European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 30, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes thursday april 30, 1992 expert testifies officer s wife suicide prone by Randy Pruitt staff writer Hanau Germany a a noted authority on suicide described a military wife who was shot to death last year As a terribly unhappy a and suicide prone. A videotape featuring or Edwin Shneidman founder of the american association of Suici ology was played wednesday in the premeditated murder trial of 1st it. Christopher Strain the defendent 28, is charged with slaying his wife Cathlyn Brewer Strain in the bathroom of their Neuberg apartment aug 26, the 26-year old Gold Beach ore., woman died of a Chest wound from a 12-Gaugc pump Shotgun. Strain told military investigators that he found his wife of four years in the Shower stall cutting her neck and Abdomen with a knife. His Shotgun was nearby. Witnesses have testified that Strain said his wife grabbed the barrel of the gun when Strain tried to remove it. It discharged striking her near the Collarbone. The defense is trying to prove that Brewer Strain was shot accidentally while attempting suicide Shneidman a deposition was taken in los Angeles on saturday. A court martial panel of five officers is hearing evidence in the courtroom of judge it. Col Buris c. Dale. Shneidman evaluated the psychological autopsy report of or. Jerome motto a psychiatrist and professor at the University of California in san Francisco. Motto is a consultant for the defense. Shneidman said he believed Brewer Strain was attempting to kill herself on the night she died. A if she had survived the episode a this is a terrible thing to say about a human being a she would be dead by her own hands in a year or two a he testified. Shneidman said he based his conclusions in part on a letter written by brew or strains Mother on her son in Laws behalf. On Jan. 25 this year Carla m. Merz wrote a a to whom it May concern a letter stating that when her daughter was a teen Ager she had admitted her to a hos Pital mental Ward a she had resisted All Chris efforts to persuade her to seek professional help because of this fear of being locked up in a mental Ward a Merz wrote. A the loved Cathlyn deeply a the letter also said. Although Only portions of the letter were admitted into evidence Merz also added a i frankly done to think there should even be a trial. I done to think Chris is guilty of anything except negligence in handling the gun in trying to take it away from  a in 40 years i never read a document like this a Shneidman said referring to the letter. Shneidman disputed prosecution testimony offered last week by Charles Mcdowell a suicide Logist and air Force criminal investigator. Mcdowell testified that statistics show that nude suicides and suicides involving two instruments of destruction were highly unusual. Shneidman agreed but told the court that statistics cannot be applied to individual cases. Also played wednesday was the videotaped deposition of Mary Suzanne Dyk Man Jenks a former Counselor at the Hanau education Center. Dykman Jenks testimony was taken in fort Meade my. For a time Dykman Jenks said Brewer Strain worked with her. Dykman Jenks said the woman experienced wide mood swings and eventually quit her Job at the Center and became almost reclusive. Brewer Strain also drank excessively she testified. She described the victims husband As a peaceable Man who was devoted to his wife. Prior to deploying to Southwest Asia in december Dykman Jenks said Strain came to her office and asked that she look out for his wife. Deborah buning who described herself As a close Friend of the strains testified wednesday that Brewer Strain would sometimes Telephone her at night to discuss personal problems. A she Felt like she Wasny to Worth anything or had no reason for living Quot buning said. A the defense rested wednesday afternoon. Prosecution rebuttal witnesses were scheduled to begin testifying later wednesday. Air Force exit Bonus applications below Are air Force applicants and approvals for the Vii sub bonuses As of monday. Rank Vii sub total approved officers 1 10 1st its. 53 61 114 81 cats. 1,526 1,531 3,057 1,906 maps. 358 171 529 371 it. Cols. 13 10 23 12 subtotal 1,950 1,773 3.723 2,370 enlisted airman 1st class 0 sets. 193 2, stall sols. 1,841 15, teen. Sets. 125 Mastor sets. 28 or. Master sets. 2 subtotal 2,189 19, 1 972 613 363 59 0 008 grand total 4,139 20,781 Safe exit Bonus applications i below Are Safe applicants and approvals for the Vii sub bonuses As of monday. Rank Vii �tf3sas�s8s38 sub $��66is6f>s&6$$i6$8gs& total approved officers 1st its. 4 4 8 6 cats. 121 127 248 171 maps. 15 4 19 i 15 it. Cols. 1 1 2 2 subtotal 141 136 277 194 my mme my Mem enlisted sets. 36 365 401 397 staff sets. 264 1738 2002 1922 tech. Sets. 