European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 1, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday March 1, 1992 the stars and stripes a Page 9 Winner of top medal looks ahead John Levitow puts aside heroism to help vets people and not realize that you Are going to institutionalize them to the Point where  never leave a Levitow said. And Many More veterans Are beginning to recognize the value of becoming less dependent on entitlement programs Levitow said. A Vietnam veterans i think Are beginning to realize that they can to blame All of their problems on Vietnam a he said. Levitow likes the concept of the military a voluntary separation programs because they will give veterans Cash As they re enter the civilian world. But he encourages those retiring to land a Job As soon As possible even if it Falls Short of their expectations. Aside from the 20 percent tax they will pay on the separation pay Levitow is concerned that service members will be lulled into complacency by a false sense of financial Security. A i would love to have seen that Money somehow or another rolled into a tax deferred annuity a he said. Having devoted about 20 years to veterans issues Levitow is familiar with the opportunities and obstacles awaiting new veterans. Getting an education is important he said but maintaining High self esteem is just As crucial if not More so. A a it a a matter of having Confidence and getting involved a Levitow said. Quot done to turn around and Lay your problems on somebody else and expect them to go  draw Down creates glut to Torrejon car Market by j. King Cruger Mediterranean Bureau Torrejon a Spain a a psst psst Senor want to buy a car at a Giveaway Price a american motor vehicle owners assigned to Torrejon a Haven to yet started to accost spaniards in Hopes of ringing up car sales but with the current sorry state of their used car Market such offers May not be far off. A year ago when Torrejon was one of the air forces busiest and most important air bases 5,600 vehicles were registered there to about 5,000 Active duty air Force people. Now with Torrejon in the midst of a massive draw Down 4,200 vehicles Are registered to fewer than 3,000 base personnel according to maj. John Pugerud chief of the 401st Security police so at Torrejon. Why so Many registered to so few basically Pugerud said because departing personnel waited too Long to sell their cars in a depressed Market and have been forced to leave their cars behind with the Hope that they can be sold by friends. A we Are allowing people to have multiple Powers of attorney so that they can help friends dispose of cars Pugerud said. A some people have 10 of them Powers of attorney. They Are used car lots unto  Many of the . Vehicles Are older models that Are not Worth shipping to the United states. Some cars said Pugerud a resident of Winnett mont., have been abandoned. A there is no Market for used cars and prices have plummeted Quot said tech. Sgt. Randy Williams 35, superintendent of Security police administration. A we Are impounding abandoned cars at an extreme rate. We impounded 150 cars in the last six months of 1991, As opposed to 50 cars in All of 1990,�?� said Williams of Cuba 111. The Powers of attorney Are Good Only for 45 Days and Are non renewable Pugerud said. A at the end of that time the vehicles must be sold or disposed of in some  options Are few for those stuck with unsold vehicles. Service members Are finding it difficult to sell cars As the Security police impound lot in Torrejon a Spain reflects. 8&s Oava Casey cars May be junked at Spanish junkyards or through an on base disposal facility run by morale welfare and recreation. Spanish junk dealers pay owners about $100 per vehicle while mar pays nothing Pugerud said. Torrejon a on the outskirts of Madrid once had a thriving car Market among americans on base. Americans assigned to Torrejon traded used cars mostly imported and tax free at High prices. Spaniards rarely bought tax free cars from americans because of High taxes and duties levied by the government on such transactions. For years americans traded cars among themselves and All went Well until the draw Down began last summer. A they the americans vehicles were overpriced to begin with but now the Bottom has dropped out of the Market a said Williams. A now people Are getting about one third of the Book Price for their  car Sellers Are caught by a shrinking Market of american buyers and by tight listed Spanish buyers aware that the americans have no one else to sell cars to. By fall Torrejon will have an american Active duty population of about 450 people. Zaragoza a a three hour drive from Torrejon will close sept. 30. Cars up for Sale by the More than 500 air Force folks stationed there Are also adding to the glut on the american used car Market. Although a potential Market for the Torrejon vehicles exists with the nearly 9,000 americans stationed at naval station Rota Spain that Atlantic coast installation is an eight hour drive from Torrejon. The time and the complexity of transferring vehicle registrations Between the respective Spanish provinces in which Torrejon and Rota Are located have dampened that Market Williams said. Base officials have allowed Spanish car dealers on the base a couple of times to stimulate action in the car Market but visits did not Lead to either brisk sales or lucrative deals for americans Pugerud said. A Spanish dealers Are like american dealers a Williams said. A they Are out to make a  by Kevin Dougherty Kaiserslautern Bureau Ramstein a Germany a someone had to remind John Levitow on monday that it was the anniversary of the deed that earned him the medal of Honor. Its not that Levitow is forgetful or that he questions the significance of what he did on feb. 24, 1969. Its just that Levitow chooses to focus on the future rather than on the past. A my father used to Tell me you re yesterdays hero and in be always recognized that a Levitow said in an interview at Ramstein a following a luncheon speech sponsored by the Kisling no Academy. A you put it behind you and you move  Levitow 46, is the lowest ranking airman in history to earn the nations highest military award. An airman first class Levitow was a Load master on a Mission Oyer Long Binh South Vietnam when the c-47 in which he was Riding was severely damaged by enemy mortar fire. Despite More than 40 shrapnel wounds and loss of blood Levitow threw himself onto an armed magnesium flare near spilled ammunition canisters. He dragged himself to the open cargo door and tossed the flare through it seconds before the device ignited. A after the Mission a the planets Pilot maj. Ken Carpenter said in the Book Vietnam medal of Honor heroes a i was Able to reconstruct what happened by the blood Trail left by John. I had the aircraft m a thirty degree Bank and How Levitow Ever managed to get to the flare and throw it out ill never  today Levitow said of his award Quot obviously the medal has had a tremendous effect on my life. Its opened doors where maybe they would have been shut. But it also puts you on a Pedestal that you May not want to be  is currently the executive assistant to the commissioner of the de Levitow apartment of veterans affairs for the state of Connecticut. The Foremost Issue on veterans minds these Days is the erosion of entitlement benefits he said. Because of state budget constraints Levitow a office has instituted a program designed to encourage veterans to become More self sufficient. The plan targets veterans who reside in a hospitals the majority of whom Are of the Vietnam Era. The patients shares of living costs at the Hospital drop in proportion to the Progress they make toward securing a Job and leaving the Hospital. A we recognized the fact that you can to warehouse