European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 3, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Race corps searches for its lost youth As it celebrates 30 years by Phyllis Brill the Baltimore evening Sun s the peace corps Marks its 30th anniversary this year it is in a very real sense looking for its lost youth. Quot a of the 125,000 mostly Young americans who served overseas fewer than a third Are accounted for today. They returned Home moved on and Over time lost Contact with their fellow volunteers. The National Council of returned peace corps volunteers a sort of alumni Clearinghouse is hoping to. Locate these Quot lost volunteers Quot and in the process rejuvenate among them at Home the spirit of giving that once sent them into the developing world. Firs on the Council s list of tactics is the 30th peace corps anniversary conference to be held in Washington this weekend. As Many As 5,000 former volunteers Are expected to attend the four Day event. The peace corps was established in March 1961 by president Kennedy As a government Agency that would Send trained volunteers to developing countries to. Improve their Standard of living and share american cultural values. Its earliest participants came of age in the decade of idealism and social activism. They were College graduate who had grown up believing their highest calling was to serve the less fortunate. Since 1961, volunteers have been dispatched to More than 100 nations from Antigua to Zimbabwe and most recently reaching behind the Iron curtain. Peace corps membership reached its Peak in 1964, when 13,000 were enrolled said Chris Davis a spokesman at the Agency s Washington Headquarters. By 1986, the number of volunteers had dwindled to. 3,000. During the last five years an increased emphasis on readers action Lin religion and the armed forces q a if the . Courts have ruled it is illegal to support enhance or discriminate of establish religion in Public schools or any Public funded entity if the . Constitution warns against and forcefully forbids the establishment of or discrimination against religion and if the . Armed forces Are Public funded then is there the slightest possibility that army Reg 165-1 is anti constitutional in its insistence to establish religion or at. Least promote a particular religion based on majority Bias and bigotry. As Miracle muslims can my children expect a week or two out of school during the festival of fasting in Spring just like children of other religions can expect Days out of school during Christmas. Does this mean that just like arts gives airing to one particular religious View it can be expected to give a percentage of air time to other faiths or beliefs if a 165-1 is based on percentage representation of the Community and if arts Dodds schools bookstores chaplaincy and the armed forces in general Are genuinely convinced of the legality an Fustice of implementing this regulation then should my family representing approximately 0,7777777 percent of the Community expect our Quot Legal Quot share of respect thanks for your Effort to allow us an Opportunity to Geek an Avenue of consideration of our status As Miracle muslims. John Ellis Briggs Niernberg Germany Melvin w. Russell Deputy director american forces information services armed forces radio and television service replies a peace corps Volunteer teaches English in the Philippines in 1970. Recruiting minorities and retirees has brought enrolment Back up to 6,000 today. In its Early Days peace corps minority membership was about 5 percent or 6 percent said Davis. Quot today it s about 10  most peace corps volunteers serve two years in their assigned country although a few have extended their stays an extra year. The peace corps operates in 90 countries an All time record for simultaneous service that is generally attributed to the political changes in Eastern Europe most recently volunteers have moved into Czechoslovakia Romania. Yugoslavia Bulgaria and Mongolia. The types of assignments have not changed much Over the years said Davis. But they have expanded into technical and business oriented areas such As accounting marketing and computer science a popular Field in Poland today. There was a time in the 1970s when some wondered if the peace corps still existed said Lyn Gray the Council s executive director. She said Many Agency files including information about former volunteers were lost during the Early 1970s when the Nixon administration put the peace corps under action an umbrella group for Volunteer agencies. The peace corps was later separated from that  it was kind of a Black Era for the peace corps Quot Gray said. A a Contact Between the Agency and its membership has never really recovered. A As a result it has become an ongoing project of the Council its local affiliates around the country and peace corps Headquarters to Pool their efforts to find current addresses for the 80,000 former volunteers for whom Only a name country and Date of entry Are on record. Conference organizers have adopted a theme of Quot continuing to  they want to encourage returned volunteers to take the Lead in Domestic volunteerism today. And then there is the reunion of old acquaintances. Quot we can talk about our goals All Day but the reunion is really the compelling reason people come Quot Gray said. Quot it s important to be Able to get together with other people who have been involved with peace corps. You need to find people who can empathize with your  the armed forces radio and television service arts chooses its programming to Mirror that which is available to the majority of viewers in the United states. This includes a certain amount of religious programming which is approved by the armed forces chaplains Board. This religious programming represents a wide variety of religious views. Arts produces no religious programming itself. It receives All such programming free of charge from . Domestic broadcast sources. Only existing programming that meets Industry broadcast standards is available to arts for inclusion religious groups that do not produce programming or do not make it available to arts Are not represented. Chaplain col Donald l. Davidson executive director armed forces chaplains Board office of the assistant Secretary of defense also replies action line letters inquiring about the establishment of religion in the armed forces and the constitutionality of army regulation 165-1 have recently come to my attention. I agree with the writer that publicity about recent court cases involving religion in Public schools and other government facilities does seem confusing. It is also trim that the american culture has Beer influenced by Christian religious traditions. Christmas is a Good example. Although this season is now considered a secular Holiday by the Legal system the origin and for Many the essence of the Holiday is rooted in the Celebration of Christ s birth. Similar religious influences can be observed in other cultures though the religions and traditions vary. In the armed forces religious practices and the chaplaincy Are governed by two principles in the  Constitution 1. The right to Quot free exercise Quot of religion and 2. The restriction of the Quot no establishment Quot of religion. Army regulation 165-1 provides the regulatory guidance for implementing these two principles. This regulation governs All religious practices in the army and is not oriented toward any single religion. Within the parameters of ar-165-1, commanders and chaplains Are responsible for Quot accommodating Quot All soldiers and family members in the Quot free exercise Quot of religious practices that meet standards of Good order Are not discriminatory or prejudicial and do not interfere with the military Mission. The constitutionality of this provision for the free exercise of religion in the military has been upheld in several court cases the most recent being Katcoff is. Marsh in 1985. This principle of Quot accommodation Quot is limited by the availability of resources. As the writer of the letter is Muslim he May be interested in knowing that the armed forces chaplains Board is presently coordinating with the american Muslim Council and the islamic society of North America to appoint a Muslim chaplain. Also copies of the Koran and dietary meals acceptable to muslims were sent to the persian Gulf to accommodate religious needs of muslims during operations desert shield and desert storm. A program has been initiated to make these meals available in military dining facilities. A if you have additional questions i recommend that you read a 165-1 and talk with the local chaplain concerning interests and  to write us readers action line is the readers Quot court of last a resort Quot striving to answer some of the questions about life overseas in a military environment or questions about policies and guidelines when other avenues for answers Are not readily available. If you have a question and Don 7 know where to turn Tor the answer write to readers action line co the stars and stripes Apo 09211 -4211. All letters must be signed and preference will be Given to those seeking information of Genera interest to our readers. A the stars and stripes saturday August 3, 1991