European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 25, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday october 25, 1991 the stars and stripes b Page 3vet finds Freedom s spirit still dwells in French town by Joseph Owen Stuttgart Bureau Bruyerer France Wilbert a a Sandy Hock helped free this Vosges mountains town from the nazis clutches but he never Shook Loose its grip on him. Hock 66, a retired army master sergeant and former Honolulu City councilman was a communications sergeant in a 442nd regimental combat team Cannon company when he first arrived in Bruyerer on a cold october Day in 1944. The unit made up of japanese american Volunteer soldiers liberated the town after fierce House to House fighting. In 1961, Hock then stationed in bad Kreuz Nach Germany returned to Bruyerer to help inaugurate the Start of a sister City relationship Between the town and Honolulu Home of the 442nd. He was Back again last weekend to celebrate the 30th anniversary of that partnership and to Lay Flowers at the War memorial in the Damp Mist shrouded Hills where most of the fighting occurred. Also participating in the sunday memorial ceremonies were a six member color guard from the 10th chemical co 84th Ord in in Kaiserslautern Germany 30 hawaiians stationed in Germany a few other visitors from Hawaii and Bruyerer officials and residents. Bruyerer resident Gerard Deschaseaux a retired for a amps Joseph Owen French officials carry Flowers to the Bruyerer War memorial during the ceremony. Ester who also helped set up the partnership with Honolulu said residents often Tell stories about How hungry they were during the fall of 1944 and How . Soldiers provided them with food. He said he thinks the town has become a Mode of racial tolerance thanks to the liberation. Hock has heard the stories too. A the people keep reminding their children that people from Hawaii came Halfway around the world to liberate them a he said commenting on the enthusiastic reception that awaited the americans last weekend. Sgt. 1st class Jeffrey c. Forte 33, a North Carolina native and the color guards non commissioned officer in charge said he and his wife Jenneda accepted an invitation to stay overnight with a retired French Soldier and his w Ife a nurse. A i think its a real Good experience. In be never been through anything like this before a Forte said adding later a we were a Little hesitant at first but once we met them they were very warm and  and air Force staff sgt. Lou k. Young 45, of the 50th munitions Maint so Hahn a Germany wont forget How a casual invitation to his asian Pacific club to perform some hawaiian music and dancing turned into a Well received full blown 90-minute show at a banquet saturday night. A this was Impromptu a really last minute a he said. A we came Here for the festivities and it turned out we were the festivities a said air Force senior master sgt. John Isnec 37, another group member. The town reserved its greatest accolades for Hock and his absent fellow soldiers. A today we will remember All together that Liberty was brought Back Here by the blood of our liberators a mayor Alain Shirian 49, said sunday during a Ceredo Ney at which Hock was made an honorary Bruyerer citizen. Referring to the racial background of the 442nd members he added a they knew better than any other men the significance of the word  this was no exaggeration. Members of the 442nd had to fight the prejudices of their officers their German opponents and their government which then was at War with the Japan. Hock who is of japanese hawaiian and norwegian ancestry and Many other hawaiians of japanese descent petitioned Congress and president Franklin d. Roosevelt to set aside a ban on japanese americans in the . Forces. Roosevelt then ordered the creation of the 442nd in 1943. Only about half of its 4,500 members came from Hawaii the others were from the Continental United states and Many volunteered while in Camps where the government had confined thousands of japanese americans. A they wanted to prove their loyalty As much As we did Quot Hock said of the Mainland cars. All units officers were White at first. A of course when the War began a lot changed. There were a lot of Field commissions a Hock said adding that the commander got rid of those officers who demonstrated racial Bias. The 442nd fought its Way through Northern Italy in the Spring of 1944 with the 34th inf div suffering about 30 percent casualties. In the fall they joined the 7th army which had pushed North from the Mediterranean deep into France. The Battles for Bruyerer oct amps Joseph Owen Wilbert a a Sandy Hock joins in ceremonies honouring Bruyerer 30 years of partnership with Honolulu. Cur Rcd oct. 18 and 20. Hock also recalled the Surprise of Bruy dres residents who popped out of cellars to Greet their liberators then hurried right Back in at the sight of the Asiatic faces under the . Helmets. The 442nd suffered 1,400 heavy casualties when it was sent Forward a week later in a snowstorm to Rescue 1st in 141st inf 36th Texas div which had become trapped behind enemy lines. Somehow the German commander Learned about the ethnic background of his opponents. He met with the . Regimental commander years later and told him about his reaction. A when he found out that japanese americans were fighting against his unit he gave orders to destroy us a Hock said adding that a supposed disloyalty to Japan was the reason for the germans rage. What does Hock remember the most about those Days of fighting a the cold a he said. A the constant pressure the germans put on us and we on on  the people keep reminding their children that people from Hawaii came Halfway around the world to liberate them a Wilbert Sandy hic full jetliners More prone to crash study finds Cambridge mass. A passenger jets that Are More than three fourths full Are at least five times More prone to major crashes than airliners with less than 75 percent of their capacity according to a study. A High passenger Load might increase the Chance that some related event such As a longer Takeoff run could cause an Accident said researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of technology. The study Analysed major Domestic Jet crashes on . Airlines Between 1975 and 1989, said Arnold Barnett a professor of operations research and statistics at mites Sloan school of management. In the 10 major crashes during that period an average of 85 percent of the seats on those flights were occupied Barnett said. In contrast 59 percent of the seats were occupied on the average Domestic Jet flight during that period according to . Department of transportation data. The seat occupancy rate in crash instances was therefore about one fourth higher than for the average Domestic flight according to the study. A major crash was defined As one that resulted in the deaths of at least 20 percent of the passengers on Board. Looking at the figures in another Way the number of major crashes among flights More than three fourths full was eight in about 23 million almost one per 3 million Barnett said. In the same period there were 47 million flights in which Airliner capacity was less than three quarters with two crashes or Odds of about one in 23 Mil lion. Barnett deduced that the probability of a crash on a More crowded plane was five times More Likely. The report was published in the october Issue of flight safety digest. Barnett and co author Todd Curtis a Sloan school graduate and Boeing co. Systems safety Engineer wrote that events related to crowding on planes May increase chances of crashes. For example a full loaded aircraft go farther Down the runway before lifting off climb More slowly and have higher stall speeds than More lightly loaded aircraft a the authors wrote. A these circumstances reduce the time and flexibility that the Pilot. Has to respond to emergencies at  crowded planes also Are most com Mon during Rush hours and Peak seasons when collisions arc More Likely because More planes Are operating according to the study. A a it a already cheaper to Fly at off Peak hours and its probably also safer a Barnett said. The study also indicated that wide body jets were six times More Likely to crash than smaller planes. Although used Only in 7 percent of . Domestic flights three of the 10 crashes were wide body planes Barnett and Curtis said. Despite the study a grim findings Barnett and Curtis stressed that . Air travel is the safest in the world. The study estimated that an average . Air traveler could take one Domestic flight a Day and a could on average go 14,000 years before dying in a fatal