18 54 72 64 master sets. 3 6 9 8 or. Master sets. 0 0 0 0 subtotal 321 2,163 2.484 2,391 my Sam. Mew Mimi grand total 462 2,299 2,761 2,585n of i All la  1 a amps source air Force Sas air Force begins 2nd round for Early out applications by the stars and stripes the air Force resumed accepting applications wednesday from airmen seeking Early separation from the military. The service announced monday that the initial application period which ended april 15, would be extended 31 Days a from wednesday until May 29 a so that airmen can apply for either the voluntary separation incentive or the special separation Benefit programs. The Vii is an annuity the sub offers a one time payment and includes other benefits. T he air Force has expanded the eligibility requirements to include about 45,000 enlisted personnel and about 9,600 officers who previously did not qualify for the programs. Enlisted airmen still must have nine to 19 years of service. Officers must have from six years As of december 1991, to 19 years in service. Separations Are being offered to airmen according to rank and Job specially. Air Force specially codes have been divided into tiers. First tier airmen hold the most critically manned jobs. Fifth tier airmen have specialities that Are Over manned and less critical. Those airmen added to the eligibility list include a regular officers in the company Grade ranks except for pilots. A some medical officers who were previously denied for promotion. A sergeants in the first tier. A staff sergeants in the first tier except for those receiving selective re enlistment bonuses. A technical sergeants and above in tiers two through five. 3rd inf div plans training event with German unit Wurzburg Germany a amps members of the 3rd inf div will participate next week in the first . Army Europe partnership training event in former East Germany a division spokesman said. Commanders and staff officers from the divisions 3rd engr brigade headquartered in Wurzburg will meet and Exchange ideas with members of the 80th Pioneer brigade at Kitchen see Cavern a former East German army installation located just Southeast of Berlin 1st it. Dan Korzun said. During their five Day visit which begins monday about 25 . Army officers will tour the Cavern in Sorkow Germany and receive briefings on the Engineer units current configuration and its use of both old soviet bloc and modern German army equipment Korzun said. Officers from both units will also study the areas terrain and conduct Small group planning and discussions. Two social events Are planned for the week Korzun said one hosted by the american officers and the other held by the 80th Pioneer brigade which is made up of officers and men from both the former East German army and the German Federal army. The training will serve to Lay groundwork for a formal partnership Between the two units Korzun said. If approved the partnership could Lead to regularly scheduled training exercises and other events Between the two units. Thieves target Church 4 times Houston apr wednesday thursday Friday and then saturday burglars hit a Church just a Block from police Headquarters. On sunday the thieves rested a i guess because there was nothing left to steal a said the Rev. Joseph Doyle pastor of St. Josephus Catholic Church. Radios televisions a microwave oven a Telephone answering machine and a videocassette recorder disappeared in the  of bosnian City defies peace efforts Belgrade Yugoslavia a heavy mortar fire wednesday rocked Mostar a strategic City in the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina in a new round of ethnic violence that threatened the operations of . Peacekeepers. Wednesday was the deadline set by the 51-member conference on Security and cooperation in Europe for Yugoslavia to Stop the violence in Bosnia or face expulsion. Yet the fighting continued. The yugoslav Federal army commander for Bosnia and Herzegovina Gen. Million Kukan Jac  wednesday his Defiance of an order from the bosnian presidency to withdraw from the latest Republic to break with Yugoslavia. Mostar came under heavy mortar fire shortly before Midnight tuesday associated press reporter Slobodan Lekic said from the City. Shells rained Down on the historic ottoman town a 40 percent Muslim 40 percent croat and 20 percent serb a from Federal army positions on a Hill High above. There were no immediate reports of new casualties in Mostar where at least 18 have died and 161 have been wounded since Early april. Reports on wednesday said 12 serbs were killed in Northern Bosnia and four croats were wounded just across the Border in Croatia by serbian shells. Mostar Scenter Shook every few seconds with a fresh blast Early wednesday Lekic said. Minarets of the City sold mosque and Church Spires were silhouetted Black against the Orange flare of explosions