European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 4, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday March 4,1993 the stars and stripes a Page 3 a a. A tests its crisis management by Rosemary Sawyer Brussels Bureau Brussels Belgium a nato will wind up a we Klong exercise today designed to test its procedures for planning military action to defuse potential crises. Unlike exercises that focus on military strategies and tactics crisis management exercise 93 concentrates on procedures military and civilian staffs must take to put ideas into actions intended to head off potential crises. In this exercise messages Are More important than missiles and proposals often More weighty than planes. The exercise reflects natos Post cold War strategy the Crux of which lies in what Alliance leaders Call crisis prevention or crisis management. For 40 years the Alliance had prepared to respond to the rumbling of soviet tanks from the East. Today it focuses on reactions to political social or economic rumblings that carry the potential to escalate into full blown crises. A players in National capitals the Alliance Headquarters and its various military commands Are involved in this years exercise the second of its kind. It comes at a time when nato is under harsh criticism by those who contend that Early intervention by the Alliance in the former Yugoslavia could have quelled ethnic fighting that has since dragged on More than a year and caused thousands of deaths. The exercise requires players to react to a Security scenario. A on the developing fictitious situation messages arc forwarded and consultation and decision processes among nato Headquarters the capitals and the nato commands Are exercised a said one Allied military official. Nato planners went to great pains to Quot  the exercise he said. For example the alliances chief political body the Norih Atlantic Council was left out of the exercise i in though real crisis management would mesh political and military staffs. In fact natos new strategy states a the opportunities for achieving Alliance objectives through political Means Are now greater than Ever  citing political sensitivities the official refused to provide an example of the Type of scenario used for the exercise. It is made up of fictitious countries cities and terrain hut some people May attempt to draw parallels with the real world he said. A a however a glance at the current Security landscape reveals situations such As ethnic fighting food shortages and refugee relocation All of which threaten stability and usually attract the attention of Alliance leaders. During the cold War exercise scenarios normally spelled out some sort of attack on the Alliance or one of its members. In those exercises enemy action propelled Allied military leaders to whip out appropriate War plans. A somebody could pull a plan Down off the shelf blow the dust off it and say a right the Warsaw pact arc heading West through such and such of let s look at the plan for it and trigger it a Quot said one operations officer at Allied come Headquarters in Casteau Belgium. A the situation we now have is a Junior officer sitting somewhere,.the Telephone rings. It can be anything. Civil unrest in the neighbouring country which is spilling Over the Borders and affecting one of our  with the Range of military options As diverse As the Security scenarios staff planners arc practically forced to the drawing Board to respond to each one. A a we re rethinking a Complete Range of mechanisms and responses to a vents because cola War mechanisms arc inappropriate to the delicacy of the situations we will end up in in the future a the operations officer said. The exercise gives military staffs a Chance to devise recommendations then Send them to decision makers. It tests the Quot crisis management technical tools a and a the Overall consultation procedure a said one nato official. A the exercise Likely mirrors real life tasks military planners have undertaken in recent months to include drawing up military plans for enforcing a no Fly zone Over Bosnia and Herzegovina setting up havens for Balkan refugees and devising a peacekeeping Force for the Region if a truce is achieved. Couples to say i do All Over again by Ron Jensen in Imburg Bureau when  and Patrick Andrade were married the Small children from their first marriages played White the Justice of peace in san Antonio performed the ceremony. A the sort of hurried the ceremony to get us out of there a a said  Andrade who lives in Vilseck Germany. They Hope for a More traditional service this weekend As they join at least 30 other couples in renewing their vows at 6 . Saturday at the Community club on Rose Barracks in Vilseck. The program was the brainchild of Connie Jackson who said it is a Way to bring together a Community that is constantly in flux and in which the soldiers Are More often in the Field than at Home. A this is a Way to get people to know each other a she said. A there arc so Many new people in the  ceremony will include a maid of Honor Best Man Flower girl and soloist and will be conducted by the Rev. Frank Alcorn pastor of the Christian Serviceman Scenter. The reception will have wedding cake a receiving line and a wedding photographer. A few door prizes will be awarded As wedding gifts. Quot we re getting As close to a real wedding As we possibly can a said Jackson. She said couples who