European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 2, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday March 2, 1993 the stars and stripes Page parents Back dead infant s mom by Ron Jensen. Bureau the woman who admitted last week to the murder of her baby is described by her parents As someone who loves a and is loved by a children. Her nephews treated her like a second Mother. Aft children at the Baptist Church in her Hometown of Albany Gay a All wanted to sit with the girl whom her parents Call peaches. A. She frequently baby sat for Many families. One Young Cousin a thinks the Sun rises and sets on her a said Jesse Byrd the father of pfc. Cassie r. Byrd. A kids just took to her period. They just love her to death. The soldiers guilty plea was accepted thursday in a court martial at William o. Darby Cavern in Forth Germany. She was charged with wilfully abandoning her month old daughter when she left for a three week leave in the unite states on june 18. Byrd is not jailed pending sentencing set for March 16. The baby Acilien r. Byrd was found dead in Cassie Byrds apartment july 9 by mint air police who were called by the baby smother a Soldier with the 603rd aviation support in in Katterbach Germany part of the 3rd inf div. During the court martial Byrd said she placed the baby on a Blanket in a closet dressed in a to shirt and diaper with no food or water and closed the door before leaving for her flight to Atlanta. Byrd pleaded guilty under a pretrial agreement that includes a sentence that cannot be exceeded by the judge. Contents of the agreement Are unknown to the judge until after sentencing. �?o1 done to care what kind of decision has been made a the father said in a Telephone interview sunday. A nobody can convince me she Dia what she a charged with.�?�. Jesse Byrd and his wife Betty said they believe the Story their daughter first told investigators a that a baby Sitter was left in charge of the baby while Byrd visited her family in the states. And that this baby Sitter was the on Brazil tops Survey on sexual activity Washington a researchers throughout the world Are asking married women How often they have sex and the results show wide differences among the countries involved. The highest sexual activity appears to be in Brazil where women reported an average of eight times a month. Ghana showed the lowest frequency just 1.2 times a month. The Survey Hopes to help determine the need for condoms and other birth control devices. Women in most of the developing countries surveyed had an average frequency of sexual relations Between three and six times a month. The surveys were not taken in the United states or other More highly developed countries. Other countries with particularly High frequencies included Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago where More than 85 percent of married women said they had made love within the month preceding the Survey. According to a Johns Hopkins University analysis of the surveys Ghana a figure May be Low because of the custom of abstaining from sex for an extended period after a woman gives birth and the number of women living apart from their husbands due to labor migration. The surveys also Point to a fairly Universal phenomenon the longer the marriage the less the sexual activity. The Johns Hopkins report save some studies show that duration of marriage has More bearing on a decline in sexual activity than troops to return Gie Belstadt Germany a amps about 300 soldiers from task Force 5-158, which provided aviation support for humanitarian efforts in Somalia were scheduled to return Home to Gie Belstadt Early today. The soldiers were expected to arrive by bus from Frankfurt Between 2 . And 5 ., an installation spokesman said. Their families were to meet them in a hangar at Gie Belstadt. Most of the task Force has been in Somalia since late december working with operation restore Hope. A the spokesman said the returning soldiers belong to a number of v corps units. Who called Byrd and told her something had happened to the baby at her government quarters apartment. A i believe that a Betty Byrd said. "1 realty believe this there a somebody else involved in a the parents said their daughter told them a Sitter named Latoya Mckinley a sister of a Soldier was in charge of the baby. Army investigators have been unable to find anyone by that name. The Byrds said their daughter told them she was being advised to plead guilty so that she would receive a lighter sentence. 7 a she told my wife she did no to have any other Choice a Jesse Byrd said. A she said they told her it would have she told my wife she did t have any other Choice. She said they told her it would have been bad Lor her ii she pleaded not guilty.9a Jesse Byrd father of pfc. Hassle r. Byrd been bad for her if she pleaded not on the Day after the court martial their daughter called. Byrd is the Middle child in the family. Her older brother is 27 and the younger one is 17. Jesse and Betty Byrd were just 16 when the oldest son was born. Betty Byrd said she had warned her daughter about having babies while too Young. A i said teaches there Are so Many people having babies out there. If you have a baby you be sure you finish school a a the Mother said. �?o1 was 16 when i had my oldest but it did no to Stop me from finishing Betty Byrd operates a machine at a factory that produces yarn. Her husband is a supervisor at a water treatment Plant on a nearby Marine corps base. Evidence at the court martial revealed that Byrd had not told her parents of her pregnancy or of the baby a birth May 20 at the Hospital in in Imburg. During the leave Byrd never mentioned the baby to her family and they