European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 12, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes . Saturday february 12.1994 Tail Hook Case closed whistle Blower quits Norfolk a. A the Admiral in charge of the Navy s Tail Hook prosecutions said Friday he plans no further action against three officers whose cases were dismissed earlier this week. The cases stemmed from a 1991 Tail Hook association gathering of aviators where dozens of women claimed they were sexually assaulted. In another development it was Dis closed that it. Paula Coughlin who blew the whistle on the scandal is resigning from the Navy. Coughlin submitted a letter earlier this week saying the Tail Hook assault and the Covert attacks on me that followed have stripped me of my ability to serve Abc television reported. It. Susan Haeg an Atlantic Fleet in the stars and stripes 10 years ago feb. 12,1984 the space shuttle challenger streaked across Flor Ida made a sweeping turn Over the Atlantic and glided to its first Cape canaveral Landing from orbit. 20 years ago feb. 12,1974 citing the Energy crisis the military Exchange system in Germany raised its fuel prices with Premium gasoline going from 45.53 cents a gallon to 60.31 cents a gallon and regular gasoline going from 35.53 cents a gallon to 52.18 cents a gallon. 30 years ago feb. 12,1964 by a vote of 290 130, the House passed and sent to the Senate a civil rights Bill that is broader tougher and More controversial than any anti discrimination measure since reconstruction. 40 years ago feb. 12,1954 the big four for eign ministers recessed their Sec Ond top secret meeting and announced that another restricted session would be held on the soviet proposal for a big five conference to include China. 50 years ago feb. 12,1944 .. B-17 bomb ers spearheaded the growing Allied Aerial offensive against German Industry and the Luftwaffe pounding Frankfurt s railway Center and Indus trial targets with a loss of just five . Bombers. 50 years ago today feb. 12 1 9 4 4 new zealand and Indian troops replace exhausted americans across from Cassino on the italian front. German units intensify their fight to break out of the Korsun pocket on the Southern soviet front. In Burma s a akan Region an attack by two Indian divisions surprises the japanese and frees a surrounded Indian division. Source 2194 Days of War. W. H. Smith publishers inc. Tho world almanac of world War ii. Bison books corp., 1981 a spokeswoman said it would take two or three months before Coughlin s Resig nation is processed and she actually leaves the service. Coughlin has an unlisted Telephone number and could not be reached thurs Day for comment. Coughlin who is assigned to a helicopter combat support unit at Norfolk naval base was an Admiral s aide when she at tended the 1991 Tail Hook convention. She said a Gauntlet of men began chant ing at her As she walked Down a crowded hotel hallway and someone grabbed her from  said she went Public with the assault when she became con Vinced that the Navy would not punish those responsible. Vice adm. Joseph p. Reason could have appealed a military judge s decision to dismiss the last pending Tail Hook cases. Reason also could have issued the three officers letters of caution a mild rebuke not placed into an officer s personnel file. Reason said he would Send some kind of letter to the officers but he would t say what they will contain. The chief of naval operations  b. Kelso ii appointed reason to handle Tail Hook punishments. Kelso received a letter of caution for his role atthe september 1991 Tail Hook convention in Las vegas. Kelso said Friday that he won t quit despite a judge s report earlier this week accusing him of knowing Tail Hook gatherings sometimes got lewd and of doing nothing to Stop it. Despite Navy and Pentagon i Vestiga released from death Row Taro a 110-Pound Akita who spent three years on death Row is escorted thursday from a Hackensack n.j., jail. The dog had been sentenced to death under the state s vicious dog Law for injuring the 10-year-old Niece of his owners Lonnie and Sandy Chr or of Haworth. An order from new Jersey gov. Christie Whitman spared Taro s life but exiled him forever from the state. Taro was taken to a new Home in new York. Officials would not identify the new owner who has promised the Lehr is unlimited visitation rights. Pentagon seeks reprieve for beleaguered c-17 Washington a. Acknowledging that the c-17 transport has an awful record of Cost overruns and some performance flaws the Clinton administration still is asking for More time to de cide whether it should be killed. The Pentagon s top acquisition official told the House armed services commit tee on