European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 24, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse Wednesday february 24,1993 the stars and stripes pge3 baby s illness overshadows award 30 seconds of Joy interrupt family s Vigil by Gary Pomeroy staff writer Kaiserslautern Germany the phone Cal capt Joe Fischitti received in Houston earlier this month should have lifted his spirits. After All the Call certified that he was the Winner of the 1992 . Army Europe s Gen. Douglas Macar thur leadership award. To Boot the message was delivered by Gen. David. Maddox the Usa eur commander who placed the Call during a banquet at the Heidelberg Germany officers and civilians club. As hundreds of attendees listened in Fischetti Learned in four Star fashion that he was the Best company Grade officer in the command. But Fischetti and his wife Elizabeth received the feb. 2 Call at Texas childrens Hospital and they were focused on their infant son Nicholas Joseph who was fighting for his life a few feet from the phone. The baby born May 3,1992, suffers from severe combined immune deficiency syndrome a rare and often fatal disorder that was diagnosed in december while the Fis thettis were visiting relatives in Elpaso Texas. Not meaning to demean the award it was a great thing said Fischetti who returned to Germany while other family members helped his wife watch Over Nich Olas. I was Nappy for about 30 a few Days before the Call the 32-year-old Captain donated Bone marrow in an attempt to prolong and perhaps save his child s life. So far the infant seems to be accept ing the transplant Fischetti said after he returned to Ger Many but we re not out of the Woods although the award provided some Short lived Joy and Long term promotion fodder the former Patriot missile Battery commander deflected the spotlight. It s More of a tribute to the soldiers who worked forme said Fischetti the assistant operations officer for the 1st in 7th air defense arty 94th air defens Earty brigade in Kaiserslautern. I did t fire the missiles Emp lace the missiles dig Foxholes said Fischetti the 32nd army air defense come s nominee for the same award last year. I had to take care of my that care hinged on a mix of democracy and autocracy honesty candid Ness and a sense of humor he said. . Woman dashes to Flapjack Victory Liberal Kan. A a 21-year-old col lege student won the annual pre lenten International Pancake race tuesday finishing 3.4 seconds faster than the Winner of the British leg of the Amerin of Liberal carrying a frying pan with a Pancake in it covered the 415-Yard course in 1 minute 3.6 seconds. She led a Field of 14 women racing in this southwestern Kansas Community just before , a student at Seward county Community College was in the race for the first gave the United states its second straight Victory and enabled the country to pull ahead of England in the series 22-21. Earlier tuesday Lesley Byrne a 30-year-Oldphysical education teacher won the shrove tuesday race in Olney England with a time of 1minute, 7 seconds leading a Field of 20. It was the third Victory for Byrne who also won in 1988 and 1989."it Means i can retire now because you Only win three times said Byrne who met at the finish line by her 14-month-old son. Byrne was quickest to flip the Pancake at the Start run the course with Pancake in pan and flip it again at the end As Clouds threatened to dump rain on Olney a town 60 Miles Northwest of Lon Kansas leg of the race was run under Clear skies. 8&s Gary Pomeroy capt. Joe Fischetti listens to his father chief warrant officer 3 Charles Fischitti who accepted his son s award. Car 3 Charles Fischitti his two Are assigned to different elements of the 94th brigade at Rhine ordnance Barracks in kaisers la Terrt. In Public father and son refer to each other As the Captain and the the chief received the award for the Captain the elder Fischitti s thoughts were on Nicholas his first it also included his personal resolve to never fee sorry for soldiers in training situations. If you do he said you la allow them to take shortcuts that could Cost them their those words would have been great comments at the awards ceremony had misfortune not intervened. Fis Chetti May have missed a banquet but his family s on going ordeal has granted him a lifetime of perspective. I would Trade the award he said. You Don know. You will never take your life or your family for granted once you see How difficult things can really else pales. The hardest thing i be Ever done was watch my son get award was accepted on his behalf by a Patriot missile technician who has been stationed with Fischetti since 1986. In fact Fischetti said he Learned a lot about leadership from his stand in chief warrant offi and Only grandson and How proud he will be of his dad when he gets to be his dad s the chief also thought about something he passed on this son during the Captain s childhood in Westbury Conn. I taught my son to never be a quitter he you Start you la quit other the Captain Hopes to impart much of his father guidance to Nicholas someday. But in a Hospital bed a third of the world away Nicholas is already learning the value of not being a quitter. German Golf club fumes Over loss of special Deal at Berchtesgaden by j. King Cruger Northern Italy Bureau members of an exclusive German Golf club Are teed off at . Army Europe officials for cancelling a con tract that gave them special rights to play at the usar eur soldiers recreation Center course at Berchtesgaden. Norman h. Marcus the Center s general manager said the contract was cancelled at the end of the last Golf season in november chiefly because some club members were impolite to american golfers most of them Young has instead opened the course to All Ger mans meaning club members can still use it but the have lost their privileged status. The Mountainside Golf course a part of the Center Skytop recreation area was operated for years by the armed forces recreation Center in Europe through an agreement with the army following the persian Gulf War arc gave control of the resort Complex including the nine Hole course to Usa eur. Before the soldiers recreation program took Over the Complex in May of 1991, about 29 percent of the guests were enlisted people. Now 94 percent of the guests Are enlisted. Many of them Are new to the game and May play slowly or Wear clothes such ast shirts that the German members did t think were proper Wear on the Golf course Marcus said tuesday from his Berchtesgaden Headquarters. A few incidents involving German club member sled us to make this decision. Some of the germans were very impolite to gis. They the germans had heard we were going to close the Complex Here so they became very aggressive about something that they did not own in the first place Marcus newspapers reported that the 37-year-old German club Golf club Berchtesgaden e.v., had leased the course from Usa eur. That was not the Case Marcus said. They contracted to pay 130,000 German Marks about $82,000 last season for the privilege of having their 150 Active members play on the course. I met with club officials several times to Tell the that the Issue was t about Money but about How peo ple treat one another. They did t understand that Orddin t want to understand that because they thought we were leaving Berchtesgaden members of the German Golf club Are mostly influential people from Berchtesgaden and surrounding towns an area with a population of about 14,000 near Salzburg some German papers Are reporting that the army will close the course the army has no plans to close it or to keep germans from playing on it mar Cus said. My Job is to run an american Golf course for american soldiers. I won t close the course but will open it to All germans rather than to just a few elitist German golfers Marcus said. There Are about 14,000 locals who Are thrilled by the opening of the course to All and about 150 German club members who Are angry about our decision mar Cus said. All germans will be Able to pay a fee and play the course but next year s player might be the German Farmer instead of the German this year . Id cardholders pay $8 on weekdays and $10 on weekends to play the course. Germans pay about $25 on weekdays and $31 on weekends
