European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 14, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Clockwise from left Ted Baughn Clarence Hatton and Ralph Dennis play Nintendo baseball at Ferris Barracks in Erlanger  vets Battle free time with Nintendo combat by Effie Bathen Nurnberg Bureau in world War ii gis played cards to pass time. In Vietnam they had transistor radios. Today. Desert storm vets Are playing video games. In the Nurnberg area one brigade commander was said to have remarked that at any one time at least a battalion s Worth otitis soldiers play Nintendo. That s about 500 Othis 2.5 h Cut e Rma by base d t rooms. Rhythm and blues maybe rap on the stereo. Chips and dip nearby. Tree time lunch time or time waiting on watch. Its a common Barracks scene to find a handful of gis circled around a i a engaged in electronic Battle. Nintendo guru sol. Ray Kappus says be plays three to four hours every Day. He is a track vehicle Mechanic in co d. Whih Finger in a 1st avid div unit in Furich. Quot everybody comes to me when they get  said the Johnson Barracks shop Foreman. He likes game systems such As Nintendo or genesis. They Are just two of the Many that Bleep squeak and pow out of to screens. Kappus says that working on beating the games helps him relate to his troops. Quot it gets them out of the Barracks Quot he said. Nearly half of the soldiers in the motor Pool have been to his House to play Nintendo. They drink mostly soft drinks there he added it teaches them to go Light on the Beer since alcohol can lower their scores. "1 used to be ashamed to say i played Nintendo Quot said Kappus who picked up the Joystick habit from his 7 and 12-Ycar-old children Thomas and Brooke. Now he justifies it by saying Quot its just  the video sergeant was awarded a Bronze Star in the persian Gulf War. There he drove 125 Miles across the iraqi desert with his m-88 tracked recovery vehicle on fire. At one Point flames shot eight feet into the air. It took him More than a month before he could kick the stress of Battle and get Back to playing Short Mem up games again. A i had problems it at first because i saw so much death and destruction. I just  handle it Quot he said. Now that he has the controls Back in his hands the younger gis Are again seeking his advice. A when they get stuck we sit Ray Kappus Down and work it out Quot he said. Quot super contras is one of the games that keeps his 32-Inch to screen lit up. It has Bandolier covered mercenaries pitched against an elusive Jungle foe. Quot you have to learn Bow to run Roll and shoot said Kappus. He added that after a hard Day at work its a Good Way to get rid of frustration. Quot ii soothes the nerves a said spec. Clarence i Latton who describes himself As an on Aguin off again video game fan. He is a tank loader with the 1st in 35th army regt a 1st army div unit that saw some of the heaviest tank fighting of the persian Gulf War. Hatton said that Arcady style games Are More his slyly. A game of a High Impact football Quot with its rip and crunch gets most of his quarters. He also likes to beat his fellow electronic sport fan spec. Ralph Dennis when he s at his room at Ferris Barracks in Erlanger. Quot we like the Competition Quot said Dennis who also loads Lank rounds for a living. He said he sometimes plays As much As eight hours a Day and just presses the pause Button when he needs to rest his thumbs. A it gets you hooked like a soap opera Quot he said. Playing video games can often draw a player into the wee hours of the night said spec. Ted Baughn a tank Driver in the unit. He said sometimes his wife has to be patient about the time he spends getting through a game. A i use it to make up plays in real games then 1 Transfer the plays to the Field a said the avid soccer player. A game of video baseball can take about a half hour. Quot you can win an entire world series in a night Quot Baughn said. When spec Todd Knauss a gunner in the unit came Back from the desert he stayed up until 3 . With a video game. He said they take a lot of coordination and brain Power. After All he said the army a tank simulators Are Quot just like a Hig Nintendo  6 a sunday july 14. 1991