European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 23, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday september 23, 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 3germans Hail quiet certain shield past nato exercises too noisy destructive by Ken Clauson staff writer Nieder Neudorf Germany a Hannelore de Catoris remembers noisy tank columns rumbling Down narrow streets of her Small farming Village during Large nato training Maneu vers of past years. The heavy tanks and thousands of soldiers crumbled cobblestones turned Farmers Fields into rutted Muddy quagmires and disrupted the Placid lives of the 2,000 or so people who live in the Village. She prefers the new Low Impact Maneu vers like the just completed certain shield �?T91, a largely scripted exercise involving Only 28,000 soldiers no tanks and comparatively Little traditional Field Maneu vers. A in past years the tanks destroyed the Fields and the streets. It was very bad a she said. A this year it was very  the scaled Back computer based exercises were intended to reduce Man Euver damage and training costs and Lessen the Impact on civilian populations. Exercise officials wont yet give an estimate of total Man Euver damage costs because All the claims May not have been filed yet said american spokesman maj. Dee Jep son. But Jepson said a i can Tell you it will be very very very Low this year compared to previous  there were 372 Man Euver damage incidents reported by thursday morning a few hours after the exercise ended. Of those 47 were attributed to american soldiers Jepson said noting the most expensive was about $600 of damage to a Fence. Other  incidents involved minor tree damage fuel spills ranging from a few quarts to one of about 8 Gallons and tire tracks on roads and one seeded Field he said. At the exercise Halfway Point a German Liaison officer estimated damage to that Point at slightly More than $40,000. A we know what the command wants to do and know what the Peoples concerns Are a said it. Col. Veronika Pue Iii corps civil affairs officer from fort Hood Texas. She headed a 65-member american civil affairs team based in Detmold at a multinational civil military operations Center. The goal is to balance the populations desires with the military a needs to conduct exercises she said. Since the exercise area is not one where americans regularly Man Euver a military representatives visited area City and government officials to explain How the americans would operate in a command Post exercise she said a few Days after certain shield �?T91 began. A these areas Are extremely sensitive to tanks and extremely sensitive to free mane vering a she said. A we really made an Effort to make sure everybody understands How we Are different so when people see trucks they done to think it will be like the old  Puess civil affairs staff included land management experts military police lawyers and linguists. Ten Mem sa3 Kan Clauson soldiers from the German army a airborne brigade 27 keep watch from atop a camouflaged armoured weapons Carrier. Ber teams worked in the communities to Monitor and maintain military civilian relationships she said. A we have to do this in the states too Quot she said. A Texas ranchers Are just As concerned about their land As the people Here  the civil military operation staff worked to quickly defuse conflicts Between the military and civilian populations she said. In one Case an american unit was moved away from a kindergarten because it was considered disruptive to the children even though use of the site was previously arranged. And flight restriction zones were established around some monuments and recreation areas following citizen complaints about hovering helicopters. Telephone hot lines were set up throughout the Man Euver area so citizens could phone in questions and complaints she said. Only 25 percent of the 137 Calls made Between aug. 28 and thursday were actual complaints said capt. Mark Holt the centers operations officer. A people just wanted to know what was going on and Why there were troops in the area a he said. Most complaints were about helicopter noise he said. The multinational airmobile division caused most of that noise since it is deployed by helicopter and was mane vering in the traditional manner during certain shield. To further minimize the Impact of the american Mili tary presence Iii corps soldiers were not to carry weapons and Gas masks when they went into towns and villages. It. Col. Wilson Mckinney an army reservist with the 321 St civil affairs group in san Antonio headed the operation centers land management Section. He said Man Euver damage has been minimal because of the nature of the exercise command emphasis and soldiers concern for the land. A i have a feeling the troops Are More open and receptive to this than they have been a he Saia. A they understand Why they should pick things up and Why they should not Cut  Sybille Kruger lives just outside of Blomberg a town of about 15,000 people near the Center of the exercise area. She too remembers the Large noisy Maneu vers that tied up traffic and Tore up Fields. A this year is of but in the last years it was too much a she said. A i think All Maneu vers should be like  Kruger works in a restaurant in Blomberg a pretty town of Brick streets lined with freshly painted half timbered buildings some More than 300 years old. There were no signs that a major nato Man Euver was taking place nearby. During the two weeks of the exercise she saw Only the occasional Soldier in town and the Small american Field site near her Home was acceptably quiet she said. But she shrugged her shoulders resignedly and said a i wish there were no Maneu vers but 1 can to change  unleaded reminder issued Furth Germany a regular unleaded fuel is not available in the Netherlands Exchange system officials Are reminding travellers who use . Fuel coupons. Travellers will need to use a super unleaded or a super unleaded plus fuel and the appropriate Gas coupons said Barbara Kirsch a spokeswoman for the army and air Force Exchange service in Europe on Friday. Beginning aug. 29, one series of fuel coupons was issued for use in both Germany and the Netherlands. However Esso service stations in the Netherlands do not carry regular unleaded fuel she said. Cafes coupons for regular unleaded fuel Are not accepted for the a a super graded gasoline and that has caused some confusion Kirsch said. Also there Are no cafes service stations in the Netherlands she said. Former German pow recounts 3 years in . Camps in Wii by Chuck Roberts Staft writer Sembach a Germany a rein hard Bueker May have been scared when he was captured but he said it was almost a Blessing to escape the non Stop intensity of War. Bueker made his remarks at a luncheon at Sembach a honouring american pow mias. But the Friday luncheon had a special twist. Bueker a paratrooper in the German army during world War ii told the american airmen How he spent three years at prisoner of War Camps in Arkansas Missouri Texas and Washington. A when we were captured it just seemed As if a heavy Load was falling off my shoulders a Bueker said. His first night of Captivity was the first time in Many Days that he had slept More than two hours at a time. Bueker told the americans that Only twice were prisoners treated poorly. Once two guards shot two prisoners Annever forget that the fight for Freedom will never be Over Reinhard Bueker act that resulted in their courts martial. When the War ended and news of the German concentration Camps where millions of jewish people were killed reached America the prisoners were Given less food to eat As retaliation Bueker said. Bueker said the prisoners kept their sense of humor and got through the War years by telling jokes. Some Learned a language or Job skill and others Learned to play musical instruments and performed concerts on sundays. Ironically he said the worst Day for the prisoners came when they Learned that Germany had surrendered. Bueker said they did not know what kind of Germany they would find when they returned. Many soldiers did no to even know if their families were alive. When he Learned his brother had died on the Eastern front he said he was thankful that he died in Battle rather than having to spend the War As a prisoner of the soviets. A when i heard he was killed i said a thank god in heaven he was killed in action a a Bueker said. Bueker said Only about 2,0 j0 of the 93,000 German prisoners in Stalingrad came Home alive. Most died of starvation. Bueker returned to his farm which had escaped damage. He  for 10 years before joining the German military again in 1950. He retired in 1976 and now lives in sort. He ended his luncheon address by reminding the airmen a never forget that the fight for Freedom will never be