European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 26, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 a the stars and stripes wednesday february 26,1992militaryspecial forces to hold recruit presentations Schwet Zingen Germany a recruiters will hold presentations in Hanau next month for enlisted soldiers interested in volunteering for the army a special forces. Presentations Are scheduled for March 2-4 at 10 30 . And 1 30 . Daily in the 559th engr in classroom in building 81 on Pioneer Cavern. Spouses of interested soldiers Are encouraged to attend. Applicants must take a physical fitness and swimming test following the presentations. Soldiers Are required to score 206 on the army physical readiness test according to the standards for the 17-21 age group and swim 50 meters in Battle dress uniforms and combat boots. Soldiers should bring with them their most recent physical fitness test score card and copies of their forms 2a and 2-1. For More information Call sgt. 1st class Loren Simpson at the european special forces recruiting office at ets 379-6430/6558.Lowry officer takes command of Aviano a support group Aviano a Italy a col. Steven Hurwitz has assumed command of the air base Here and the 40th combat support group. Col. Wilson Briley Aviano a previous commander is now assigned to Bergstrom fab Texas where he is the 12th air Force commanders assistant for total Quality management. Hurwitz was Deputy commander for resource management for the Lowry technical training Center at Lowry fab colo., before coming to Aviano. The Deputy commander it. Col Gary Lagassey served As base commander in the interim before the arrival of Hurwitz. Early Days of War toughest recalls Silver Star recipient by Rosemary Sawyer Brussels Bureau Brussels Belgium a one year after the conflict that stole the life of a fellow Pilot and threatened his own it. Cmdr. Mark Fox said he does no to appreciate people who talk of the persian Gulf War As if it were a cakewalk. A i have a real problem with people who Are now making it out to be less than it was a said Fox who received a Silver Star on tuesday for shooting Down an Iracki Mig fighter As it closed in on him. A before the whistle blew we had a substantial problem to Deal  the 35-year-old maritime plans officer assigned to supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe was referring to intelligence reports and statistics about the strength of the iraqi military. Ironically Fox said the people who downplay the wars Challenge Are the same ones who earlier had painted a picture of Iraq As being a a 10-foot-tall giant and predicted the War zone would be a a floor of Sand swimming in  granted the iraqis failed to live up to their ominous prewar Billing but Fox pointed out a we did no to know that on the first Day of the War. A you always gauge your plans against the worst thing that he the enemy can do to  Fox who also received a Navy commendation medal and five air medals last week called the first airstrikes of the War the most difficult because of that uncertainty. Added to that was the realization that he and most fellow pilots aboard the aircraft Carrier Saratoga had never encountered enemy fire. A was you walk out to the air plane out of the ready room you re kind of convinced that some of us Arentt coming Home a said the husband and father of four. One of foxes fellow f/a-18 Hornet pilots in strike fighter so 81, it. Cmdr. Michael s. Speicher did not return from the wars first strike Jan. 17. Fox described the whole War As bittersweet. A my Squadron typifies that bitter sweetness More so than anything because the very first strike of the War we lost Scott Speich Erand at that Point we did no to know whether he had diverted or was a pow or anything a recalled the 14-year Navy Veteran. A twelve hours later we shot Down the Only two migs that the Navy shot Down in the  in retrospect the naval Academy graduate said he found the experience to be a a very difficult a yet also a very rewarding and very  that May sound Odd but a i feel like that a what in be always tra Nedjo do a to be a Warrior a Fox said. A i feel fortunate to have had an Opportunity actually to have done the things in be always dreamed of. From a review of citations for the medals Fox received it would appear his successful missions must have fulfilled his every dream. After shooting Down the Mig he turned around and dropped four 2,000-Pound bombs on target destroying an Airfield hangar Complex in Western Iraq. Hours earlier he had a flawlessly delivered three missiles against enemy air defense systems according to the citation accompanying his commendation medal. On Jan. 22, Fox took part in a 24-aircraft sortie that targeted iraqi scud missile launchers and support vehicles. Fox personally dropped four bombs destroying a launcher. About two weeks later he led a strike on two radar installations amid intense anti aircraft fire and surface to air missiles. His four bombs took out three radar control buildings and three radar antennas. Soon after he led a strike of 15 planes delivering 1,000-Pound bombs on entrenched iraqi armoured vehicles. In another five Days he flew on a Mission that targeted a one of the enemy a Premier Western  Fox air fort staff sgt. Kanrick Thomo fashionable Trio ready for an evening out models Diane Davis left Hilton Mcdaniel and Tanya Webb show off their Classy attire during a fashion show held in Honor of Black history month at Hahn a Germany. The base s Black cultural awareness association will use proceeds from the event for scholarships and Cash prizes for Black history essays written by Hahn High school students. The show was put on earlier this month. 6 dutch soldiers 1 German earn army expert badges by Ken Clauson Bremerhaven Bureau Karlstedt Germany a a German army officer and six dutch soldiers recently earned . Army proficiency badges. First it. Jorg Zick an infantry officer from the German 323rd Mech inf in in nearby Schwane Wede earned the prestigious expert infantryman a badge at Lucius d. Clay Cavern. Of 12 germans who attempted to earn the medal Zick was the Only one who succeeded. A a in a now really proud of it because it was really hard to earn a he said. Zick said some of his soldiers expected to get a break from the graders but were held to the same standards As the americans even for events such As radio communications in English. A a that a harder for some of us who Are not used to speaking English Quot he said. A for other things you can see what they Are doing so you do it the same Way. But for filing enemy reports in English its harder. I think some of my soldiers expected a  the germans competed with 157 american infantrymen from Berlin and Karlstedt Only 25 americans a or 15 percent a earned the badge which is the usual Success rate said master sgt. John tester operations sergeant for 1st in 41st inf which played Host to the event. More than half the soldiers tested had already been awarded the combat infantryman a badge he said. Only infantrymen Are eligible. They first had to qualify As a a expert in Rifle marksmanship with an m-16, pass a physical fitness test Complete a 12-mile Road March and finish Day and night land navigation exercises. They Are also tested on infantry skills including breaking Down and assembling Small arms communications procedures throwing hand grenades and mane vering under sniper fire. Six dutch and 23 . Soldiers earned that army expert Field medical badge. The four a test covered physical fitness a 100-question writ ten exam Day and night land navigation am emergency and Field medical techniques. In one phase medics had to identify injuries set priorities for treatment and administer firs Aid. A i knew from the first that English could Kil me a said sgt. Harald Gillissen a 22-year-oh dutch medic who earned the badge. A it was i Challenge for me to do this. The Basic Medica things Are the same but Little details Are differ  the dutch soldiers trained for weeks with american medics from co a 498th support in the medical company for 2nd army div ii Karlstedt. That training helped some of that americans As Well said 2nd it. Chris Colacicco he credited his Success in earning the Medica badge in part to the time spent studying with Thi dutch soldiers. A the dutch soldiers studied a lot and most o the time i sat in with them a he said. A fall o them Here were very proficient and worked ver hard. They re very  the final test was a 12-mile Road March with m-16 and Field pack. While some Soldier struggled to finish within the 3-hour time limit Colacicco breezed through in just Over two hour and finished first. A once you be made everything else the Roa it March is All mental Quot he said. The badge is the medical Fields equivalent to the expert infantrymen a badge