European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 30, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday March 30, 1992 the stars and stripes a Page 3 unjust treatment of disabled vets fought by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington a three Florida lawmakers Are backing a Bill that would Correct what they say Are inequities in the Way disabled military retirees Are compensated. Under current Law retirees receiving department of veterans affairs disability payments have their retirement pay reduced by an equal amount of their disability pay. However those reductions do not apply to civil service retirees who receive veterans disability payments. A a its unjust that military retirees must forfeit their retirement pay Dollar for Dollar if they want to receive disability compensation a sen. Connie Mack r-fla., said at a Senate armed services committee hearing last week. A this Means that a civil service employee receiving disability pay gets More in compensation Overall than a military person with the same disability a said Mack who is co sponsoring the Bill in the Senate with his Florida colleague Democrat Bob Graham. A disability pay is for injuries suffered in connection with military service a Graham said. A retirement pay is for faithful military service. To mix the two is irrational to begin with. Its even More irrational to have a different Standard for  however the Cost of implementing the Bill could prove to be insurmountable. The congressional budget office estimates that the legislation would Cost More than $460 million in fiscal 1993. The Bill would affect about 300,000 veterans Many of whom fought in world War ii. Rep. Michael Birlirakis r-fla., the Bill a sponsor in the House acknowledged that the legislation has been held up in that chamber because of Cost concerns. But Birlirakis pointed out that the Bill would not lift the deduction completely but would replace that formula with a sliding scale based on the percentage of disability. The formula would help hold Down costs he said. For example a Veteran determined to be 90 percent disabled would receive full disability pay and military retirement pay less an amount equal to 10 percent of the disability compensation. That Means that a 90 percent disabled Veteran who received $900 a month in disability pay would have to forfeit $90 a month from the retirement pay. Under the current formula the Veteran would have the full $00 1 per month deducted from the retirement pay. The defense department opposes the legislation. Christopher Jehn the Pentagon s manpower chief said disabled military retirees do not really forfeit retirement pay on a Dollar for Dollar basis because the disability compensation is not taxed. He also said that comparing military and civilian retirement pay is not simple. A for one thing military personnel can retire at a much younger age than civil service employees a he said. Rescuer acted while others just watched by Ron Mckinney staff writer rot Germany a Lori Schlichter walked into a scene in Germany not unlike one that might be found in new York City a Middle aged woman sprawled motionless in a train station surrounded by about 30 onlookers who were doing nothing. But Schlichter did not hesitate to help the stricken woman inside Heidelberg main train station March 16. And because she stepped in Ella Backfisch is alive and recovering others said. Schlichter 37, said anger and necessity prompted her to begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation something she had not practice since she was a seventh grader in Minneapolis. A i looked around and saw about 30 people standing around doing nothing a Schlichter said. A a it a so stupid. It really made me  the self employed computer consultant checked the 53-year-old victims pulse and breathing. As Schlichter began Mouth to Mouth resuscitation no one offered to help. A i literally had to yell at someone to give her a heart Massage a she said. A girl eventually stepped Forward and Schlichter gave her a Quick lesson on How to pump the heart a which i Wasny to really sure about How to  meanwhile the stricken woman a husband Artur Backfisch frantically searched his wife a belongings for the Metal tube his wife carried following her recent tracheotomy an incision designed to open an artificial breathing Hole in the Throat. She was on her Way to a Hospital for a checkup when she collapsed about 7 45 . A her heart had stopped beating a Artur Backfisch said. A it was just fantastic Luck that someone was there who knew what to do. Had it happened anywhere else it probably a amps Ron Mckinney Lori Schlichter would have been her  within moments Schlichter was joined by a doctor who took Over the resuscitation process while Schlichter began massaging Backfisch a heart. They continued their efforts. Schlichter a efforts were later taken Over by paramedics but the experience left her shaken. A i went into Shock and started crying hysterically and shaking a she said. Schlichter travelled to Hannover later in the Day and called the Heidelberg University clinic to Check on Backfisch a condition. She said a nurse at the clinic told her a i give you the highest compliment i could give anyone. You saved her  a spokeswoman for the clinic said she could not reach the doctor who was on duty at the time of the incident for comment. A