European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 18, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday december 18, 1992 the stars and stripes Page 3 phone firms extend free Call program by Ray Rowden Washington Bureau Washington a military personnel and detente department workers overseas can talk at no charge to loved ones in the United states through Jan. 3, thanks to an extended offer by two  Telephone companies. 0�flcia,s with the military affiliate radio. Pm or Mars confirmed that sprint and Sci have agreed to extend their offers. The companies began offering the service during the thanksgiving Holiday weekend. A Mars a voice Patch extends a transcontinental radio connection Between a Telephone caller overseas and a receiving Telephone in the United states. Under the current offer the two companies Are providing toll free lines to the  radio operators. A when one of our stateside operators gets a phone Patch from overseas they normally make a collect Call to the family and Complete the  said Bob Loe chief of the Navy system. Calls can originate from stations aboard ships at sea or at overseas locations. Sprint has provided free Holiday connections to the military for eight years. Sci began offering a similar service during the persian Gulf War. The massive deployment to the persian Gulf revitalized the Mars network which sometimes suffers from its status As a morale is. Operational communications link. Field commanders who choose to have a Mars station get no financial assistance from higher Headquarters. Many stations could not operate without the time and equipment of volunteers. One official familiar with the Mars network said Marine units in Somalia have carried with them some of the $120,000 Worth of radio equipment paid for by Sci during the persian Gulf War. Army operators placed More than 60,000 free Calls Over the radio network during the persian Gulf War said Bob Sutton chief of the army network. Navy operators assisting Many sailors at sea place about 60,000 Calls per year but that number doubled during the War Loe said. Telephone company spokesmen said they expect the Holiday Calls to number in the thousands but declined to predict specific numbers. Those interested in making a free Calls should Contact their nearest Mars station. Fungus at German Hospital proves deadly to 12 patients Frankfurt Germany apr twelve patients at one of Germany a leading hospitals have died this year of a fungus possibly set free by construction work officials say. Hessen state prosecutors have opened an investigation to consider charges of negligent homicide against administrators at the University Hospital of Frankfurt said Hubert Harth a spokesman for the prosecutors office. The fungus Aspergillus Fumi Gatus can cause lung infections or blood poisoning. It is a known danger in hospitals and is found in Homes soil and cellar Walls. It is especially dangerous to patients with lowered resistance to infection said Peter Satter chief of the heart surgery department. Satter said the first victims were two patients who had undergone surgery to replace heart valves. Then infections later traced to the deadly fungus claimed a Moscow up a russian officials announced thursday the seizure of 1 million fake . Dollars in the first operation of its kind against an International gang of counterfeiters. The group of four italians a ukrainian a russian a latvian and one Man described As a a stateless planned to flood russians growing foreign currency Market with up to 11 million High Quality fake dollars Security ministry officials said. The first consignment of $1 million was to be swapped for 500,000 real dollars in a Moscow hotel dec. 6. But Security forces lying in wait caught the Cou airman gets jail term for use of steroids Sembach a Germany a amps a an airman who used drugs to bulk up his physique has been sentenced to six months in jail after a special court martial a Sembach spokesman said thursday. Airman Troy a. Campos of the 601st up so pleaded guilty to using and possessing anabolic steroids and possessing drug abuse paraphernalia at the dec. 9 proceeding at Sembach. The Security policeman also was demoted to airman Basic and ordered to forfeit $523 per month. Campos a bodybuilder a turned to steroids to make Quick gains in his size a beginning in july said tech. Sgt. Ken Carter. Security police Learned of Campos drug use then observed him buying steroids. . And military Law has prohibited use of anabolic steroids since 1991. Campos will serve his jail term at the army confinement facility at Mannheim Germany. Carter said that Campos bought the steroids from a civilian and that base Legal officials expect no other charges will be tiled in the Case. Heart transplant patient three liver transplant patients and a Bone marrow transplant patient. The surgeon said the heart surgery operating room was closed for two Days at the end of november to be disinfected. Work to remove Asbestos from the 11-Story main building was suspected of having set free a Large amount of the fungus and Irmtrud Birkhahn chief administrator of the Hospital said work had stopped. After disinfection and other safety measures were taken there was no longer a heightened danger she said. A Wolfgang still a specialist in infectious diseases said it was unlikely that the construction work was the Only source of the infection because 42 aids patients who had not been treated in the main building also had traces of the fungus. Gerfei tors As the Money was being exchanged. The gangs ringleader was arrested in another Moscow hotel at a banquet he had arranged to celebrate the Deal said Alexander Pere Lygin of the Security ministry. Officials from the ministry the Post soviet heir to the infamous Kab Security service played reporters an action packed video of the gangs arrest a a rare Case of glasnost for an institution wanting to rid itself of its secretive cold War image. A John Ohta a spokesman for the . Embassy confirmed that . Diplomats helped the russians learn to distinguish Between real and fake american currency. Darsi and 1, Germany a nearly 2,700 Cartons of cigarettes with a possible Street value of $52,400, have been stolen from the commissary service in the Darmstadt Germany area according to the army a criminal investigation come. Investigators Are offering a $1,500 Reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved. Of the six thefts totalling 2,674 Cartons three occurred Between dec. 10, 1991, and Jan. 9, 1992, at the defense commissary Agency warehouse in Griesheim near Darmstadt said special agent John Greely of the Darmstadt office of the criminal investigation come. Another three thefts occurred Between Jan. 9 and sept. 14 at the Nathan Hale depot commissary in Darmstadt. I he commissary and warehouse were broken into Greely said in a written response to questions. However he would not comment wednesday on whether the commissary or warehouse had alarm systems. Last week German police in Wurzburg arrested six americans and five germans following investigations wave on the Wall russian president Boris n. Yeltsin Waves to chinese tourists thursday As he Tours the great Wall following a meeting with chinese president Yang Changkun. Yeltsin is expected to sign agreements seeking to broaden relations with China. Involving the trading of 1,100 Cartons of stolen cigarettes for 2 pounds of hashish and a Quarter Pound of marijuana. The cigarettes were stolen from the Wurzburg commissary German police said. Greely said the thefts in Darmstadt and Wurzburg do not appear to be connected. According to German police estimates in the Wurzburg Case the Black Market value of american cigarettes is about 30 Marks or $19.60, a Carton placing the value of cigarettes stolen in Darmstadt and Griesheim at about $52,400. Contributing to this report staff writer Ron my Kennoy manuscript sold for $1.5 million new York apr a 135-year-old piece of paper on which Abraham Lincoln wrote his famous a House divided speech opposing slavery was sold wednesday for $1.54 million a record Price for a . Manuscript. Seth Kaller a new Jersey document dealer representing private clients bought the paper at soothe by a said a spokesman for the auction House. A a House divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free a Lincoln wrote in 1857. Russians seize $1 million in fake Bills smoke thefts probed in Darmstadt area by Craig Martin staff writer