European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 7, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 b the stars and stripes saturday March 7, 1992 army drops firing threat for captains not majors by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington a the army has cancelled a Board to select captains to be fired from the service As part of the military draw Down Only four Days before the Board was set to Convene officials said Friday. But a similar reduction in Force Board scheduled for the same Day tuesday will Convene As planned said maj. Barbara Goodno an army spokeswoman. Receiving a last minute reprieve Are captains who came on Active duty in 1982, Goodno said. Personnel officials shut Down that Board because enough captains have applied for the voluntary separation incentive and the special separation Benefit two incentive plans approved last year by Congress. The army needed 700 captains to apply for one of the programs to avoid forcing any out of the service a and we got what we needed a Goodno said. The incentives a did exactly what we hoped they would a they eliminated the need for involuntary  but she said the service fell Short of its goal to get 750 majors who came on duty in 1978 to apply for voluntary separation. About 500 majors applied by the feb. 29 deadline. To draw More majors into leaving voluntarily the army has extended the deadline to apply for the separation incentives to May 1, Goodno said. Majors who apply by that Date and whose applications Are accepted will separate at their approved release Date with All pertinent benefits intact regardless of the outcome of the dismissal Board that will meet tuesday she said. A based on the results of that extended application deadline the army will adjust the if requirement a Goodno said. While the bulk of the majors who Are potentially affected Are generally in what the army Calls a year group 1978,�?� the specific criteria target majors who a have served at least one year As a major. A hold a Date of rank Between july 2, 1989, and March 1,1991. A will have completed at least 15 years of service by sept. 30, the end of the current fiscal year. Results of that Board will be announced in late May or Early june Goodno said. The separation Benefit offers a one time Lump sum payment equal to 15 percent of a soldiers annual Basic pay multiplied by years of service. The separation incentive provides annual payments equal to 2.5 percent of a soldiers Basic pay multiplied by years of service payable for twice the total number of years that the Soldier served. Both incentives which went into effect Jan. 1, Are Worth far More than the Normal Severance pay Given to service members who Are forced out of the military. Gotti trial s witness blames childhood for his life of crime new York apr the Star witness against reputed mob Boss John Gotti blamed his life of crime a from Small time hoodlum to powerful mobster a on his childhood friends and neighbourhood thursday. And he acknowledged that in that neighbourhood he would now be known As a  in testimony that was followed by a courthouse emptying bomb threat Salvatore a Sammy Bull Gravano also testified that Gotti was an unyielding foe of drugs. Gravano a 46-year-old career hoodlum who admits to 19 slayings acknowledged he made a Deal to cooperate with prosecutors in the Hopes of someday getting out of jail. In the first hours of an aggressive Cross examination by defense attorney Albert j. Krieger Gravano said he wants to turn his life around. Mockingly Krieger asked a you want to be a guardian of orphan children or a role Model for the youth of the City a a maybe so some other kids done to get their lives destroyed like i did a replied Gravano gottis former close Friend and unde Boss of the Gambino crime family it a when i was a kid i ran in gangs i dropped out of school in the eighth Grade. It was the environment. It did no to seem  Gravano said he began his life of crime As a stick up Man and committed his first slaying when he was 24. Krieger asked Gravano whether in his old Brooklyn neighbourhood there was a term for people like him. A informer Quot Gravano said. A is there another word Quot Quot a rat a Gravano said. The trial was in recess when the bomb threat was phoned in the Early afternoon. The Federal courthouse was evacuated for an hour while bomb squad officers with dogs checked the building. When the trial resumed judge 1. Leo Glasser said the scare a has nothing to do with any of the particulars of this  Twenty minutes later Glasser suddenly adjourned the trial for the Day after being handed a note. Officials said a second threat had been reported but was being treated As a Crank Call. The courthouse Wasny to evacuated. A Gravano had been gottis most trusted aide until last october when he agreed to become a government witness. Gravano like co defendants Gotti 51, and Frank a Frankie Locso Locascio 59, had faced a life term. Under his Deal he faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. A in the Federal system when you re sentenced to life people evacuate the Brooklyn Federal courthouse after a bomb threat thursday. The trial of reputed mob Boss John Gotti is being held there without parole you come out in a Box. Right a Krieger asked. A i guess so Quot Gravano replied. A you said to them a i will give you John gottis head on a Platter. You give me my Freedom a a Krieger asked. A no a Gravano replied. Gotti who allegedly seized control of the Gambino family with the december 1985 slayings of former Boss Paul Castellano and his bodyguard Thomas Bilotti is accused of murders loan sharking obstruction of Justice and other  scouts find prisoners have yen for cookies from wire reports Graterford a. A girl scout cookies Are a hot commodity at Graterford prison. Jailbird have bought More than 1,900 boxes of cookies this year nearly double last years total said officials at the suburban Philadelphia Pris a girl scouts Are not personally Selling their cookies at the prison but have contracted about 25 convicts to take orders. Sales Are brisk even though the cookies Cost $2.50 a Box and Many inmates earn less than 50 cents an hour for prison work. The idea took hold after a group of lifers at Graterford prison saw a television and for the treats last year and contacted the local girl scout chapter. It worked so Well that it was expanded this year to the prisons in Bucks and Chester  Way appointment Washington a United Way of America whose president resigned last week following reports of mismanagement and extravagance thursday named an ism vice president to serve As its interim Leader. Kenneth w. Dam in my a vice president for Law and external relations will Start serving immediately As president and chief executive officer for the embattled organization said United Way spokesman Tony de Cristofaro. Dam who is due to retire from ism in september will serve until United ways Board of directors completes its search for a permanent replacement for William Aramony. The appointment comes a week after the 64-year-old Aramony resigned after 22 years As the head of the nations largest Charity. He apologized for a a Lack of sensitivity that Lea to complaints of extravagant spending and demands by local units for his  Driver charged Little Falls Minn. A a former greyhound bus Driver has been charged with careless driving and speeding on an icy Road after a crash killed one passenger and injured 30 others. The Misdemeanour charges were filed wednesday in Morrison county District court against Freddie l. Thigpen 35, of St. Paul county attorney Conrad Freeberg said thursday. No hearing has been set. Thigpenn a bus was travelling from new York to Seattle dec. 7 when it hit a car on a Highway North of Little Falls went Down a slope and rolled on its Side. Thigpen was fired dec. 13 for failing to avoid a preventable Accident and for two previous speeding tickets said greyhound spokesman Bill  tourism drops Miami a Florida suffered in 1991 its biggest tourism decline since the 1972 Energy crisis. State officials blamed the recession plummeting consumer Confidence and airline bankruptcies for the fall. The number of tourists dropped from 41 million in 1990 to 39.3 million last year a dip of 4.1 percent. State researchers determined that Auto traffic was Down 0.6 percent and air traffic Down 7.4 percent.2 admit embezzlement Washington a two former clerks for the House Post office pleaded guilty on thursday to embezzling Money from the office. Edward c. Pogue Iii 21, of Arlington va., and Celia Gutierrez 40, of Silver Spring md., each pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement . Attorney Jay Stephens said. Pogue has admitted stealing More than $7,000 Between november 1990 and april Stephens said. Gutierrez admitted embezzling More than $4,000 Between january 1991 and july Stephens said. Both have agreed to cooperate in an investigation of the Post office