European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 8, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The stars and stripes sunday november 8,1992tempelhof still Busy despite draw Down Byron Jensen Nomburg Bureau Berlin a As the air Force Here reduces its size on the Way to a june 30 departure the population of Tempelhof a is increasing. Lured by the 5,000 rooms covering 3 million Square feet various German agencies Are already moving in. A this is a very sought after facility a said it. Col. Ken Teepell director of operations. A a it a got the potential to House a lot of  by the time the air Force leaves tem Palhof ending 48 years of presence at the base German agencies May have As Many As 900 workers in the place Teepell said. This causes a Small problem for the air Force which is asked to Supply Security communications and other forms of support for such German agencies As the Border police the defense Cost office and the criminal investigative service. But while newcomers move in the air Force is moving out. Only 300 service members Are at Tempelhof along with 650 local nationals. The assignments team is coming later this month to deliver the news of where Post Berlin duty will be for the service members. A Milestone in the draw Down at Tempelhof was passed symbolically oct. 30 when the 7350th comm so inactivated. The Squadron s Mission has been to operate the air traffic control Center a dark Busy room deep within the Tempelhof airman s attic closes lid on Chest of giveaways berlins amps for the past three years air Force members of the rank of senior airman and below assigned to Berlin could find free clothes furniture appliances and just about anything at the airman a attic. That ended thursday As the attic became another victim of the draw Down. A i think our airman a attic is a wonderful thing a said Gwen Taylor of family services which ran the service. Airman a attic is a Misnomer. The room crowded with giveaways was in the basement of Tempelhof a. Over the years airmen struggling to make ends meet could connect them at the attic with a free microwave crib Winter wardrobe or even a sewing machine. Nox Harge. A a it a always been Well stocked a Taylor said. Departing service members a or anyone a dropped off unneeded items and others found  the attic closed in a special Way. On monday and tuesday it was open As usual to e-4s and below. On wednesday its Stock was fair game for ranks above senior airmen and american civilian workers. On thursday it was for anybody local nationals included who worked on the base. For Taylor operating the attic was a Blessing. A they done to have to Tell you a thank you a a she said. A the looks on their faces. Building. And now although the Squadron still maintains the Mission the actual control of the 700 flights daily Over and into Berlin lies with German aviation officials. It. Col. Edward Birkett the Squadron commander said germans Are taking Over All radio and communications maintenance once done by the air Force. And by june 30, the air traffic control will be in the hands of the germans. However Birkett said 30 american controllers will remain to ensure a smooth transition to Well trained controllers who must qualify at this particular Center. Controllers Are being recruited he said. A they moved in approximately a dozen prior rated people from other facilities he said. A they did very Well. They were quickly  others Are being recruited Birkett said a basically right off the  there have been other changes As the air Force prepares to leave. In the past two months the recreation Center has closed. The orderly rooms have consolidated. Merchants Bank closed at Tempelhof but the Green machine remains. Inspection of private vehicles is now done at the army Send of town. The arts and Craft shop has closed. Teepell who arrived in june to oversee the draw Down said it has progressed As smoothly As he had hoped perhaps even better. A i can to say enough about the service people and the local nationals and their understanding about what we re doing a he said. He said the secret is to not have any secrets. A was soon As you know a piece of information let people know that information a he said. Tempelhoff endless hallways and multitude of rooms Are becoming quieter As americans leave the base. A any time you inactivate something its sad a Birkett said. A after 40-some years we have a proud  ends in Schweinfurt without goggles by Deedee Doke assistant City editor a lock Down ended saturday morning for soldiers assigned to cob 1st in 15th inf regt in Schweinfurt Germany who had spent most of the last two weeks searching a training area for a missing pair of night vision goggles that never turned up. A co b Soldier who asked that his name not be used said the company which has 101 members was released at 9 . Saturday. He said that soldiers stopped searching a training area tuesday for the an/pvs-7b night vision goggles but that some soldiers believed unit officials did not receive permission to release them until Friday. He said company members then were confined to Conn Barracks in Schweinfurt overnight. A a a 3rd inf div spokesman said saturday night however that the search continued until Friday a Sven it was determined that a further search was impractical. Bravo co was recalled from the Field on Friday and directed to conduct a 100 percent inventory of All equipment and to clean and properly store All  that a Normal procedure after a trip to the Field said maj. Michael Mckinney the 3rd inf div spokesman. The area searched was about 5 Square Kilometres or 3.10 Square Miles Mckinney said. A we searched by Day and pretty much Hung out at night Quot said the co b Soldier about the units stay in the Field which included sleeping in tents. After the search ended tuesday he added a we just sat there for the remaining Days. # the goggles disappearance was noticed on the evening of oct. 24m an inventory of sensitive items during a Field exercise that had begun a week earlier Hie battalions soldiers were confused to Conn Barracks in Schweinfurt beginning oct 25. Four of the battalions five companies returned to Normal duty monday. The goggles Worth $4,584, Are considered sensitive items because they enhance images to increase night vision and their use by hostile elements such As terrorists could cause harm to u.$. Soldiers and their families the co b Soldier said saturday that he was a kind of bummed out Quot Over the incident because a Pum shag us for something someone else has done is a Tough pill.,. Ill be honest i done to think anyone cares about the Damn things  Mckinney said the criminal investigation come continues to look into the incident. For Sas 4mh Amr Wing of Loam master sgt. John a. Maattala second from left and others from Rhein main Abs 435th civil engr so remove soil. Air Force engineers finish cleanup in Forest where f-16 dropped fuel by Mark k1nkade staff writer a team of air Force civil engineers has finished cleaning the site of a Jet fuel spin in a Forest near Bulla about 35 Miles Southeast of Rhein main a Germany the spill was caused when an f-16 fighting Falcon Jet fighter from the 52nd fighter Wing at Span Dahlem a Germany dropped three fuel tanks during a training Mission near Rhem main a on oct. 14, said air Force capt. Mike rein a Span Dahlem spokesman. The Pilot of the aircraft dumped the tanks after his Wing Man noticed Sparks coming from the aircraft rein said. The Pilot diverted to an unpopulated area and jettisoned his fuel tanks. The aircraft landed safely at Rhein main. All of the tanks were recovered one still intact. However nearly 1,200 liners of fuel from two of the tanks contaminated the Forest floor. The cleanup was completed oct. 30, rein said. The cause of the incident is under investigation by air Force officials. The cleanup team including 12 engineers from Span Dahlem and two from Rhein main began cleaning the area oct. 22 under the supervision of German forestry officials said air Force sgt Tammy Thompson a Rhein main spokeswoman. Because the site was on a Hillside Crews used shovels to skim approximately 1 cubic meter of heavily contaminated topsoil from the Forest. The soil considered hazardous waste was transported to a Landfill for disposal Thompson said. Thirty cubic meters of slightly contaminated soil were also removed and transported to the Landfill she said. Engineers also replanted the site with grass seed donated by the forestry officials and with 25 Trees