European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 5, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 a the stars and stripes Friday june 5, 19922 win stars and stripes scholarships each gets $1,500 to help cover College costs by Walter Jahncke staff writer an aspiring journalist and veterinarian Are a step closer to pursuing their careers after being awarded is Soo scholarships from the european stars and stripes. Judges selected Christine Thomas of Woodbridge England and Alyson Soma of Stuttgart Germany to be the newspapers second annual scholarship recipients. Competition for the scholarships was open to any department of defense dependents schools High school senior planning to enter a four year College. Soma was chosen from 23 candidates for the journalism scholarship which was available to students intending to pursue journalism or mass communications majors. The Patch High school senior loves theater. A but that Isnit a living a the Chance is so Small a she says. A but i love to write so ill put them together. Broadcast journalism sounds fun to  she has been accepted by the University of Washington where she plans to study broadcast journalism next year. This year Soma a student Council responsibilities kept her too Busy to be a full time reporter for patches student newspaper the Panther press. She made the most of the situation however. A i filled in whenever they needed somebody a she said. That Quality earned her the inability to say no award at the annual journalism banquet because she took an assignment whenever the paper needed a Story written. She said that when she came Home her aunt and Uncle were smiling and told her a you wont believe who called. The stars and stripes. You  a no Way not me a Soma remembers thinking. Quot it was More the Honor than the Money a she said. And the encouragement. She said she sometimes thinks Quot maybe in a not really Good at  but the scholarship was a boost for her. A if stars and stripes says you re of maybe i will be a she said. Fill Soma Thomas her College Bill will be about $6,500 for room Board and tuition next year. The $1,500 stars and stripes scholarship combined with a $1,500 scholarship from the greater Stuttgart military Community will cover almost half the Cost for the first year and her parents will help with the rest. Thomas was chosen from among 101 candidates for the general scholarship which gives special consideration to students with financial need. Though some people May not consider environmental issues and veterinary Medicine to be closely related to Thomas the connection is Clear. She loves animals and wants to earn doctorate in veterinary Medicine. But her concerns arc broader than simply working in a zoo. A i think that conservation of habitat and the Protection of endangered species Are important problems in today a world and arc becoming even More so a she says. But done to just bring dogs and cats to Thomas. A i really like to work with exotic animals and endangered species a she says. A there Are All kinds of programs with endangered species in  and As a Section Leader flautist she loves music but figures it will be More practical to be a veterinarian and dabble in music than to attempt to be a flautist and try to dabble in veterinary Medicine. She Hopes her academic training and experience As Woodbridge Stop debater will help her Champion the cause of the environment and endangered species. Thomas has been accepted at Cornell University which has annual costs of nearly $20,000 for combined tuition room Board and personal expenses. The scottish rite masonic association for the state of Illinois awarded her a $1,000 scholarship. Combined with $12,000 from a Cornell Grant and other federally funded Grants Thomas was Well past the half Way Point but still needed nearly $7,000. On the same Day however she received $4,000 in scholarships from the Woodbridge and Ben Waters air Force communities in England at a senior awards Assembly. She came Home to hear about her selection As a stars and stripes scholarship Winner. Work study income and Loans will make up the difference she says and her parents Are pleased that she a received so much. Air Force col. Gene Townsend publisher of the stars and stripes congratulated both winners. A a in a very pleased that stars and stripes will be standing with our Young people on graduation Day a he said. A your Young people Are our future. And i can to think of a better investment for this organization to make than to actually make an investment in our Young people and their education because that will return to society tenfold a Townsend also said the scholarships demonstrate the newspapers Community involvement. A we As a newspaper and As a Bookstore operation Are part of the fabric of All the communities in Europe. That a the reason we want to give these scholarships a he said. A a we re not just a newspaper or a place to buy  judges for the scholarships were Stephen Miller chief of the associated press Bureau in Frankfurt or. Martha Shull professor of English at the