European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 9, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 c the stars and stripes saturday May 9, 1992plzen honors . Vets As liberators by Ron Mckinney staff writer Pulzen Czechoslovakia a sgt. Frank Buergler and the 16th army div entered Pulzen in 1945 to drive the germans out of the City. Buergler recalls being met by the locals with cheers and offers of food and Beer. Forty seven years later Buergler has returned to the City a main Square in an army jeep. This time More than 10,000 czechoslovak a Many of them wearing american army uniforms or waving the stars and stripes a crowded into the Square to cheer him and five other world War ii veterans who helped liberate this City. A it s great Quot said Buergler of Parma Ohio. A the people Are very Buergler a Friend Joe Schneider was also enjoying the Friendly atmosphere. A the people Are very Nice and the girls Sas Are very pretty. Its too bad that we re too Schneider remembered a Rainy sunday afternoon on May 6, 1945, when elements of the 16th army div entered Pulzen and ended the nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia a second largest City. He recalled How signs were up welcoming the americans and How several Days later those signs were replaced with new ones welcoming russian troops. A i kind of resented the fact that they changed allegiance so quickly Quot he said. Before the downfall of communism in Eastern Europe czechoslovak were forbidden to celebrate the american liberation of Pulzen because it was said that soviet troops liberated the entire country. But this week the czechoslovak gave a grand display of their new Friendship with America during their a friends of the Usa Day festival. Czechoslovak and american flags Hung from the buildings surrounding the Square. And Many of the people came to the Square wearing red White and Blue shirts. Several had american flags draped Over their shoulders like a Cape. In the crowd that gathered at the main Square Friday were Cindi and Jim Holman Audrey Spevacek and Barbara Miller All americans who live in Pulzen. A we Sang the american National Anthem a Spevacek said. A and it was despite advancements spouses still face uncertainty wife says by Kevin Robinson staff writer military spouses have come a Long Way since revolutionary War wives like Martha Washington and Molly Pitcher. A but according to Betty Rutherford wife of incoming v corps commander maj. Gen. Jerry r. Rutherford military spouses must still face future uncertainty with the same strength As their predecessors. Rutherford explained the hardships associated with being a military spouse to a full House at the military spouse Day luncheon at the Darmstadter club on Friday. Rutherford a the military spouse must accept the fact that they cannot control or change the future a Rutherford said in an interview. A so they must do what we be always done. Make the most of it. They must try and find the Good in Trier Germany a amps a a second Cluster bomb has been found among supposedly empty storage boxes in a Salvage Yard where three workers were injured last week when another bomb detonated. Both bombs had been in boxes obtained from a . Military re utilization office at Pitburg a Germany. The bomb was removed without incident this week and returned to a regional munitions storage facility at Oberweis near Pitburg a base spokesman sgt. Tom Mullican said Friday. The boxes were among hundreds that Steil Theo Sal she spoke to the crowd of soldiers and spouses about How conditions have improved from the Days when families moved in covered wagons. What fit in the Wagon was sold to the a poor family coming behind you a one said. Or the Days when Post housing for some on the Western Frontier was a couple of tents. Rutherford has experienced a lot in 23 years As an army spouse. She a raised two sons while watching her husband March off to two wars the most recent being the persian Gulf War. Her husband commanded the 2nd army div fwd during the Gulf War. She said he is to officially take command of v corps on june 17. Because her husband commanded the 3rd army div when it was inactivated in january she has experienced what Many military spouses Are going through with the draw Down in Europe. A i think the draw Down has been very hard on the spouses a Rutherford said. A i think the hardest part is the uncertainty. We can adjust to almost anything As Long As we know what it Rutherford acknowledged that the military spouse she spoke of in the traditional sense has change a bit today As there Are More male military spouses. A military spouses Are special a she added. A they put up with a lot. That a Why we look to each other for support find it and grow from Vage Yard bought from bit urge a defense re utilization and marketing office one of More than a dozen such offices in Europe. Three German workers of Steil Theo were slightly injured april 30 while operating a machine that compresses steel. The workers were crushing boxes designed to hold Cluster bombs when the explosion occurred. The explosive Ord disposal unit at