European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 11, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse The legacy of chernobyl by Randy Pruitt staff writer t he Erner Lindemann stands in his inc a Oon his eyes burning intensely. The de out by his fax machine in t Good. A doctor at a Hospital in Essen has just they cannot admit a 10-year-old girl with Ved Cally. They believe Little can be done. Her o Sukamal Are simply too slim. Lindemann a a endows Faith cannot accept the decision n s her Only Chance Quot he says dropping the two cd sheels of paper on the floor. The girl is a victim of the 1986 chernobyl nuclear Mactor disaster that spewed radiation across Northern a Hope. Lundemann shakes his head in exasperation. He knows the girl wont be the first or the last child to die from the technological Nightmare. And even though 8.000 soviet children have visited Germany for rest and recuperation it frustrates him that More Isnit being done. In less than an hour Lindemann will meet with 30 other children from six villages scattered in the danger area in the Ukraine and byelorussian. Fortunately these kids Ages 9-14, Are healthy. While a German dentist shows them How to properly care for their Teeth Lindemann sits in the background with an invisible Toothbrush getting laughs. Increasingly Lindernan rvs life has revolved around these children kids who cannot do what other children Lake Lor granted. Quot they need food without radioactivity they need to run in Meadows and Woods without worry a he says. For live weeks they have been getting these things. Lindemann compares the Long sad faces he first encountered with the smiles that now Greet him. They Are not the same faces a he says. In another week they la return to their villages and that upsets Lindemann Quot what the children need most is nol to live there in their Home environment .1�?T he says. Quot it s against human rights that families Are still living in this dangerous still he believes they be Bene Filton from their stay Here. They Rode bicycles swam played soccer and giggled and talked into the night. . Soldiers of the 81st army Field arty Dot on the St. Barbara Cavern in the nearby Community of Durimen hosted a Lookout in their Honor Lindemann also works to bring ill children to Germany for medical treatment. Many diseases like pneumonia bronchitis thyroid conditions cancer and an immune deficiency illness called chernobyl aids have increased drastically among children he says Quot infant mortality and birth Dolce is Are on the use Quot then there is the matter of Money their is never enough Money. Someone must pay Tor the food clothing translators and travel the visit for 30 children Cost 53,000 Marks Only 22.000 Marks has been collected. The expense for an ill child runs 350-700 Marks daily. To Date his organization has spent 200,000 Marks on sick children but is Short 30,000 Marks or $18,000. Lindemann says much of the Money has been raised through donations but contributions Are dwindling working with the children has both its rewards and Worth Tom Denmark kit Edwn Pathol airborne radiation approximate area of Hie a nuclear Cloud from the chernobyl nuclear Power Plant at Prip Yat during first week. A soviet Union parits a. Lett. A pave Wys a czech of Anle. A Vienna us Jato. H Jno bal Grada a Prip Yat a a / Quot a 4 Slack sea a Faao 9<3reec Turkey not drawbacks. Or. Maike Seifert a be Nitrician who is hosting two 11-year-old girls says a 9-year-old girl who came to Germany died last december. Quot the Mother could not Telephone her husband she was Here All alone with her dead child. It was very sad a she says. Treating the ill in the soviet Union would make More sense she says. Quot there Are Many who need treatment and just a few come Here a she says. Quot what we re doing is like a drop of water on a hot More soviet doctors should be brought to Germany and the United states for training she suggests. Tanya Punto Sova and Angela Hrar Nazova both 11 and both from the same byelorussian Village of Cher Yakovsky Are beginning to fit Well into the Seifert household adapting to the German cuisine was their biggest hurdle. A at first they did no to like cheese or Nee or a salad a Seifert says. During a game of Boule a similar to bocce Ball a shouts of both russian and German fill the Seifert s backyard. But it was Punto Sova and Hrar Nazova who were speaking German. Germans Fabian and Annika Seifert were speaking russian a language they Are studying in school. Lindemann says he wants to continue to bring children to Germany but needs More financial help. Donations for visiting children can be sent to Spende Konto eve. leg Munster 90 190 01 Biz 400601 04. Donations for the treatment of ill children can be sent to Konto or. 5100 2251, Biz 400 501 50 Munster Stitchwort Tsche Nobyl therapy Kosten. Lindemann also thinks the International Community should become More involved in the human Side of what has become the world s worst nuclear disaster. More efforts should be made to relocate families he says. In the meantime he will continue working with the children and seeing sad faces become Happy faces at least for awhile. V Quot but it s not enough a he says. A not chaperone Helene Komarova translates a dental Hygiene lesson Tor the visitors. Sas Randy Pruitt regular monitoring of radiation Levels around chernobyl will continue Tor years. Notional geographic they need food without radioactivity they heed to run in Meadows and Woods without worry a. Sas Randy Pruitt two chemo by area boys Fop listen As a German dentist shows them How to properly Brush their Teeth while Tanye Punto Sova and Angela Hramtsov show off winning Rev. Werner Lindemann . Soldiers lend a Handy Randy Pruitt staff writer specialists Geoffrey Moseley and Gary buckles opened a let of eyes when they spent tune with 38 Hildien Lorn the chernobyl Aida the customs maps at tire Mainz Aimy depot also opened some hearts. The children Ages 8-15. Had Novi met an american Solidor before Moseley said that a translator Lold him Quot we were brought up to believe that the american soldiers thought All russians were bad so in turn the russians thought american soldiers were bad Quot Quot when we showed up to help them it blew All that out of the water a Moseley said. Moseley buckles and Daniel Wirght a worker Al the Mainz army depot organized an Effort to collect toys and clothes for the children who were vacationing in nearby by Herbruck. Groups of children from areas around chernobyl have been spending Lour to six weeks in Germany and other european countries to temporarily escape their radioactive environment. A we cannot go anywhere else in the .s r. Because the Economy is so poor a said Helena Goreglad an English teacher from Minsk who is a chaperone Quot there Are no jobs or food. The food and water we do have is contaminated but at least it s there. If we did t eat this we would Slarve Quot the trip to Germany she said was More for health reasons than pleasure the two soldiers and Wright saw to it that the kids Iliad some fun though. Through choir efforts service members and civilians donated dolls and mechanical toys Moseley and buckles who Are parents spent almost every evening with the children. One weekend they look the group to a disco and organized a Lookout Quot we figured if president Bush can Send Aid Over to the soviet Union we can help nut these Little russian kids who have Bollnng Quot said Moseley 24 tire men said in was easy to get attached to the children a they wanted us As intends Quot Moseley said Quot to knew them All by their first names Quot the Hildien tired easily one soviet escort said they Don t really know the nature of their illnesses Moseley said he was told one boy had cancer and was unlikely to live to be 15 years old. Quot i did t want to know any More about their health Quot he said �?�1 did t want to find out it Olga has cancer or Katya has a tumor Quot the children were grateful to their new friends. T Don t miss my Home but i miss my Mother a said Helena a Byshko 11 Quot i feel better Here and i like the life Here because it has no problems. We have Good food Nice new clothes and toys a Moseley said he invited the group Over to his House in Mainz and made a video before they left. He is now using a russian English dictionary to write each child. Saying goodbye was the hard part he said. Quot one of the men trom the group said something i will never forget Quot he said. Quot he said the picture May fade away but memories will always stay Quot before we left he said Friend forever in English and walked away. I thought i would be of until i saw him wipe the tears from his eyes a contributing to this report Jennifer Hebert main Public Adair Page 14 the stars and stripes wednesday september 11, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 15
