European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 04, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                V Page 8 the stars and stripes . Thursday August 4,1994 marines pitch in to help firefighters Entiat Wash. A the marines brought up the rear tuesday shovelling dirt on hot embers while More experienced firefighters led the charge against blazes that burned across tens of thousands of acres. I m just Happy to get out Here helping people said Lance Cpl. March Hinch of Vidor Texas one of 550 marines from an artillery unit who began 12-hour fire fighting shifts tuesday. It s Nice to get out Here in the Woods doing some thing new Hinch  evacuation orders were issued tues Day for residents of some Rural areas As changing weather threatened to fan the flames in the forests of Central Washington. The marines donned firefighters gear Long sleeved yellow fire retardant shirts and Green pants but kept their camouflage Marine Caps. Some covered their noses and Mouths with bandannas to filter out the smoke and Ash. Training was just getting under Way for a second Bat Talion from Camp Pendleton Calif. And 1,000 army soldiers Are expected later this week in Idaho and Montana. The military is helping the More than 14,000 professional firefighters battling 26 major fires across eight Western states. About 1,000 new civilian firefighters Are being trained in Oregon. But Federal officials turned Down a russian offer of the loan of a giant 11-76 firefighting plane capable of carrying 1,400 cubic feet of water at a time. It s a huge big aircraft. The Landing strips they operate out of in the Western United states just can t handle that said Tommy Thompson spokesman for the Multi Agency coordination Center in Portland Ore _ fires nationwide already have burned about 2 Mil lion acres of Forest and grass this year More than in All of j993, according to the National inter Agency fire Center in Boise Idaho Kosrof the fires have been started by lightning and there was a Chance of More thunderstorms in the Northwest expected to produce wind and lightning but Little rain meteorologists said tuesday there has been no measurable rainfall since july 5 in areas East of Washington s Cascade Range site of the two biggest blazes. Daily highs have been in the 90s. The Tyee Complex of fires had burned across 99,200 acres. About 35_ Miles to Khe Southwest the hatchery Heidi Williams a member of a firefighting Crew from la Grande ore., uses a special Torch to set a strategic backfire. Complex fire had charred close to 25,000 acres near the bavarian theme tourist town of Leavenworth Wash. Thompson said the Tyee fire is the largest Ever in the Wenatchee National Forest and the biggest in the state in 65 years. Concerns about the changing weather prompted Sev eral evacuation orders tuesday from the Chelan county sheriffs department for Rural areas around the Tyee and hatchery blazes Volunteer spokesman Chuck St John said in Wenatchee. The red Cross is caring for 165 evacuees at shelters in Wenatchee and Chelan said Mark Stewart of the state emergency coordination Center in Olympia. Some of the evacuation orders were cautionary in areas where firefighters were setting backfires burning off potential fuel in an Effort to Block fire growth. We want to make sure the people Are put of there in Case anything goes wrong with the Backburn St John said. Smoke and airborne Ash from the blazes also were causing respiratory problems Fot some firefighters. We be got sore throats hacking adjust a lot Jpn people feeling sick said Gloria Babb an emergency medical technician working the Entiat fire. I feel like i be got a refrigerator on my Chest said Forest service spokeswoman Marcia Sinclair who had been in the area for a week. A -r.---. Too Rupany Blacks in postal jobs hispanic says Washington a a cuban born postal service governor charges that Blacks Are  resented in a num Ber of Large City Post offices to the Detri ment of hispanics and Whites. The Washington Post reported wednesday that Tirso Del Junco a los Angeles surgeon and native of Cuba told other Board members tuesday that the amount of discrimination against White men in some cities is  he said hispanics and White men Are underrepresented in the postal work forces in los Angeles and Chicago be cause Black managers in those cities pre Fer hiring Blacks the Post reported he made the remarks after data com plied by the general accounting office were presented to the Board showing hispanics account for 8.1 percent of the nonmilitary work Force nationwide but Only 6.4 percent of the postal service s employees. In contrast according to the figures Blacks make up 20.8 percent of the postal service s work Force nationwide More than double their 10.3 percent representation in the National labor Force. Del Junco said Black postal managers have made few efforts to find qualified hispanics and prefer hiring Blacks. They think it s right to have this Overr presen tation the Post quoted him As telling re porters.  postmaster general Marvin Runyon acknowledged that his Agency needs to bring its employment of Hispan fes to parity with the civilian  Bur Agency officials denied there was any Effort to slight hispanic applicants. The  that Blacks account for 63, percent of the postal serv Dice s work Force in los Angeles com pared with 9.6 percent of the City s nonmilitary labor Force. Hispanics made up 34 percent of the los Angeles labor Force but accounted for Only 15 percent of the postal service s employment there 1 in Chicago Blacks account for 79.7 percent of the postal employees but Only 18.2 percent of the City s total work Force.  3.9 percent of the postal service s employment in Chicago compared with 11 percent ooh City s coverall work Force. Man kills ailing wife then takes own life Tampa Fla. A a Man who had visited his alzheimer a stricken wife at a nursing Home every Day for six months shot her in the head with a Hunting Rifle then led himself. Earl Blanchard 87, had been feeding his wife merry her breakfast every morning and then taking her for a walk. Their bodies were found monday near Blan Chard s car a suicide note was found in the car but authority is would not divulge its contents. Betty Sappington who frequently visits a Friend at the Meadowbrook Manor nursing Home said merry Blanchard 85, was so ill she could not speak. The woman had lived at Meadowbrook Manor since february. Officer videotaped while hitting suspect of am to to f a  j los Angeles a a Compton police officer was secretly videotaped As he relentlessly beat a teen Ager with his Baton in a scene that evoked memories of the Rodney King assault. The videotape aired tuesday by Knic to shows the officer who is Black repeatedly wielding the Baton on the hispanic youth even after the teen Ager Falls tothe ground. -. -.-. Police in Compton just outside los Angeles had no immediate comment but a statement is forthcoming it. Reggie Wright said tuesday night. The officer was not identified. It was. Unclear whether the 17-year-old, identified Only As Felipe was seriously Hurt. Knic said he remained in custody awaiting arraignment wednesday on unspecified felony charges. 0 it s the first thing that went through my head the Rodney King beating Maria Quintana identified As the youth s godmother told Knic. I think it was very cruel. I know the blows were very hard and to me it was just too brutal.". In the 1991 King beating a Man videotaped while los Angeles police officers beating the Black Motorist after a traffic Stop.  " the acquittal of the four defendants on most charges stemming from the attack sparked the fatal 1992 los. Angeles riots. Two officers later were convicted of Vio lating King s civil rights and sentenced to 30 months in. Prison.  Knic said the Compton officer went to a trailer Park in the suburban Community Friday to help a social a worker investigating a possible Case of child neglect i no Avna who As described As a witness told Knic that the youth argued with the officer but did t attack him.-. He did give him attitude Gavina said the videotape was taken from the window of Home Knic said