European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 24, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday december 24, 1993 the stars and stripes Page 3 a amps John Botimer water that invaded a Bookstore in bad or Cugnach Ger Many is tackled thursday morn log by a cleanup team. Firefighters and volunteers in the its suburbs. A amps Jota Bomhof bad or Cugnach area arc kept Busy pumping water out of basements in the City an big mop up begins As flooding subsides by Steve scholar Kaiserslautern Bureau cleanup efforts Are under Way after several Days of often torrential downpours caused the worst flooding in Western and Central Germany in More than 60 years. . Military units said thursday that they had received no Calls for Relief assistance since wednesday afternoon. Weather officials predicted up to an Inch of rainfall in the next 24 hours but said it  affect the receding floodwaters., Over the past four Days . Soldiers and airmen from units across Germany have filled thousands of sandbags in an Effort to Stem the rising Neckar Mosel Nahe and other Rivers that feed the Rhine River. They also helped Rescue people stranded by the rising Waters. A a. Widespread flooding has also been reported in parts of France Belgium the Netherlands and Luxembourg. A the water in bad or Cugnach is going Down. Its inside the flood Plain but there a still some in the streets. There just Isnit any place for it to go a said Steve Cooper a spokesman for the 53rd area support group. The citizens in the German City and surrounding villages spent much of thursday shovelling grime from their Homes and businesses. Floodwaters also were receding along the Neckar River in Heidelberg said Pete dressier a spokesman for the 26th area support group. Soldiers from the 284th support in and a Soldier As signed to . Army Europe Headquarters in Heidelberg filled about 5,500 sandbags wednesday morning. Dressier said area soldiers were not involved in flood control or cleanup thursday. A if the germans request our help then we will get involved again a dressier said. A a helicopter and Crew from the 227th aviation Del in bad or Cugnach were among the last reported participants in Relief efforts. About 2 . Wednesday a us i a a Huey helicopter carrying . Military and bad or Cugnach City officials was used to Rescue 22 people stranded on an Island in the Nahe River near bad or Cugnach. At least five people died As a result of the widespread flooding. Soldier draws refugee out of Shell by Dave Melancon Wurzburg Bureau Gie Belstadt Germany a for weeks after his arrival at a Center for the handicapped Nedd Vejo Vic barely communicated with anyone. Then the War refugee from Tula Bosnia and Herzegovina attended a Christmas party for 13 local Young people dec.17 at Gie Belstadt army Airfield. During the four hour party he became friends with a . Soldier and that Friendship led to an unexpected breakthrough in communication with the 20-year-old refugee. Sgt. Willie Jones a maintenance Foreman with co a 7th in 158th aviation regt brought Vejo Vic out of his silence said Rolf Mii Siga teacher with the Heuchel Hof handicapped children Scenter. Vejo Vic who is epileptic had been at the Center about four weeks Mii Sig said. The Young Man did not speak German. A part time social worker at the Center spoke some Serbo croatian the language used in the former Yugoslavia but for the most part communication was carried out by pointing and with dictionaries. A today. We found out he can speak English and now we can speak with him a Mii Sig said. A for the last few weeks we could not speak with him because we did not know he could read  at the party Jones wrote on a Napkin a my name is Willie  Vejo Vic then wrote a my name is  a we found out we could communicate Quot Jones said. Once the ice was broken Jones said he found that Vejo Vic could speak some English and understood roughly one out for the last few weeks we could not speak with him because we did not know he could read English a teacher Rolf mugs la of every 15 words. And when Jones showed him a photograph of his family Vejo Vic showed him a hand drawn picture of his own family that he carried with him. From that Point on the Young refugee and the Soldier were inseparable at the party. They walked through the hangars together played games and attended the Community a Christmas tree lighting ceremony that evening. The party a Gie Belstadt tradition for at least 11 years was put on by the company a single soldiers Jones said. The soldiers decorated part of a hangar showed off their aircraft helped feed and take care of the Young people and assisted Santa Claus with the distribution of presents bought with Money collected by other battalion soldiers. A this is the oldest and biggest parly that these kids have a said Muya Pohl a bavarian red Cross social worker Pohl said that she has escorted Young people to parties at the Airfield for the past 11 years and that they always 40 Home Happy and with new friends Vejo Vic is one example she said. A i think today is his happiest Day because before the parly he did not talk in school with anybody. And today he is so  other than the part time social worker Mii Sig said the Soldier was the first person Vejo Vic has spoken to since arriving in Germany. Since the party be Jozvick has begun talking with teachers and social workers in English Mii Sig said. And the new Friendship will continue Jones said. He and Vejo Vic Are making plans to visit be Jozvick a two Brothers and three Sisters who Are in Foster Homes scattered throughout Germany. In Jones View both the soldiers and the youths received a gift at the party. A it is a time of year when we Are not with our families and they the Young people Are not with their families a Jones said. A this is a Lime. We can share something with someone where we know it makes a  upper Heyford Wing shifting to Shaw fab Raf upper Heyford a amps a the 20th fighter Wing Here will move to the United Stales before upper Heyford is turned Over to British defense officials some time next year. The Wing will replace the 363rd fighter Wing at Snaw fab , on Jan. 3 and the 363rd will be inactivated said a spokeswoman for the upper Heyford Public affairs office. T he 20th fighter Wing was formed in 1947 at  the 70th, the 77th and the 55th fighter squadrons which were inactivated at upper Heyford earlier this year will replace shawls 309th, 17th and 21st fight. T1 79th and the 77lh will Fly f-16 fighting Falcons and the 55th Willuck Fiji. Tiva cd the spokeswoman said. Upper Heyford will be handed Over to British authorities by sep Teri Iber 1994. The 20th fighter Wing will be predesignated the 620th air base Wing on Jan. 21 for the duration of the draw Down the spokeswoman said. T he runway on upper Heyford closed dec. 15. About 900 . Military personnel still Are at the base Trie spokeswoman said. Or squadrons respectively. The a a and t a a a a a a a a a a a Fly a-10 thunderbolts. Shawls current fighter squadrons will be inac