Pitburg a and German authorities Are investigating Mullican said. Officials have yet to determine where the storage boxes and bombs came from. Bit urge a aircraft do not use these bombs. Cindi Holman whose husband is a teacher at the american lutheran school said a it was exciting to see the american flags next to the czechoslovakian flags and so much patriotism. I think the czechoslovakian Are enamoured with the americans. Its great to be an american Shirley Temple Black . Ambassador to Czechoslovakia said it was no problem that the crowd had dwindled from 100,000 during its first Celebration in 1990 to 15,000 this week. Quot even if just one person showed up it would be important a she told the stars and stripes. Some of the events of the three Day Celebration which ended Friday included performances by the band from the . Air forces in Europe the Madrigal singers a choral group from Heidelberg High school in Germany and a czechoslovak country Western to study using its troops of peacekeepers by Rosemary Sawyer Brussels Bureau Brussels Belgium a nato foreign ministers meeting next month will debate whether the Alliance should play a role in peacekeeping efforts outside its territory a nato official said Friday. Secretary of state James a. Baker Iii and other nato ministers meeting june 4 and 5 in Oslo Norway May also decide whether Alliance resources can be used to support peacekeeping work by coalitions outside of the member nations boundaries said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity. A for peacekeeping we think we can contribute something obviously within a framework like the Csc conference on Security and cooperation in Europe or the United nations a the official said. A at this stage nobody completely excludes some kind of involvement in discussion of the a out of area involvement will be limited to peacekeeping. A there is no intention of the Alliance of course becoming a european policeman Quot the official said. During the Oslo meeting ministers will discuss the extent to which the Alliance should go in offering Quot infrastructure and capabilities that might not be available elsewhere a he said. This largely involves commonly funded resources such As airfields and communications Sites. Involvement by troops would be left to the individual member nations the official said. Baker and nato Secretary general Manfred Worner have expressed support for such involvement and have even mentioned the possibility of deploying troops. A it is timely a the official said of the Oslo meeting Quot there Are All sorts of regional disputes brewing out 2nd Cluster bomb found in boxes commander to remain with sub Baton Rouge Norfolk a. Apr no punitive action will be taken against the commander of a . Submarine that collided with a russian sub in Arctic Waters earlier this year the Navy said. Cmdr. Gordon d. Cremer skipper of the submarine Baton Rouge was cautioned about a seamanship practices and ship handling in a challenging tactical environment a the Atlantic Fleet come said in a statement. But Cremer will remain As Captain of the nuclear powered submarine. The Baton Rouge was operating at Periscope depth when it collided with the russian submarine feb. 11 in International Waters in the Barents under fire for Washington apr the defense department in the past year has spent millions of a reimbursed taxpayer dollars providing weaponry and military personnel to contractor Trade shows worldwide to help flagging arms makers the Washington Post said. The decision to reverse a 25-year policy of demanding reimbursement from the contractors came after major defense companies complained at a May 1991 meeting of the defense policy advisory committee on Trade of exorbitant charges for Pentagon services the newspaper said in Friday editions. It quoted Joe Johnson vice president for International affairs at the aerospace industries association As saying it Cost Between $500,000 and $1 million for each plane leased for a Trade show. Pentagon officials described the new no reimbursement policy As a trial that is expected to be reviewed later this year but the Post said it has come under fire fro Trade show policy lawmakers and others As in conflict with the Bush administrations stated goal of reducing arms proliferation. A this policy. Is the ultimate perquisite for Pentagon contractors a sen. Joseph r. Biden jr., d-del., was quoted As saying. A nothing could More effectively undermine our ability to Leatoa multilateral Effort to slow the worldwide proliferation of destabilizing weapons a but the Post quoted it. Gen. Teddy g. Allen director of the defense Security assistance Agency As defending the policy As being in Fine with what other nations do to Aid their weapons manufacturers. The military displays also can serve to reassure Friendly nations that a we Are not diverting attention from them despite the end of the cold War Allen said. The Post said that after the new policy took effect 19 . Planes and 150 military personnel were sent to the Paris air show last june at the Commerce departments request at an estimated Cost of $900,000
