European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 13, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 b the stars and stripes Friday september 13, 1991 at a glance Mary Louise Wright smiles after being placed on probation wednes Day. The woman was arrested this summer after being a fugitive since her prison escape 22 years ago. See Story on Page 7. Fri joins investigation the Fri joined the investigation into the crash of a commuter plane that witnesses said went Down after a fiery explosion blew off a Wing near Eagle Lake Texas. All 14 people aboard were killed. A Page 4 Auto death rate Down transportation department officials said that As of april the rate had dropped to two deaths per 100 million vehicle Miles travelled and that if the trend holds the figure for the year would be the Best since records were begun in 1921. A Page 6 student disarms gunman a boy armed with a sawed off Shotgun took 22 fellow High school students hostage for about four hours wednesday in rapid City s.d., before a student disarmed him. A Page 7 Aquino wants vote president Corazon Aquino will ask voters to decide the future of the . Subic Bay naval base in a referendum if the Senate rejects a new lease for the base. But administration and Senate sources said the referendum proposal is dead. A Page 9 wholesale prices up wholesale prices posted a modest 0.2 percent increase in August As the third straight decline in food prices helped to offset the biggest jump in Energy costs in 10 months. A Page 17 Index Abby Ann Landers 19 a a i i a comics. 19-21 commentary. .13 letters. .12 Money matters a .17 sports. 22-28 to listings. .27 weather. .11 troops from Page 1 Public View reporters were banned from witnessing the feb. 24-25 attack that occurred near the tip of the Neutral zone that straddles the Border Between saudi Arabia and Iraq. Not a single american was killed during the attack that made an iraqi body count impossible. A for All i know we could have killed thousands a said col. Anthony Moreno commander of the 2nd brigade that led the assault on the heaviest defences. A thinner line of trenches on Moreno s left flank was attacked by the 1st brigade commanded by col. Lon Maggart. Maggart estimated that his Force buried about 65 1 iraqi soldiers. Estimates could not be obtained from 3rd brigade commanders. The 3rd brigade was made up of units from the Ger Many based 2nd army div. The 3rd brigade was in Reserve during the initial attack on the iraqi lines according to maj. Roger King the 2nd army div Public affairs officer. About 12 hours later the 3rd brigade did pass through the lanes cleared by the first two brigades. A we can t speak As to what they did a King said referring to the first two brigades. The 3rd brigade did not practice filling in trenches As a matter of Clearing King said. A late in the War in the third or fourth Day the 3rd brigade was involved in some Trench Clearing a but it was accomplished in the traditional manner by dismounted soldiers Quot he said. A . European come spokeswoman on thursday referred questions to the department of defense saying that it would be inappropriate for the Europe based command to comment because the operation came under the department and . Central come. Staff writers Jimi Jones and Ron Mckinney contributed to this report probe from Page 1 readily taken against them than against their White counterparts while Black officers feel they receive lower officer evaluations because of their race. Another belief is that a Black civilians Are still the last hired and the first fired a and if hired they Are denied Access to higher positions. In an exclusive stars and stripes interview published aug. 21, Fletcher said he had received a hundreds of complaints from overseas schoolteachers Active duty members and their spouses and civilian government workers. The complaints he said appeared to represent systemic discrimination. Thirty three of those written and videotaped complaints Are now being reviewed by the commission he said wednesday. A the system itself still discriminates and Isnit applied  and we re hopefully going to find out which individuals at overseas military installations allow that to continue a Fletcher said. He noted however that a clearly the key leadership of the . Military intends to Root out All vestiges of discrimination in the armed services. The problem appears to be that they Haven to done it yet and a great Many americans in uniform and their families Are hurting because of  . European come officials Are currently reviewing the report a spokesman said thursday. A we Are concerned by the allegations in or. Fletcher s report and Are following up Quot said Navy capt. Gordon i. Peterson. A a working group was formed at the . European come to review theater equal Opportunity issues when press reports of or. Fletcher a concerns first appeared. It is too Early to discuss possible future actions at this Early stage in our  Peterson said the command which oversees army air Force and Navy operations in Europe a will not tolerate any instance of discrimination or civil rights  a Quality of life for our military service Mcm bars civilian employees and their families is the top priority for our commanders in Europe a Peterson said. A implicit in that objective is for All our people to be treated fairly and with  in his report Fletcher also voiced particular concern at the treatment of Black children in schools run by the defense department. Frank of Gara spokesman for the Germany Region said thursday the Region had not seen the report but would a Welcome the Opportunity to speak directly to teachers Anu students about some of the allegations Region