did not know about the baby until the murder investigation began. Since then daughter and parents have talked about the Little girl. A she mentioned to my wife once that she knew we would have loved the baby a Jesse Byrd said. Betty Byrd said a i told somebody the Only reason she would have for not bringing that baby Here is because i d put up a fight to keep Byrd enlisted in the in late 1990. Her father said she wanted to go to College but knew her parents could not afford the Cost. There were few jobs available in the town of80,000 people 150 Miles South of Atlanta. A she said. I can serve my country and get some training a the father recalled. He said she enjoyed the despite a bout of homesickness while training at fort Jackson the parents said they have endured the past eight months by trusting in god and their daughter friends have joined them in prayer regularly since that first Telephone Call in july. A there is no other Way you can Deal with this situation without putting god first a Jesse Byrd said. 7 Jesse and Betty Byrd Hope they can attend the sentencing this month. A you done to know How much i want to hug my child a Betty Byrd said. In the meantime there is much at their Home in Albany to remind them of their daughter including the 33 Teddy bears still piled on her bed. And still hanging in he closet is the tiny dress Gassie Byrd wore when she was 1 year old. A she always said her Little girl was going to Wear this a Betty Byrd said. Naf workers health benefits to be handled by toll free lines by Kevin Robinson staff writer no appropriated fund employees overseas who want to Monitor health insurance claims filed with the John Hancock Mutual life insurance co. In the United states must do so through toll free telephones after last wednesday s closing of the european benefits office in Schwet Zingen Germany. _ this Means Naf employees who want to be reimbursed for medical and dental insurance claims now also must Send their claims paperwork to John Hancock a main offices in West Chester pa., and not to the Schwet Zingen office said Charles r. Sandlin the director of the wide Naf benefits office. Last week Sandlin arrival from Alexandria va., and personally closed the european office at Tompkins Barracks in Schwet Zingen eliminating the position of senior benefits examiner. Marcia Coldwells the examiner was put on 90-Day administrative leave and will be separated from the Naf benefits office Sandlin said. The closing of the office comes in the Wake of complaints from Naf employees in Europe that reimbursement for their medical Bills was being delayed anywhere from 30 Days to eight months. The stars and stripes reported on those concerns in february. However Sandlin said the sudden closing of the office had no special significance adding that the action had been planned based a on the ability to get the toll free phones in the toll free lines to John Hancock a West Chester office went into effect feb. 12 for Naf employees in Germany and feb. 18 for those in Italy Sandlin said. A most of the business at the Schwet Zingen office is conducted on the phone anyway a Sandlin said wednesday while he and medical claims supervisor parole Talbert were Busy shredding old paperwork and boxing up office materials. A they will have a caring person on the other end of the however Coldwells took Issue with that statement. A the people will hot be taken care of a Coldwells said noting that people will be turned off from the health insurance plan if they have to Deal with a faceless person by Long distance. A a John Hancock does not have customer oriented Sandlin countered that because most of the a Naf employees Are in Germany Calls from there will receive top priority. A if claims Are delayed Call us at the Naf office in Alexandria a he said. In fact the office will handle any complaint about claims he said. Toll free lines to the Naf benefits office in Virginia Are expected to be ready by june Sandlin added. Until then clients must Call the offices commercial number at 703 325-2554 or 9730. About 1,222 of 4,772 eligible Naf employees use the medical and dental insurance plan offered by the government through John Hancock. The european benefits office established in september 1987 in Frankfurt Germany moved to Schwet Zingen in May 1991. At the office Coldwells had screened health claims provided summarized translations of claims in German and processed those claims to John Hancock. Life insurance a retirement plan and a savings plan also were administered from the office. Coldwells said Sandling a sudden appearance and the subsequent closing of the office took her by Surprise. She said she was told the office close before the summer. A the end of by 93 had also been talked about. They Naf officials in the states say they Are going to save Money but toll free lines Cost Money too a Coldwells said. It Cost the Naf program $100,000 a year to maintain a satellite office in Europe Sandlin said. Naf officials could not provide estimates on How much the toll free lines eventually will Cost in Long distance charges because they Don t know How Many people will use them. Whatever the volume of Calls received the expense a will certainly be less than $100,000 a year a Sandlin said. Of the More than 57,000 health insurance claims processed through John Hancock worldwide in 1992, 409 were from Germany Naf officials said. The toll free numbers that now Are available for no appropriated fund employees in Germany and Italy to Call John Hancock Are Germany a 0130816786 and Italy 167878171. Clients should Call Between 8 20 . And 4 30 . Est. Any Calls outside that period will be recorded on a voice Mailbox and responded to in two business Days