University of Maryland in Heidelberg and Bernard a. Zovistoski editor of the stars and stripes.244 army majors to be forced out by sept. 29 Ltd Ray Rowden Washington Bureau Washington a army officials said wednesday that they will Force 244 majors out of the service by sept. 29 As part of the continuing draw Down. The officers were selected by a reduction in Force Board that convened March 10 to consider the records of about 2,000 majors most of whom were commissioned in 1978 and had about 13 to 14 years of service. The majors forced out of the service will be told by the first colonel in their Chain of command no later than mid june army officials said. Army officials consistently have said they hoped to avoid forcing officers out by offering buyouts under the voluntary separation incentive and special separation Benefit. The army extended the deadline to sign up either program from feb. 29 to May 1 after initially Only 500 had applied. About 750 applications were sought. The ousted majors will receive a Lump sum Severance pay equal to 10 percent of base pay Oil Tiplick by years of service. A major with 12 years for example would receive slightly More than $48,000. Those who opted for the Lump sum payment under the special separation Benefit will receive 15 percent of base pay multiplied by years of service. That would amount to slightly More than $72,000 for a major with 12 years. Majors who opted for the voluntary separation incentive will receive 2.5 percent of Basic pay multiplied by years of service and payable for twice the number of years served. After 12 years a major would be entitled to More than $288,000, paid at $12,000 annually for 24 year the army was Able to cancel a reduction Board for captains after More than 700 volunteers in that rank chose one of the two separation incentive programs by the original feb. 29 deadline. Army officials have said they do not intend to subject officers to repeated reduction boards. However they have not ruled out future reduction boards. The air Force will Convene a reduction Board next month to consider some lieutenants and captains for separation. No service has announced reduction boards for enlisted personnel although this year for the first time the army selected some sergeants major and command sergeants major with More than 20 years of service for Early retirement. Pagonis takes command of 21st by Peggy Davidson raisers lantern Bureau Kaiserslautern Germany a 1�?Tor the second time in less than two months command of the 21st theater army area come changed hands. On wednesday it. Gen. William a Quot Gus Pagonis accepted the command from it. Gen. Paul g. Cerjan in a Short formal ceremony Here presided Over by Gen. Cd Rosbie i. Saint commander of . Army Europe. Cerjan who kept his position As Deputy commander of Usa eur during his tenure in Kaiserslautern look temporary command of the 21st on april 22 when . Gen. William s. Elynn retired after nearly 35 years of service. In his Farewell speech Cerjan promised to a keep my remarks As Short As my  he praised the soldiers and civilians of the command for maintaining High standards in everything they do. A based on my observations i can say that the 21st is a great team of professionals and you can depend on their Superb performance no matter what the  Cerjan said. Rather than talk about the present and the future of the command Pagonis asked the audiences indulgence while he complimented the soldiers and civilians assigned to the 21st As Welt As those in other units in Europe for their efforts during operations desert shield and storm. He said that vi1 corps would go Down in history for its participation in the persian Gulf War. A the Vii corps owned the desert the Day they arrived a he said calling the soldiers a Bona fide  Vii corps left the european theater earlier this year As part of the continued draw Down of . Forces from Europe. Pagonis said that the soldiers supporting Vii corps from Europe were the a Unsung  Quot the soldiers sailors airmen and marines who were in the theater those first few months slept on cots had medical supplies because of the efforts of the Unsung heroes Here in Europe a Quot at the end of his remarks Pagonis relinquished the i chewing stand to Saint calling the Usa eur commander a a great  Clear irishman in bombing of Barracks Dusseldorf Germany apr an alleged member of the Irish Republican army was acquitted thursday of a bombing attack on a British Barracks in Germany but convicted of w weapons smuggling. Gerard Thomas Hanratty 33, of Northern Ireland was sentenced to 2vi years in prison by the state supreme court in Disseldorf. Prosecutors had charged that Hanratty was involved in a 1987 Ira bombing attack on a British army Barracks in Duisburg that injured 10 people. Another suspect in the bombing Terence Gerard Mcgeough was recently extradited by Germany to the United states on unrelated charges. Hanratty had been charged with attempted murder with prosecutors demanding life in prison. However the court said it lacked evidence to connect Hanratty with the bombing