European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 2, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse Sunday february 2, 1992 the stars and stripes a Page 5no cover up found in Friendly fire Case by Barton Gellman the Washington Post Washington a a three month army inspector general a investigation has found no evidence of a cover up in the Friendly fire death of Cpl. Douglas Lance fielder. Instead it blamed communication lapses and miscues for the incorrect notification telling the soldiers parents he died at the hands of iraqis. But the forthcoming report the contents of which were described by officers makes Clear that army officials chose to delay the news for months. Investigators were unable to Rule out deliberate suppression of the truth in two instances a form filled out twice but never delivered and a letter written but never mailed. Gen. Dennis j. Reimer army vice chief of staff ordered the investigation in october after the Washington Post reported the circumstances of fielders death and initially false statements to his relatives. The in report is expected to recommend wide ranging changes in the army a casualty notification system. Fielder a 22-year-old combat Engineer was stranded with four other soldiers in a broken Down truck at an iraqi Airfield on feb. 27,1991, the third Day of ground com Bat in the persian Gulf War. Mistaking the group for iraqis an american cavalry unit fired on the group killing fielder and wounding another Soldier. Although commanders on the scene realized their error within minutes army casualty officers told fielders parents 28 hours later that their son had died in a firefight with iraqis. Not until May 2, when friends from fielders company reached telephones in saudi Arabia did Ronald fielder and Debbie Shelton learn that their son had been killed by Friendly forces. The army declined to confirm the Story officially until August. Knowledgeable officers said the in report by col. William d. Waller will give the following account it. Kevin j. Wessels the executive officer of fielders company filled out a report within minutes of the soldiers death saying fielder was a killed As a result of Friendly Wessels told the Post and army investigators that he placed the one Page casualty report in fielders body bag. But the company a first sergeant testified that Wessels report was blown away by the helicopter flown in to evacuate fielders body. He also testified that he handed a second report identical to the first to one of the helicopters six Crew members. But All six who were members of the 3rd army Cav regt testified they received no such report. Army investigators unable to resolve the discrepancy said there was no written record of Friendly fire when fielders body arrived at a mortuary in saudi Arabia. There a reservist assumed iraqis had killed fielder and filed an erroneous report that was the basis for notifying fielders parents of the cause of death. Meanwhile spec. Ted Lane a Friend of fielders from his unit was sent to Germany to collect the dead soldiers personal effects. Before leaving for the funeral in Nashville tenn., Lane told capt. John h. Breidenstine jr., the rear detachment commander that soldiers from the 3rd had killed fielder. A i told him not to say anything to anybody a Breidenstine told the Post in an oct. 15 interview. A it Wasny to spec. Lanes place to Tell the family it was Friendly Breidenstine recalled the conversation slightly differently when questioned by army investigators. He said he told Lane to Volunteer nothing to fielders family about Friendly fire but to Tell the truth if asked omitting Only the name of the regiment involved. Lane 19, told army investigators that he had taken Breidenstine a instructions As an order not to say anything about Friendly fire at All. The in concluded that Breidenstine gave no improper order. In the months after the funeral officers said a series of miscues delayed discovery of the True circumstances surrounding fielders death. Fielders battalion commander it. Col. Phillip Morris drafted a letter to the family a implying Quot Friendly fire but the 1st army div Headquarters never sent it. The letter was found Unm ailed in division files. The division did however file a Quot supplemental casualty report on March 5, about a week after fielders death changing incident code to Friendly fire. But an ongoing dispute Over record keeping Between Vii corps and the army scentral come left the new report in limbo until March 29. By the time the report was cleared in april the army a Deputy chief of staff for personnel it. Gen. William h. Reno had decided that none of the families should be notified about Friendly fire until All investigations had been approves first request for Airport user fee by the Washington Post Washington a the Savannah ga., Airport Friday received Federal aviation administration permission to charge a $3 per passenger tax making it the first of roughly 200 airports expected to Levy the charge by the end of 1993. The passenger facility charge May be collected from every departing passenger including those changing planes. Once the charge is implemented throughout the system passengers could pay As much As $12 extra per round trip when taking connecting flights. However the fees will be capped at that amount even if two or More connections Are involved. Sensitive to any suggestion that it supports tax