European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 23, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pago 4 the stars and stripes Friday july 23,1993 Yaw ill open new offices hold briefings in Europe from Ilaff and wire report department of veterans affairs representatives have announced the opening of offices in the United kingdom Italy and Germany that will provide information on veterans benefits. Six Agency coordinators will conduct briefings throughout Europe on a benefits. Although open to the Public the program is especially aimed at helping Servic members who arc leaving Active duty for civilian life. Veteran benefits vary depending upon the length mid character of service said a Polce woman Ruth f. Schadler. Any individual who has served honorable on regular Active duty is a Veteran she said. Representatives will be Able to discuss eligibility for services including disability compensation educational assistance Home loan guarantees and health care. Information on benefits from other sources will be available to veterans and family members such As employment preference educational assistance and state benefits. Schedules of Community briefings arc to be announced locally. For appointments or further information a representative May be reached by calling the following Dan Telephone numbers. Raf Lakin Heath United kingdom 226-3847. Naval support activity Naples Italy 625-4700. 99th area support group Niernberg Germany 460-7282. 29th area support group  Germany 483-7401. 104th area support group Lanau Germany 322-8257. Units set for gun smoke Ramstein a Germany forty five members of the 86th Wing at Ramstein a Are slated to represent the unit at the air Force gunnery and bombing Competition in october at Nellis fab Nev. Dubbed gun smoke the biennial event brings the air Force s top pilots maintained and weapons loaders together for 10 Days of Competition. This is the third consecutive time that the 86th is taking part in the contest which will run from oct. 14-23. Eighteen teams make up this year s gun smoke Field. The 86th, and about 40 personnel Anc six f. 16s assigned to the 52nd fighter Wing at Spang Dahlum a Germany Are scheduled to represent the . Air forces in Europe. They will compete against teams from the air combat come Pacific air forces and units from the air National guard and air Force Reserve. Guardsmen Are identified fort Hood Texas three National guardsmen who died in an apparent burst of machine gun fire during an exercise Earl wednesday have been identified. The three were sgt. Raul Cardenas 27, an assistant manager at a fast food restaurant. Spec. Daniel f. Benitez 27, a Carpenter. And spec. Jose c Ramos ., 42, a shipping clerk. The deaths Are under investigation by the army and the National guard. The soldiers appeared to have been mistaken for pop up targets guard spokesman it. Col. A Komandosky said. He later referred questions to officials at fort Hood who refused to speculate about what went wrong. Commanders to change Raf cd Ioc Sands England col. Edward Atkins is scheduled to take command of the 774th air base group at Raf Chicksands in a ceremony today. Col. Wayne Mayfield who has been Chicksands base commander since june 1991, is moving to the Pentagon. Atkins is being reassigned from the supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Belgium where he has been the executive officer to the shape chief of staff. Atkins a native of Trenton n j., is a senior navigator with More than 2,000 frying hours in the f-4. He flew 257 combat missions in Southeast Asia including 113 Over North Vietnam. The change of command ceremony is to begin at 11 . Re Ginsburg de against Gays or anyone Washington a Ruth Bader Ginsburg embracing the civil rights cause told the Senate judiciary committee on thursday that discrimination against homosexuals and others is to be  asked by sen. Edward Ken Nedy d-mass., to Supply her views on discrimination against people because of their sexual orientation Ginsburg said i think rank discrimination against anyone is against the tradition of the United states and is to be deplored. This country is great because of its accommodations with diversity she added. The Rich Ness of the diversity of this coun try is a treasure and it s a constant Challenge to remain tolerant and respectful of one an  Ginsburg s comments came on the third Day of largely smooth Senate judiciary com Mittee confirmation hearings and the nominee s even Tual approval by the full Senate seemed assured. But As sen. Orrin g. Hatch a Utah questioned Ginsburg sharply on her belief in the constitutional right to abortion sen. Carol Moseley Braun objected when he compared the Roc is. Wade ruling with the supreme court s infamous 1857 Rcd Scott ruling that required Black slaves who reached the North to be re turned to their Southern owners. This line of questioning i find to be personally offensive Moseley Braun said. I find it very difficult to sit Here As the Only Descan Ruth Bader Ginsburg Darit of a slave and listen to Hatch. Analogue dred Scott and Roe versus  Hatch apologized and said he was trying to make the Point that both rulings were created out of thin air by the supreme court. The dred Scott ruling was the All time worst Case in the history of this country he said add ing i would never offend my dear  thank you Moseley Braun said. Some members of the commit tee also voiced some exasperation with Ginsburg s close to the Vest style of answering questions. Hatch groused that Clarence Thomas now an associate supreme court Justice was Vili fied in the news Media for re fusing to Tell the confirming committee his views on abortion. Ginsburg a 60-year-old Federal appellate judge said civil rights acts state grand principles representing the highest principles of our nation that everyone will have equal opportunities. She would not directly criticize a series of supreme court rulings in the 1980s that narrowed some civil rights protections. But she said the High court should interpret Laws in conformance with the Central  if the court interprets a Law wrongly she said con Gress can pass a new Law to reinstate its plan As it did in enacting the 1991 civil rights act. Medical team to Check report of Salmonella at arc hotel Chi Emsee Germany is an army Preven Tive Medicine team is heading to an armed forces recreation Center hotel in Chicks be after receiving a re port of Salmonella poisoning there. But Kevin Dixon an arc spokesman said thurs Day that both victims a Cook and a cashier had already recovered and returned to work at the Lake hotel. One victim was stricken two weeks ago Dixon said and the other a week later. We Don t see any connection Between the illness and the hotel Here because our employees eat the same food As our guests and there have been no complaints or cases of Salmonella reported to us Dixon said. The army s 7th medical come received a report thursday of Only one Case of Salmonella at the hotel said command spokeswoman Barbara Slifer. Well be sending out a preventive Medicine team to the hotel immediately Slifer said. Dixon said he expected the team from the army hos Pital in Nurnberg today. They will also take samples for analyses Dixon said. Their final verdict won t be due for several Days but we re certain our employees did not get the Salm Onella at the  Salmonella food poisoning is caused by bacteria found in undercooked meat products eggs and poultry and on contaminated surfaces. It tends to be More of problem in the summer because of increased social activities and faster growth of the bacteria at higher temperatures. Medical experts say the Best Way to prevent Salm Onella poisoning is by washing your hands frequently cooking food thoroughly and keeping cooking and food preparation surfaces clean. Dodds schools in Frankfurt facing Uncertain 94- 95 year Frankfurt. Germany is Dodds schools in Frankfurt will remain open through the coming school year but no plans Are firm about the following school year according to an official. It s a sure fact that the Frankfurt schools will re main open through the "93- 94 school  said Erma Schwebach a spokeswoman for department of de sense dependents schools Germany Headquarters in Wiesbaden. We have not been notified by Dodds Headquarters in Washington about plans after  rumours of the schools closing this year surfaced after the latest round of base closures was announced last month. Virtually the entire Frankfurt military Community including the shopping Center and the Abrams Complex which houses v corps Headquarters was on the hit list. Also sponsors told the Stan and stripes last week that when they enrolled their children in the Frankfurt High school a Derk said that the school would close in december and that the students would be bused to Heidelberg or Wiesbaden schools. Pupils from Middle schools at nearby Rhein main a and Darmstadt called feeder schools go on to attend the Frankfurt american High school. We have no plans yet for the feeder schools in the 94- 95 school year Schwebach said because no plans have been made on the Fate of the Frankfurt school for that school year. Schwebach said the facts and figures on the feeder areas have not been gathered. Dodds is the ninth largest . School District Edu Cating an estimated 152,000 students