but the head doctor of the ear nose and Throat clinic confirmed that the Aid Given by mrs. Schlichter saved Frau Backfisch a life a the spokeswoman said. Schlichter said she has visited Backfisch three times. She was reported doing Well and is expected to recover. Gulf ills concentrated in 3 units officials find by Ray Rowden Washington Bureau Washington a army and air Force officials indicated last week that illnesses associated with soldiers who served in the persian Gulf Are generally restricted to three Indiana units. A we Are not aware of any other units that have a number of soldiers with complaints a said Virginia Stephanakis a spokeswoman from the office of the army a surgeon general. A a but we Are aware of individuals around the army who have unresolved  a spokeswoman from the office of the air Force surgeon general said her office is not aware of any air Force units reporting significant numbers of illnesses linked to duty in the persian Gulf. Army officials said 60 soldiers from three Indiana Reserve units were examined March 19 and 20 at fort Benjamin Harrison near Indianapolis. A none of them seem to have the same thing a Stephanakis said. Symptoms included aches fatigue and thick saliva. There was no indication of a specific cause for the illnesses officials said. The units were identified As the 2 a the Supply co and the 300th Supply and services in both from Lafayette and the 417th quartermaster co from Jeffersonville. Army officials said they checked soldiers assigned to units encamped near the Indiana reservists during the persian Gulf War. No similar numbers of health complaints were found. Officials also downplayed earlier reports that indicated microwave radiation May have prompted the symptoms. A a there a just nothing to support that conclusion a said maj. Barbara Goodno an army spokeswoman. Medical officials Are continuing to Monitor the conditions of the Indiana reservists. Before soldiers began departing from the persian Gulf Congress directed the Pentagon to study possible Long term health effects related to serving in that area. That directive was designed to shield Gulf War veterans from the bureaucratic ordeals faced by Vietnam veterans who claim they were victims of the defoliant agent Orange. Israel reportedly claims saudis transferred Patriot data to China London apr Israel has told . Investigators that saudi Arabia not the jewish state transferred . Missile technology to China the sunday Telegraph reported sunday. Israel radio reported saturday that . Investigators in Israel apparently did not find evidence that Israel had sold Patriot missile technology to China. Allegations that Israel passed information to China came at a sensitive stage in .-israeli relations. The sunday Telegraph said Mossad israelis intelligence Agency has evidence that the Patriot technology was Given to chinese technicians who maintain chinese missiles in saudi Arabia. The newspaper attributed its report to unidentified Pentagon sources. It did not include comment from saudi Arabia and there was no answer sunday at the saudi embassy in London. The americans deployed the Patriot anti missile system in Israel and in saudi Arabia during the persian Gulf War to defend against attacks from iraqi scud missiles. A w ill in Ull Chu Oguli the sunday Telegraph said Mossad iraqi scud missiles. . Opens search for possible hidden missiles in Manama Bahrain apr a . Ballistics team purity Council to Force it to comply with the persian Boothby said that he visited six Sci to Vine verified that Iran destroyed a substantial num Gulf wars cease fire no visions these no visions re in stained a a dec re a get Manama Bahrain apr a . Ballistics team having verified that Iraq destroyed a substantial number of scud missiles began sunday to Hunt for intact Long Range missiles the iraqis May be hiding. Derek Boothby the British Leader of the 35-member team said late saturday that he had extended his stay in Iraq by a Day and would now leave today. The team was sidetracked from its original schedule of Surprise inspections when Iraq earlier this month suddenly adopted a More cooperative stance toward the United nations. Previously Iraq had resisted efforts by the . Security Council to Force it to comply with the persian Gulf wars cease fire provisions. Those provisions require Iraq to destroy its ballistic missiles along with its chemical biological and nuclear weapons potential. Iraq disclosed that it had destroyed substantial numbers of scud missiles and other terror weapons As far Back As june 1991. It also agreed to destroy missile manufacturing facilities dropping its insistence that they be converted to civilian use. In the nine Days his team has been in Baghdad Boothby has supervised the iraqis As they demolished nine facilities for manufacturing and repairing Long Range missiles. Boothby said that he visited six scud burial Sites thai contained a destroyed missiles and components Quot and tha1 he planned to visit a seventh site on his trip to the Airport today. The nine facilities destroyed were at military establishments to the South and West of Baghdad with the first not far from the a1 atheer nuclear Complex Boothby said. Al atheer will be the next real test of iraqis Readi Ness to cooperate with the United nations. A  team is scheduled to go there next sunday to begin Dis mantling it