increases the Bush administration classified the charge As a user fee. Samuel k. Skinner the former transportation Secretary who is now White House chief of staff strongly supported the charge. He argued that users of transportation facilities should pay at least a part of the Cost of improvements. Skinner also said the Money was badly needed to enable airports to keep up with increasing air traffic. The Faa said Friday that As much As $1 billion a year could be collected from airline passengers if As expected All major airports qualify to collect the charge. Any income from the fee must be used to enhance the airports capacity safety or Security with the Faa deciding on Case by Case which projects qualify. The charges were permitted by Congress in the aviation safety and capacity expansion act of 1990, which also established new aircraft noise rules. Acting transportation Secretary James Busty said that in addition to allowing Airport improvements the charge would Spur Competition. The new Law forbids any Long term exclusive lease arrangements for any airline at any facility built with charge Revenue. The Faa said the Savannah Airport commission hich will begin collecting the fee july 1, expects to raise an estimated $3 million a year to finance $39.5 million in Airport improvements. Those projects include a two level passenger building an aircraft parking apron with accompanying taxiways and Entrance and service roads. Nineteen airports have applied for charge approval including Las vegas Minneapolis Portland Ore. Tulsa okla. And Austin Texas. In the stars and stripes 10 years ago feb. 2,1982 a top seeded John Mcenroe stunned second seeded Jimmy Connors 6-3,6-3, 6-1 to win the . Pro indoor Tennis championship. 20 years ago feb. 2,1972 a the British government denied charges that British troops fire indiscriminately into crowds in Londonderry Northern Ireland on Quot bloody sunday a when 13 civilians were killed. The army said it conducted itself a with great 30 years ago feb. 2,1962 a the French government ordered tanks into Paris amid reports that France and the algerian rebels have a draft agreement granting Algeria eventual Independence. Parisian officials fear the report will touch off a right Wing uprising. 40 year Sago feb. 2,1952 a West Germany became the first nation to Complete ratification of the Schuman plan. France the Netherlands Belgium Luxembourg and Italy were also considering joining the plan to Pool Western Europe a Coal and steel resources for 50 Diego morning afternoon papers merge san Diego up the san Diego Union and its afternoon sister the Tribune Are merging into a new paper this weekend spreading their circulation into neighbouring counties and Mexico. The final issues of the Union and the Tribune was to be published saturday and the first edition of the san Diego Union Tribune is to be delivered this morning. A this will probably be the most modern it or in the United states a said Herb Klein chief editor of the new publication that he said would a meet the challenges of the 1990s.�?� the Union Tribune will not Only cover san Diego the second largest City in the most populous state in the nation but also its outlying communities. It also Hopes to lure readers from Imperial county the growing suburbs of Southern Riverside and Orange counties and the mexican Border cities of Tijuana and Mexicali where Many readers Are bilingual. A we Are going to cover this Region like it has never been covered before a Klein said. Copley press officials said the new paper will be much larger than the old ones and the Public will have More input in the kinds of stories to be published. While the Union Tribune will print an updated afternoon edition the merger effectively kills off the Tribune. While neither newspaper was in danger of folding the Tribune lagged behind the Union in circulation and Copley press officials decided its Long term pros p la acts were grim. The Tribune has a circulation of about 110,000. The unions circulation is approximately 250,000. Launched in 1895, the Tribune has prided itself on its image of a livelier and More Independent publication than the Union. The Tribune won a pulitzer prize in 1979 for its coverage of the spa Airliner crash and in 1987 for a series of editorials on illegal immigration. Klein said 107 Union and Tribune employees had taken a buyout or retired while 34 had been Laid off. Cake and Coffee were passed around in the Tribune newsroom Friday As the staff bade Farewell to colleagues who were retiring or had accepted the buyout offer. Worl d War 50 years ago today 2 feb. 1 9.4 m2 american and filipino troops attack the japanese Bridgehead at the Pilar River on the Bataan Peninsula driving their foe Back across the River. A . Attack fails to crush the japanese beachhead at Point Quina uan on Bataan s southwestern coast. In North Africa Rommel orders the afrika Korps to push toward Derna which is held by Britain s 4th Indian div. Source 2194 Days of War w. H. Smith publishers inc. A a year ago Day 17 feb. 2 two . Warplanes a an a-10 and an a-6 a Are shot Down bringing to 21 the number of Allied aircraft lost in combat. The . Military says a Serviceman is killed when a Marine Convoy is hit by Allied Cluster bombs bringing to 12 the number of americans confirmed killed in the War. Allied warplanes make five attacks on launch Sites for chinese made iraqi silkworm anti ship missiles. A
