European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 21, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Politics Harkin style Headstrong and hard hitting by Mike Glover associated press Tom Harkin discarded his jacket and tossed out a Challenge to president Bush that had his audience of autoworkers cheering wildly "01�?T George Quot he said smiling broadly Quot he s never met anybody like me. We re going to have some . Fun is nol a notion ordinarily associated with Harkin. Lean and intense the Iowa senator and would be president has been a political lightning Rod since his Days As a Brash Young congressional aide 20 years ago. Through 10 years in the . House and two winning campaigns for the Senate he s won the grudging respect and admiration a if not affection a of friends and foes alike. His political toughness is legend in the slate. Now Harkin one of the Senate s most outspoken liberals wants to bring those traits to Bear in the White House. He s hoping to turn the nations attention from events abroad to its problems at Home. He assaults the Quot gluttons of privilege Quot symbolized by Quot George Herbert Walker Bush Quot and Quot a. Danforth  harking a Headstrong style has helped him survive politically while bringing a Liberal message to an electorate Many argue is increasingly conservative. Quot he s Tough he s hard hitting he s smart he a a Street fighter Quot said former Iowa democratic chairman de Campbell Quot tenacity is certainly one of his strengths a allows Iowa Republican chairman Richard Schwarm. Harkin himself offers a succinct description of his chosen ,&Quot he says a is a Contact sport. Never defend always attack Quot but he also says of himself Quot i m really a very gentle person and a lot of the causes i be worked for have been gentle  a longtime Champion of the disabled and whose own brother is deaf Harkin looks on last year s passage of the americans with disabilities act As one of his greatest legislative accomplishments. Harkin 51, who entered the democratic presidential race a week ago is a product of hardscrabble Southern Iowa Coal country. Presidential hopeful sen. Tom Herken a Lowa kisses a baby at a rally in new Hampshire. He grew up in a two bedroom Home one of six children born to a Mother who died during his childhood and left a Coal Miner husband sick with Black lung disease. Schoolmates remember a quiet youngster from the wrong Side of the tracks taken under the wings of family friends and shipped to Catholic schools in Des Moines. Quot most of the time he was very serious like very intense on being sure that he did the things he was supposed to do Quot said High school classmate John Dorrian. A it was a very strict school where discipline was handed out. You were there to get an  Harkin does t spend much time thinking about the Why of it All. Quot in a not a real introspective person Quot he said. Quot i Don t sit Down perhaps like Mario Cuomo and try to examine Why i believe this and what is the meaning of this or that. In a not really that introspective. I understand on my gut  Harkin is a frequent and vocal critic of Bush administration policies particularly on agriculture and foreign affairs. Earlier this year he pushed a reluctant Senate into voting on whether to authorize the use of military Force in the persian Gulf something he opposed. He advocates deep cuts in defense spending and shitting the Money into roads Bridges schools and other Domestic needs. From High school on. Harkin s path was a straight line Iowa state University on an Roth scholarship eight years As a Navy Pilot then on to the staff of Iowa s . Rep. Neal Smith and his first Brush with controversy. Assisting a congressional delegation on a visit to South Vietnam Harkin photographed notorious Quot Tiger cages Quot where political prisoners were being held. Unable to get much action from Congress he sold the pictures to life Magazine causing an uproar that ended his career As a staffer during that stretch Harkin and his wife Ruth were finishing Law degrees at Catholic University a night school. They returned to Iowa where she was elected a county prosecutor and he went to work As a Legal Aid lawyer. Ruth Harkin now with a High powered Washington Law and lobbying firm May be her husband s most trusted political adviser. On the Day he decided to run for president she was the last person he spoke with before making up his mind. Mindful of his own childhood largely without parents and of the Rigours of a National Campaign Harkin withdrew on a family vacation before deciding whether to enter the race. Daughters Amy and Jennifer a Ages 9 and 15 a wont be a fixture on the Campaign Trail he said. A Quot there Are some things More important than being president a taking care of your family being a responsible Parent Dutiful husband Quot he said. The Tiger Cage Flap that Cost Harkin his congressional Job also served to launch his political career. Harkin was warned he would never again work in Congress so he set out to earn a House seat of his own in 1972, he launched an upstart bid against Veteran gop rep. Bill Scherle in an overwhelmingly Republican Rural District. He lost soundly a but did t give up. Quot he never quit knocking on doors Quot said Jim Riordan who was Harkin s Driver during his Early Days in Congress. Quot the Guy just took a couple of weeks off and then plunged right Back in and started  Harkin ousted Scherle on his next try with a Little help from the anti Republican backlash against watergate. After 10 years in the House he ran against incumbent Republican sen. Roger Jepsen in 1984 and knocked him off easily thanks to another piece of political Luck. A few months before the election it was disclosed that Jepsen had visited a notorious Des Moines sex club. After fighting off a 1990 Challenge from Republican rep. Jom Tauke Harkin turned to a bigger stage. He began travelling the country in his words Quot to see How it resonates both the message and the  some had few doubts about the outcome. Quot i can honestly say As far Back As 1972, i knew this Man was going to try to run for president someday a said i Orfan. Quot i could just see that ambition was in  Harkin is More pragmatic about his political path. Quot in a not a believer in destiny or anything like that Quot he said. Quot everything that s happened to me this year is just like one More  action line civilian support unit reductions questioned it Usa fur commander Gen Crosbie e Saint has been quoted As saying that while the civilian support unit program had been instrumental in . Forces Mission accomplishment its time was past Long term labor commitments by the  government were no longer desirable and the Csc program would be phased out a primarily through attrition. It has become a matter of Public record that an ordnance company intends to utilize existing Csc personnel to fulfil site Security requirements apparently there has been some difficulty to Stafl some Remote areas with existing Csc personnel and plans to recruit new Csc members Are under Way is this consistent with current Usa eur guidance 7 has Usa eur drafted a new policy concerning the utilization of csus7 does the  government still consider the Csc program a viable option to meet its future needs if the Csc program is taking new recruits what Are the criteria for those me rested in joining the Csc As in age nationality pay and retirement schedules etc.? in the . Army a rapidly changing environment in the absence of Strong command guidance is it feasible that some military communities could still be committing the . Government to Long term labor commitments it no longer desires Kenneth w. Smyers Hanau Germany maj. Steve Hughes chief plans logistics and training Branch Usa eur civilian support Agency replies the civilian support organization s time is in tact not past. It is instead undergoing dynamic reduction proportional to the reduction of . Army units in the theater. The on going civilian support unit reductions will leave roughly half of the original Structure and associated missions in Usa eur. As stated in the letter some of the remaining civilian support units have a site Security Mission for ordnance units. This is just one of a myriad of civilian support missions which besides Security include lians rotation construction and ammo handling the intent is to reduce those designated units through attrition and or out placement employees of units to be eliminated who possess the requisite qualifications May elect to take jobs in remaining units which have vacant positions within current hiring freeze guidelines new employees May be hired in vacancies under special circumstances. Salaries wages retirement and other employment conditions Are covered in the German collective Tariff agreement ii which also covers All local nationals. Your concern about Long term commitments is a valid one and is at the Core of ongoing planning at Usa eur. Civilian support units serve a viable role for Usa eur As the number of . Units decrease yet certain missions remain. Rest assured that the Overall civilian support reduction is being managed at the highest Levels and that . Parent unit commands of civilian support units Are Well Quot tuned in Quot to the Overall plan and direction. To write us readers action line is the readers Quot court of last 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 t know where to turn for 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 general interest to our readers. Page 16 b the stars and stripes saturday september 21, 1991