Tau and Baumgartner also were on Forward air control teams the link Between air and ground forces on the Battlefield. A since the army does no to tall air Force they Send us a Tau said. He found desert Battle different from the strategies he had Learned in Europe to a defend against the communist hordes who come across the  by the second Day of the ground War Tau was forced to improvise. That a when he a amps Effle Bathon Bronze Star winners from the air forces 8th air support operations group arc staff sgt. Steven Baumgartner from left capt. Phillip Tau and staff sgt. William Burns. Stood on his Bradley to Survey the Battlefield so he could Call in close air support missions. Tau was with the 1st army div on the Northern flank of the Vii corps drive cast to Surprise the Republican guard. A when a main Battle became defined i  be a mile or two Miles behind a said Tau. A it was important to be in the front  he Wasny to aware of the danger he said until afterwards when the brigade drove through the lines of burning tanks. V a we could feel the heat Quot he said. Smelled like burning . Baumgartner coordinated air missions for the cavalry regiments 2nd so while it battled parts of the Tawa Kalna div a sometimes less than half a mile away. Keeping air fire Power away from Friendly forces was the major responsibility Burns said. A a Friendly fire incident near the saudi Border town of Khanji in late january caused them great concern the three men said. During the Battle it apparently was an Allied air strike that killed three american marines. A a it a not the air Force s fault a Tau said. A a it a not the pilots fault that it happened. Its the Guy on the ground who said a of you re Clear to fire. Here s the target. You hit  such mistakes Are a an unavoidable tragedy a Burns said. A a it a never right. It May be a liable statistic. But one is too  since the War the three american medal winners have had time to reflect on their roles in the Victory. A whenever you Tell an aircraft a throw out bombs on this target or that target.�?T. You done to think about the people inside of it. Its a target that a going to kill you if you done to kill it a Baumgartner said. The realization comes later that a yes there were people on those tanks a he added. Baumgartner came into Contact with a lot of enemy prisoners of War. They told him through translators Quot what took you so Long we be been Here no water no food no nothing. We be just been waiting for  Baumgartner said a at times you think about that like who was going to surrender and everything else. That a one of the aspects of War it took me a while to Deal  Tail who is a Pilot said he came to terms with the tragedies of War while his unit drove through Fields of mangled enemy tanks. A fall i knew was that Early that morning wed been ambushed and suckered into a Little firelight a lie said. Quot you react to that of you made me mad you re Gonna die. In a  crunch grips states new York City by Anita Snow a a the associated press Maine a failure to enact a spending plan forced a shutdown of non essential state services monday. And a similar closure loomed in Connecticut As budget talks came in under the wire or fell Short in several states and new York City. California Pennsylvania Ohio North Carolina Illinois and Massachusetts plus Connecticut and Maine entered a new fiscal year monday without a spending plan in place. New Jersey adopted a budget just before the Midnight deadline As did Washington state. New York City reached agreement on a spending plan in time to Avert a takeover by a financial Board created during the fiscal crisis of the 1970s. Legislators were forced by the recession to make Tough choices a including tax increases thousands of layoffs and painful spending cuts a to close budget gaps ranging from $467 million in Pennsylvania to $14.3 billion in California. New York mayor David Dinkins said the budget agreement reached in his City a reflects a lot More pain and a lot less gain than any of us would  a it reflects our City a enormous fiscal constraints and the lingering recession that continues to hold our City a and our nation a hostage a he said. In Maine gov. John r. Mckernan declared an emergency ordering 2,000 employees to report to work at jobs involving health and safety. More than 10,000 others were told to stay Home while the legislature wrangled Over a budget. A a we Hope this impasse is going to be resolved As quickly As possible and we want to get Back to the Normal operation of government a Mckernan said. Connecticut gov. Lowell Weicker vetoed a budget passed by the legislature but delayed a similar shutdown by 24 hours. The legislature was Given until Midnight monday to approve an acceptable budget. A we will not have a series of one Day delays. This is it a he said. Weicker has warned that he will furlough about 7,000 employees if lawmakers done to approve a spending plan he likes. Lawmakers Over the weekend rejected weickers proposal to enact a state income tax approving a budget that relied instead on sales taxes on several previously untaxed services including haircuts taxis and dry cleaning. There were no other immediate threats of Large scale government shutdowns in states that failed to adopt budgets. New Jersey legislators passed a budget and gov. Jim Florio signed it just six minutes before the sunday Midnight deadline. The $14.7 billion spending plan Calls for no new taxes but could Force the layoffs of up to 2,300 workers. In new York Dinkins and City Council leaders agreed on a $28.7 billion budget that Calls for most of the $1.5 billion in service cuts Dinkins proposed including 10,000 layoffs. It will also Cost the average Homeowner about $143 in additional real estate taxes. If a balanced budget had not been submitted by Midnight the state financial control Board could have been called in to manage the City a finances. In Pennsylvania legislators abandoned their Marathon session shortly before 9 . And conceded their budget would be late. Before recessing the Senate approved a Stopgap budget to keep Money flowing for welfare and interest payments. With no budget in place $250 million for schools and paychecks for 10, my employees on Friday will be held up. State offices though were to remain open. In California gov. Pete Wilson hoped for final legislative approval of a $55 billion budget that would be balanced with the biggest tax increase in state history and the states first cuts in welfare. Wilson has proposed $7 billion in tax increases. The California Senate took a big step toward tying up the Loose ends sunday when it passed a Bill limiting tax credits and deductions it also approved a 4.4 percent Cut in welfare Grants. The welfare cuts along with a i i percent sales tax increase sent to the governor on Friday were among the hardest fought issues of the past six months of budget talks. The Senate adjourned shortly before Midnight but the Assembly remained in session Early monday. Ohio legislators on Friday gave up in passing a timely budget and approved a 30-Day temporary spending Bill. Massachusetts lawmakers sent gov. William f. Weld a proposal for a $12.9 billion spending plan that includes deep cuts in social services and a property tax increase for most residents. Illinois legislators expected to continue their debate into the week but laced the Prospect of shutting Down some state services As talks continued. North Carolina lawmakers took a weekend Holiday from their debate Over the largest tax increase in stale history thereby ensuring that they would not pass a budget in time for the new fiscal year. In Washington gov. Booth Gardner signed a $15.7 billion budget a half hour before the Midnight deadline. The plan includes $7.2 billion for education or about 46 percent of the budget. Earlier this year 22,000 teachers in Washington went on strike for two weeks Over spending on education