thursday that the administration wants to further relax performance Stan Dards on the air Force Craft hoping to preserve what he called absolutely Crit ical Airlift capability. The official undersecretary of de sense John m. Deutch asked the com Mittee to approve a proposed settlement Between the Pentagon and the prime contractor Mcdonnell Douglas corp. The company would waive $1.2 billion i claims against the government and invest $454 million to Complete flight tests and improve management and construction. The Pentagon would spend $348 Mil lion to Settle outstanding claims and cover its portion of the flight test pro Gram. It would agree to. Buy at least 40 aircraft but could then terminate the pro Gram in november 1995. By that time according to a report by the general accounting office the government will have spent $21 billion on the c-17. In addition Deutch said the Pentagon would agree to significantly relax pay Load and other performance standards that the c-17 already has shown it cannot meet. The general accounting office an investigative Arm of Congress also detailed numerous problems with the aircraft including cracked wings faulty Wing flaps defective Landing gear and flawed pay Load performance. The administration is requesting $2.98 billion for six c-17s and plans to seek funding for another six next year eight c-17s Are flying and 20 More Are under construction. We re not saying the problems Are Over we re not saying we be turned the Corner Deutch said. But the Airlift capacity of the c-17 is absolutely critical to National Security he added. Tons no one has gone to trial for Tail Hook misconduct and the Marine corps officer identified by Coughlin As her at Tacker was later cleared. On tuesday a Navy judge capt. Wil Liam t. Vest jr., threw out All charge against two commanders and a Lieuten ant the Navy s last pending Tail Hook cases saying Kelso s personal involve ment in Tail Hook tainted the charges. In his ruling Vest said Kelso knew that the annual Tail Hook meetings had be come troublesome for lewd behaviour but failed to do anything about it that Kelso personally was exposed to nudity and leg shaving at the 1991 gathering even though he testified he want and that Kelso tried to shield himself by keeping files about the roles of senior officers at Tail Hook away from reason. Men sue to Stop expulsions Washington a naval acad Emy midshipmen involved in a cheating scandal have asked the courts to bloc the iday from holding hearings to expel them and alleged that they were coerced into confessing. Forty eight midshipmen were plaintiffs in a suit filed thursday in . District court for the District of Columbia that challenges use of an Honor review boar to consider their dismissals. A second suit filed in the . Court of military appeals by three midshipmen Al Leges that investigators forced confessions from the midshipmen with threats scream ing and in one Case refusal to allow a scheduled cancer treatment. The Navy has said that 133 midship men All from the 663-member class scheduled to graduate in May May have had an Advance look at a 1992 Engi Neering test and that 81 had confessed to cheating the Academy s superintendent rear adm. Thomas c. Lynch has Al ready recommended that six be expelled. Both actions name As defendants Nav Secretary John Dalton the chief of naval operations adm. Frank b. Kelso ii and rear adm. Richard c. Allen who con ducted an Honor review Board. The fed eral suit also names Lynch. The Federal court suit describes the Honor review Board As a procedure with out statutory or regulatory warrant that would substitute for a hearing process that otherwise would consider  midshipmen seek an order re straining the Navy from using the Board. The action alleges serious violations of the rights of the plaintiffs that threat ens irreparable injury to their reputation Sand  the other suit asks the country s High est military court to direct the Navy to Stop All proceedings in the Case and to forbid the Navy from using any coerced statements gained from the unlawful  from the outset agents of the inspector general s office did not advise mid Shipmen of their right to remain silent the suit said. It added that agents used a variety of coercive tactics that include screaming at the midshipmen challenging them physically refusing requests for attorneys and threatening to Tell midship men s families of possible misconduct. The suit claims that Mike j. Steve one of the petitioners was initially prevented from receiving the cancer. The other two bringing the suit Are Fred j. Regan andante . Calling the interrogations draconian the suit says that Steve and Marzetta made statements implicating themselves and