European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 19, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The slab amp Ari ripes vol. 53, no. 124 500 Friday August 19,1994 r d 8693 bases at Worms closing new draw Down round hits 24 Sites in Europe by Vince Crawley staff writer the . Military said thursday that it is vacating 24 More Sites m Europe including its bases in Worms Germany. The announcement marked round 16 of the draw Down of american forces in Europe which have been reduced from about 340,000 Active duty members in 1990 to fewer than 140,000 today. The latest round Means that 848 facilities in Europe have been closed partly closed or placed on standby status said officials with the . European come. The army at the same time announced it is withdrawing 14 More units and 1,881 soldiers from Europe. Eleven . Civilian workers and 39 foreign employees Are also expected to lose their jobs. Seven of the 24 Sites Are air Force facilities in Europe and will affect 483 Active duty members four . Civilian employees and 69 foreign workers. Worms Headquarters of the army a 5th signal see related Story charts on Page 4 come was the largest Community on the list. The commands 700 military and civilian employ j yes Are expected to re-1 main in Europe but will move their offices to nearby Mannheim by 1996, said capt. John Leaphart Secretary of the 5th signal Comdr a general staff. The army will retain its 332-unit housing area in Worms and signal workers will commute to Mannheim said Millie Waters spokeswoman for the . Army Europe. Units to be disbanded include two multiple launch rocket system battalions each numbering 438 soldiers in Bamberg and Baum older Germany. Nearly every Soldier assigned to Europe has passed through the 21st a replacement in at Frankfurt a Rhein main a. Although the battalion was on the draw Down list the unit is not disbanding Only shrink ing Waters said. A operations As they Are will continue a a she said. Rhein main will continue to be a Gateway for army personnel arriving overseas Waters said but the reduced flow of people Means the battalion will reduce to a a company size  a name for the smaller unit has not been decided. In Augsburg Germany the army will keep 174 of the 518 apartments in the Centerville family housing area Waters said. Although Augsburg continues to decrease in population it is expected to survive the draw Down with 1,100 soldiers 500 civilian employees and 2,200 family members Waters said. The Pir Masens Germany warehouses on the closure list were already empty and were used to store fuel and medical supplies not ammunition Waters said. In England the air forces Yaxley family housing Annex near Raf Alconbury was previously announced see Worms on Page 4 defense Bill is basically what Clinton was seeking Washington apr lawmakers have added Money to air Force bomber programs Cut funds for peacekeeping increased the military pay raise and urged president Clinton to end the arms embargo Over Bosnia. But in other respects the $263.8 billion defense spending plan for 1995 closely reflects White House priorities. With a 280-137 House vote wednesday evening Only final Senate action a which could come this week a remains before the defense authorization Bill goes to the White House for Clinton a signature. The measure slightly increases Clinton a defense budget request for the fiscal year beginning oct. 1 and represents an increase of $2.8 billion Over this years defense budget. Adjusted for inflation that translates into a defense spending Cut of just under 1 percent. Ii tall 18 percent of the total Federal budget would go into defense under the legislation. For some Liberal democrats including  Bill on Page 2 Hanau chaplain investigated for alleged anti Catholic Bias grounded a Cloud of steam rises Over the space shuttle endeavour air the countdown clock hits �?o00�?� on thursday morning after the orbiters Mam engines had shut Down with 1.9 seconds left to liftoff. See Story on Page 5. By Mark Kinkade staff writer Hanau Germany a army equal Opportunity Counselor Are investigating a claim that a senior military chaplain in Hanau is ant Catholic while a separate army investigation is focusing a both on management and funds of his office according to Community officials. Allegations that chaplain col Robert Jenkins a protestant practice religious discrimination Stem from an Leo complaint filed by Lucienne Chandler a social services assistant in the Hanau Community Chapel starting today the stars and stripes will feature military columnist Tom Philpott every Friday on the letters to the editor Page. His syndicated column a military update a focuses on a wide Range of military issues including medical care pay benefits and retirement. The first column appears today on Page 18. Jenkins is the chaplain for the 104th area support group which includes military communities in Hanau Giessen Frankfurt Darmstadt and several smaller towns in Central Germany. In May former 104th ask commander col. Nathaniel Young ordered an investigation into the management and funds in Jenkins office in Hanau As Well As at the Frankfurt Chapel. Officials said they wont release additional information until that investigation is Complete. According to a statement from the support see Bias on Page 2