Are participating come from Vilseck Grafel Wohr and Hohenfels All communities near training areas. Vernita and sgt. Gregory Coleman of Vilseck plan to. They took Foi. California. Renew the vows they took four years ago at a City Hall in Quot he was going overseas and be did no to think id wait for him a Vernita Coleman said with a laugh. Quot i guess love is making us do this. We really love each  Jackson who attends the Christian Serviceman s Center said the idea to do this came to her in a vision. When god gives you a vision she said you must act on it. She and a few others formed a committee to plan the affair. A donation from each couple will be used for various ministries performed by her Church. A but we Don t want to make it look like something just the Church is doing. Its a Community project Quot she said. A a we re not trying to convert anybody. She said the frequent trips to the Field in the nearby training areas put a lot of pressure on marriages. Wives often feel neglected during the Long absences of their husbands. A that can cause a lot of tension in the marriage. This is a Way to ease that tension a Jackson said. The vow renewal ceremony originally was planned for Valentine s Day. But the absence of Many soldiers caused by Field duty required a delay Jackson said. Anyone wanting to join the ceremony can Contact Connie Jackson at 096628171. La a Sas Edward Codin Amany americans overseas cursed with the crud by Steve scholar Kaiserslautern Bureau within a month of 12-year-old Jennifer Lavigne a arrival in Germany in january she was suffering from headaches body aches and pains nausea a 101-degree fever and a hacking cough. Culture Shock hardly. Riding the coattails of the wintry winds blowing across Europe with Jennifer who lives in trip Staat near Kaiserslautern Germany is something known anecdotally As a the  the virus with flu like symptoms is wreaking havoc at workplaces and in schools As it cuts a vicious Swath from England to Italy. According to i. Col. Or David l. Maness an ambulatory patient care consultant at 7th medical come in Heidelberg Germany the outbreak can be attributed to the Adena Corona or Rhino viruses which cause the common cold. A the virus is passed by droplets from coughing or sneezing a Maness said. A washing your hands and covering your Mouth or nose when coughing or sneezing is the Best Way to prevent passing the virus. Unfortunately there is no  according to Maness making the afflicted person More comfortable and administering Medicine to control the symptoms is the Best that can be done. The virus usually takes seven to 10 Days to run its course he said although each Case is different 1st it. Jim Poel a military Public health officer at Ramstein a Germany said the Ramstein clinic reported 3,000 cases of the virus in 1992 and More than 1,500 cases so far in 1993. A january through March Are the biggest months for this Type of outbreak a Poel said. Quot the increase Over last year though is  according to Poel More than five cases of this ailment per 1,000 Active duty air Force members put on sick quarters is significant. During february at Ramstein there were 14 cases per 1,000 ill Active duty airmen. Poel said the flu vaccines Given recently to Alt Active duty military members do not cover the strains causing the current outbreak. Each person reporting to the Ramstein clinic with the flu like symptoms according to poet has a Throat culture taken that is sent to Brooks fab Texas for analysis. The information gained from the analyses will be used next year when deciding which vaccines will be available. Workplaces in Europe Are not the Only locations affected by a the  some schools in Germany Are reporting an absenteeism rate nearly twice the Normal rate on a typical Day at Kaiserslautern High school about 35 students Are absent said school nurse Susan Kacik. Quot because of the flu the last several Days have seen about 67 students absent a she said. Nurse Candace Thomas at Ramstein High school reported that her school also has been hit although not As severely As Kaiserslautern High. Quot our absenteeism rate is hanging at about 5 percent. We re seeing sick kids every Day but the absenteeism rate is about Normal. We re asking parents to keep their kids Home if they re sick. The problem with this Type of flu is that it just does no to seem to go away Quot Thomas said. It. Cmdr. Steven Backman a spokes Man for the naval support activity Naples Hospital in Italy said doctors there expect the virus to descend upon the Naples area within two weeks. A a it a already worked its Way through Northern Italy and is moving South Quot he said students at Lakin health High school in England have been spared so far according to the principal or Joan Halloran. Quot although the students seem to have been spared three of five school secretaries Are out either because they have the virus or their family members do. In a hoping this Sinh the beginning Quot she said. Known throughout the european Region by various names the ailment is often referred to As the common cold flu or upper respiratory infection. No name however seems to capture the Gist of the ailment better than a the  depending upon location the ailment is known variously As the a Heidelberg crud a the a Lakenheath crude or whatever one cares to name it. But one thing that Isnit location dependent is the Way it makes people feel expect to feel Lousy