European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 28, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday january 28, 1992 the stars and stripes a Page 3usafe quietly Marks 50th anniversary by Kevin Dougherty Kaiserslautern Bureau Ramstein a Germany a fifty years ago today the forerunner to the . Air forces in Europe was activated to help defeat the Axis Powers in world War ii. The Date is at most a footnote in the history books but Safe historians recognize Jan. 28, 1942, As the commands birth Date. On that Day the War department activated the 8th air Force and placed it under the command of col. Asa n. Duncan. A based in Savannah ga., the 8th air Force was conceived for the sole purpose of leading the air assault against nazi Germany and its allies. No special ceremonies Are planned at Safe Headquarters to Mark the 50th anniversary today but events arc scheduled during the course of the year at installations throughout Europe said Safe spokesman it. Col. Philip j. Crowley. A we just have to be mindful of our Host nations sensitivities a Crowley said. In late december 1941, president Franklin d. Roosevelt and British prime minister Winston Churchill met in Washington with their advisers for what became known As the Arcadia conference. The talks which lasted More than three weeks Laid the groundwork for How the allies planned to defeat the Axis Powers of Germany Japan and Italy. Roosevelt and Churchill a agreed to tackle Hitler first a said Thomas s. Snyder the commands historian. A they saw him As the greater  eliminating that threat necessitated the creation of an air task Force that would bomb targets behind enemy lines and eventually gain air superiority or at least neutralize the German Luftwaffe. That was required in order to set the stage for an Allied ground invasion Snyder said. Advanced elements of the 8th air Force which was then under the command of the army reached Britain on May 11, 1942. The 8th air Force was renamed the . Strategic air forces in Europe on feb. 22, 1944. Changed Only in name and Mission the command was entrusted with directing All strategic bombing operations in the european theater. The primary targets were the German Oil refineries and aircraft and Ball bearing factories which were still operating despite Al lied air assaults. After the War the word a strategic Quot was dropped from the command s title aug. 7, ll>45, to reflect its occupational role. By wars end. The command had 17,000 planes and 450.000 people in the theater. By the end of em7, there were 458 planes Ami 71, 155 military personnel. Safe a was simply an occupational Force until a new Germany government was in  Snyder said. But a series of events in the late 1940s, from the spread of communism in Eastern Europe to the Berlin Airlift to the development of the soviet nuclear program halted the draw Down. A in �?T49 we grew to 55,000 people to support the Airlift Quot Snyder said. A by then we realized the russians were not our  group gears up younger enlistees by Meridith Winder . Bureau Raf Chicksands England what started out As a forum for passing along information has evolved into an organization that is getting involved in projects in the Community. Called the first five the organization originally was envisioned As a Means of providing Quick information to members of the five lowest enlisted grades on base. Since its establishment at Chicksands nearly a year ago however the organization has taken on a broader role. A a it a More of just doing things for people rather than being another Avenue of passing along information a said staff sgt. Susan Andrews the first five president. A chief classrooms fall silent at Goppinger school by Joseph Owen Stuttgart Bureau packers emptied out Goppinger elementary Junior High school last week and the last teacher turned the keys Over to the military Community which also is about to close. The school held its last Day of classes Jan. 17 with 20 students attending according to Stuttgart school District superintendent Fred Killian. The schools main building and two annexes the housing area in which they Are located and nearby Cooke Barracks All Are scheduled for imminent return to the German government. Cooke Barracks was Headquarters of the 1st inf div fwd which the army inactivated last year. The schools Peak enrolment during the 1990-91 school year was 347 students school District business manager Irving Hansen said. That was the last year the school contained kindergarten through eighth Grade. When it reopened last september Only 124 students remained in kindergarten through sixth Grade. Seventh and eighth Grade students were transported to ludwigs Burg Middle school about an hour away. Killian said the District offered january a remaining 20 students bus transportation to a school in the Stuttgart area but few if any Are Likely to use it. All of them expect to move to the United states in the next few weeks he said. The department of defense dependents schools was Able to find other teaching jobs in the system for All but one of the Goppinger teachers who wanted them Killian said. The Lone exception found a Job at a child development Center in another Community he said. Killian said the District expects to lose at least two More schools by the end of the school year a the elementary and High schools in Munich. The Munich military Community is scheduled to close next summer. Two other schools Are Likely to close soon but District officials have received no formal closing notice for them. They Are Leitheim elementary which serves children of air Force personnel assigned to the German forces Prinz Eugen Cavern and Nellinger elementary located on Nellinger Barracks in Ost Wildern. Master sgt. Paul a Ayres Chicksands senior enlisted adviser comes to the meetings and gives us information then he just sits Back and lets us run the  Andrews explained that it was a Way for the younger enlisted people at Chicksands to get involved and do something together As an organization. A a it a also another voice for issues that come up such As the dormitories and club a Andrews said. A we can try to get things that we want  for instance one Issue involved the charging of guests at the consolidated club. For events such As dances club members bringing their non member spouse to the club were not charged. In contrast single members who took a guest with them were charged a fee As required by the clubs regulations. The first five thought the policy unfair particularly since the lower ranking enlisted people used the dub most often. A just because we re not married does no to mean we have to pay for a guest Quot Andrews said. The first five brought it up with club management Ami now base officials Are working to change the regulation. The first five also has set up Community fund raising events and has gotten involved in other Community projects such As building playground equipment at the childcare Center. They be also put on the first dining in event organized completely by Junior enlisted members at  dream the idea for this contraption came to  Balfour in a dream a build a vacuum system powerful enough to suck Prairie dogs from their Burrows and the business would come. He did and it has. James Heimer who works for Balfour a company dog gone of Cortez colo., demonstrates the vacuum which deposits the unharmed but bewildered Prairie dogs into a truck. A they Are not too disturbed by it a Balfour said. A it s quite a  the firm then tries to relocate the often Pesky critters doing away with mass killings that have angered animal rights activists. Balfour also Hopes to create a Market for the animals in Japan As pets