officials Only read in the newspaper and heard on television. From regional level a a Strong commitment is made to parents students and teachers a to carefully examine any allegations brought to officials a of Gara said. If in any of its 135 schools a insensitive comments situations or practices that people feel Are discriminatory in nature occur we urge them to bring them to the attention of the principal a he said. Of Gara said Dodds acknowledges its disproportionate minority student to minority teacher ratio and would Welcome a six cases cited by Fletcher specific cases of discrimination alleged in Europe that were cited in Arthur a. Fletcher s report include a a Black woman who said she was attacked and raped was accused of a bringing it upon herself and told that the crime appeared to have been an act of adultery rather than rape. Later when she persisted with the complaint the army demanded that before any actions would be taken she would have to prove that forcible rape occurred by taking a lie Detector test. A a White officer attacked a Black civilian employee in an unprovoked incident and administered a severe beating while referring to him with racial epithets. The officer received punishment by non judicial proceedings and was required to pay a $200 Fine. The paperwork was placed within the restricted portion of his military file so As not to affect his promotional opportunities. A a Black non commissioned officer was accused by the wife of a White fellow Soldier of sexual harassment by alleging he attempted to fondle her while her husband was in the Field. The no elected to be court Martiale. During the hearing it was established that the wife had lied in several of her statements that her husband had made racially ambiguous remarks and that both had expressed jealousy of the Success of the accused and his family. A a not guilty verdict was delivered. A a Black senior no was accused by five White females of sexual harassment. During the court martial it was established that the women had schemed together because one of their husbands stood to Benefit from the a co a removal from his position of prestige. The jury found him not guilty on All charges. A a Black woman staff sergeant was convicted of possessing marijuana although she had passed a polygraph test and questions surrounding Security of a urine Sample. The Case was reversed on Appeal. A a White commander fondled the buttocks of a Black woman Junior officer under his command. He has remained in command and received no disciplinary action. Chance to talk to Fletcher about its efforts to recruit More minorities. Fletcher said Dodds teachers consistently complained about breaches in impartial hiring administrative and promotion practices. Only eight school principals in Germany Are Black Fletcher said. Of the few Black principals promoted Fletcher alleged evidence had been provided that systematic measures Are used at the institutional level to discredit the Black administrators leadership. One Black school administrator in Germany or. Venita Stovall was quoted in Fletcher a report. Stovall assistant principal at Kaiserslautern Junior High school gave Fletcher examples of How Lack of support from the school system and the military Community undermined educational efforts for All children. A i know i will suffer repercussions for opening my Mouth a Stovall told the stars and stripes on thursday a but i walked picket lines and i did no to do that because i was afraid of  Arthur w. Diggs president of the european a act which sponsored Fletcher a visit said he was a reasonably certain the commission members would vote to come to Europe to a Start turning Back the covers to what we know will be a rat s nest of racial injustices a complaints from military members and defense department civilians have been Quot coming in daily at the commission office since Fletcher s return to Washington said a spokeswoman in the commission office but she added she was a not in a position to comment on the number  a the commission did not definitely did not sponsor the commissioner s european visit one said. However Quot because he is the chairman of the commission people of course Are going to confuse the  the Issue would become a commission Issue however if the members vote to look into it in at their regularly scheduled meeting the spokeswoman said. Fletcher a presidential appointee was unavailable for comment thursday. Gen. Crosbie e. Saint . Army Europe commander challenged Fletcher to come Forward with specifics of the complaints Fletcher referred to when he talked with the stars and stripes. The commission official said that Fletcher has not yet responded to saints aug. 29 letter but he intends to. Diggs request to meet with Saint to discuss his letter to Fletcher was turned Down thursday. Saint told Diggs in a letter that he Felt such a meeting would be inappropriate while he is awaiting a reply from Fletcher. A after such a time please request a meeting if you deem it necessary Quot Saint told Diggs. Saint told Diggs he would be available to meet with Usa eur soldiers civilians or their family members a at virtually  Diggs said his organization has repeatedly been refused meetings with army and air Force commanders in Europe and has been largely shunned in its attempts to cooperate with military equal Opportunity inspector general and equal employment Opportunity officials. A when the ship sinks we re All going to go Down together Quot said Diggs referring to problems in the military. A it behoves us to sit Down and hold hands and try to find a solution  staff Ottara Janet hexane Ottamay. Tai Jonah and Rosamary Sawyer contributed to Ima report