European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 16, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday june 16, 1992 the stars and stripes a Page 9azores feeling Pinch of Drasdo Narmy terminal unit is curtailing its role by j. King Krijger Mediterranean Bureau Praia a Vitoria azores a ninety five percent of the supplies a everything from detergent to breakfast Cereal to fuel a destined for Lajes Field is handled by the . Army trans terminal unit three Miles away at Praia Bay. The unit used to have an authorized strength of 48 soldiers. That authorization has been Cut to nine. A this the reduced strength is very difficult for us a said it. Col. Kathleen m. Kruczek commander of the terminal unit a part of the military traffic management come. A right now we have 24 soldiers and by december we will be Down to 14,�?� Kruczek said. A the rest of the cuts will take place before next  the air Force expects minimal cuts in the azores. The . Navy plans to draw Down its operations at Lajes Field but there Are no plans to draw Down another . Navy installation on the Island of Ter Ceira the naval Security group activity a High frequency direction finding station at Agu Alva with about 90 personnel. The station provides navigational Aid for air and sea Rescue missions. Kruczek expects the draw Down of her unit will result in shortcomings in the terminal units com Imand and control role and i in its ability to maintain Racsek some of its Marine equip ment. Twenty of the personnel cuts came because the unit no longer maintains two 107-foot-Long army tugboats. The army tugs Are no longer based at Lajes and commercial tugs Are contracted when needed according to Kruczek who explained that it is cheaper for the army to contract out tug operations than to maintain two of its own tugs. The terminal unit with its 78 portuguese workers is Lajess logistic pipeline. Lajes on the Island of Terceira is 850 Miles from the portuguese Mainland and is 2,200 Miles from new York City. Nearly everything consumed by the folks at Lajes flows through the transportation terminal unit. Ass in Georgs portuguese employees with the army a trans terminal unit in the azores help Dock an air Force dredge in foreground. Equipment and operation at Praia Are far from what they were in the units Early Days. In 1952 when the unit set up operations at Praia All cargo was discharged from vessels anchored about a half mile off Shore. Today vessels Dock at a pier sem protected by a breakwater. High winds and rough Ocean conditions can hamper operations. The transportation terminal unit uses cranes Fork lifts a Container handler and a Small Fleet of watercraft including four Landing Craft mechanized lems to shuttle cargo from the ships to the pier. The pier was built to relieve Tanker ships of their Oil and is inadequate for removing the Large containers that hold the supplies for the base. This Job requires the use of the Landing Craft. The containers Are lifted from the ship by a shipboard Crane and deposited on the Landing Craft. The Landing Craft manned by portuguese then take the containers to another Crane that puts them ashore. From there the containers Are trucked to the base. Sas the unit is also responsible for the operation and maintenance of an air Force dredge used to keep the port from silting up. A the port must be constantly dredged. The Sand from the port provides All the Sand used to make All the Cement on this Island a Kruczek said. Once every 21 Days the 300-foot Container ship Rainbow Hope delivers supplies to Praia. The ship shuttles Between Praia and Salem . A a it a our lifeline. It brings in All our pos and Exchange and commissary products with the exception of perishables a said Kruczek a native of fall River mass. The draw Down in the terminal units strength Means that it will no longer be Able to carry out a human and medical evacuation Mission it has performed for Many years. The Mission consisted of trans sorting sick or injured sailors or sailors on emergency eave from . Submarines. A in future the submarines will have to marry up with Navy ships or helicopters to carry out the Aid missions a Kruczek added. A amps Joseph Owen Janell Hansen and her new son John. It was visit from Stork for  but Swan song for Hospital staff by Joseph Owen Stuttgart Bureau Stuttgart Germany a John Stewart Hansen was unimpressed with the savings Bond and a pos Exchange gift certificate he received As the final customer. All newborns Are like that however so the maternity Ward staff at bad Cannstatt Hospital did no to take it personally. Johns arrival at 8 12 . Wednesday made him the last american born at the Hospital located in Stuttgart a bad Cannstatt District. The Hospital closed its labor and delivery rooms Friday. Johns Mother Janell Hansen 27, a native of Louisville ky., went Home to the Robinson Barracks housing area with him saturday. The entire Hospital is expected to close in two weeks. For Hansen and her husband army sgt. Randy Hansen 28, of grand rapids mich., the birth of their second child under such circumstances also is an eerie coincidence. Their first son Benjamin was among the Augsburg army hospitals first weeks Worth of deliveries after it opened its maternity Ward in May 1984. Also Janell Hansen a sister was born in the bad Cannstatt Hospital in october 1962, the same month in which the cuban missile crisis brought nato and the Warsaw pact to the Brink of nuclear War. Now the end of the cold War has brought about the end of the Hospital operated by the 5th general Hospital unit. A a we re getting ready to Tell this one a when you were born they closed the Hospital Down a a Randy Hansen said smiling at his infant son. John born 21 inches Long and 7 pounds and 11 ounces Light also will be the last Bany born in Europe to families in his fathers unit the 300th military police co. The unit is transferring to port Leon Aru Wood mo., on aug. 15. The mothers obstetrician or. Capt John d. Davis said the newest Hansen is the last of about 150 babies he has delivered at the Hospital Over two years. The Only thing unusual about the birth was that it was by caesarean Section he said. A the was ugly. They re All ugly when they come out. But he a cute now a Janell Hansen said of her sleeping son who offered no rebuttal. The savings Bond and the gift certificate were not the Only benefits of being last. As the Only patients left on the Ward the hansens hardly suffered from Lack of staff attention Janell Hansen said. A it is kind of Nice because they dote on me. Everyone comes to visit because he a the last baby born a she said