European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 1, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday july 1, 1994 the stars and stripes Page 3 for Berlin units writing s on the Wall by Ron Jensen Staft writer Berlin a a Wall recently was a telling sign for the american military in Berlin. No not that Wail. A this was a Wall of shelves and. Counters in the Post Exchange on Truman Plaza the shopping area just across the Street from the Berlin brigade Headquarters. As the Exchange shrank with the draw Down explained general manager Mark Polczynski the temporary Wall moved. It became a gauge of the extent of the . Draw Down in Berlin that will end this summer a a they a come in to see if the Wall had moved a Polczynski said of his customers. The Exchange closed last Friday leaving a Large dark space on Truman Plaza where shoppers once teemed but where., there Are now More empty parking spaces than full ones. A when the Exchange closes you know you re outta Here a said one person boxing up the remaining merchandise for distribution to other exchanges. Among the items being shipped were a Mountain of Blue jeans two shopping carts of stuffed animals and boxes of stacking blocks. A few doors Down past a closed Anthonys pizza and a vacant shop where the service Mart once operated Jonie Martinez was packing up the optical shop she once managed. A a it a a ghost town a she said of the quiet shopping Plaza. A a it a kind of  her store which also closed last Friday was doing Good business at the end she said. A everybody wanted glasses before they  Back at Anthonys pizza Ray Pratt said the final Day of the store also last Friday was ultimately a Relief. He got tired of answering customers who wanted to know Why the store was closings soon. When Pratt started working there 2 /2 years ago he said a it was Rock a no  but without even Reading about the at one store the Pace has quickened draw Down he could Tell when another that sat the shop Pette where manager unit had left Berlin. The customer count. Michael Ryan said his stores Effort to. A amps Dayo Casoy Cassanna Curtis bundles jeans thursday at berlins Truman Plaza Post Exchange. The merchandise will be shipped to another pm. Decreased. A a it a a funny feeling a he said. Quot we were talking about that yesterday. A Well this is it  a \. The stars and stripes Bookstore has closed too so has the sport shop. The commissary will close aug. 14, said Bruce Kennedy the commissary officer. When Kennedy arrived 3 i years ago the store was doing $2 million of business a month. A this month Well do $620,000,�?� he said. A six weeks from now  pick up the Slack caused by other closings Launderette is still open. One woman was Quot folding clothes there thursday afternoon amid two dozen yawning quiet washing machines. A has increased traffic Quot we be increased our merchandise a he said. A we carry Luggage now clothing items.�?�. The shop Pette at Mcnair Barracks closed so soldiers seeking soda or Beer come to Truman Plaza now he said. The shop Pette closes aug. 24. The Barber shop remains. So does the Beauty shop so the Berlin brigade will at least be Well groomed when it exits the City. Merchants National Bank and Andrews Federal credit Union Are still Burger King is still open but the last whopper will be cooked aug. 24, said Tom Tangorre the store manager. A a it a a strange feeling a he said. A especially Here being such a historic place of interest for so Many years.�?�. That a a common feeling on Truman Plaza. Kennedy the commissary officer looked out on the empty parking lot where one almost expected a Tumbleweed to Bounce past and said a a it a a Page in by j. King Cruger Northern Italy Bureau 1 in its heyday at the height of desert shield desert storm Torrejon a Spain was filled with some 10,000 . Air Force personnel. _ on thursday All of the remaining 135 servicemen Bers attended the deactivation ceremony of the 600th air base group the bases Only american unit. A a you be pulled off one of the most Community Friendly draw Downs on record and you did it ahead of schedule and under Cost a col. John r. Robinson the groups commander told his  Aback in october of 1992, we said that we were going to make closure our Mission. We said we were going to do it with class and Pride and that we would leave with Heads held High with a sense of Mission accomplishment. I think we have achieved our  a amps several thousand Spanish air Force members Are stationed at the base located about 15 Miles Northeast of Madrid. A total of 423 americans including family members and civilian workers remain at Torrejon. Most of them will leave in july with Only about 65 people remaining into August. A by the end of september there will be 10 americans a a the Torrejon 10�?T a left at the base a said tech sgt. Louis Arana Lla Radas the groups spokesman. A the 10 will make up detachment 1 of the 625th air mobility support Squadron headquartered 350 Miles away at naval station Rota Spain a Arana Barradas said. They will keep the base ready for use in upcoming exercises and for contingency operations he said the few existing support facilities also Are preparing to disappear. The lodging operation will shut Down at the end of july the she Pipette closes in Early August and the medical Aid station staffed by one person will remain until sept. 30. Thursday mornings deactivation ceremony attended by american and Spanish officials was Low key. No there Are people who Are sad about leaving Torrejon especially those with a Spanish  a tech sgt Louis Arana Barradas bands played. Both Robinson and chief master sgt. Lou Marquis the groups Deputy chief of logistics received the Spanish air forces Cross of aeronautical Merit for their turnover efforts. In 1991, during the height of the War with Iraq the base was one of the Linchpin in the american War Effort. During the first month of desert. Shield the base handled so percent of military Airlift come missions. Torrejon was a Hub for wartime Airlift operations and the base pumped 200 million Gallons of fuel into transiting aircraft. Open but slated to close in August. The history that is going to be  at Torrejon a the installation opened in the summer of 1957, and for decades was an important base for bomber and fighter aircraft. For Many years Torrejon was the Only operational fighter base in the Mediterranean. Thab presence came to an end in the Spring of 1992 when its �?T-16 aircraft departed for bases in the United states and Germany and its 401st fighter Wing Mitius Quot no a a planes moved to Aviano a Italy. \ the Wing departed from Torrejon in compliance with the .-Spanish defense cooperation agreement signed in 1988. The agreement was the result of a 1986 referendum voted on by the Spanish people. The referendum showed support for a continued Spanish presence in nato but called for a reduction of . Military operations in the nation. The 1988 agreement Between Spain and the United states allows for the stationing of some american forces at Torrejon until the end of May 1997. The . Air Force has announced plans to hold regular exercises at Torrejon. When it does entire units will Fly in to set up support operations. A it has been speculated that the Spanish air Force will turn Torrejon into its a super base. A Spanish air Force units already have moved into the former 16th air Force-401st fighter Wing Headquarters building plus into the former 600th air base group Headquarters. What a the mood in the Torrejon american military Community Quot most people arc at the Point now when they can to wait to get on the air plane and leave a said Amaua bar Radas. Living in a hotel with two or three kids and a dog or cat is trying to say the least. So you can to blame people for wanting to leave. A there Are people who Are sad about leaving Torre Jon especially those with a Spanish