European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 01, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday september 1, 1994 the stars and stripes Page 3 is Michael Abrams a 75 my Cannon similar to this one at Babenhausen Germany was involved in the Baum older Accident Soldier Hurt by Shell was a Green fill in at Retreat ceremony by Jon Connor staff writer two men injured last week in Baum Holder Germany during a Retreat Cere Mony Cannon mishap say they were last minute fill ins for Temps who normally handle the event. The More i think about it the More angry i get said spec Matthew head ing who lost his left thumb and right Little Finger when the 75 my Cannon was fired with the Breech still open i have never dealt with that piece of equipment the army personnel clerk said at the Lan Stuhl army regional medical Center near Kaiserslautern. Heading a six year Veteran was to be flown today to Walter Reed army medi Cal Center in Washington . For fur ther examination and a determination about whether he can remain in uniform. So far i be been told if it was just my Pinkie i could stay in said heading 24. But a thumb loss will More than Likely mean discharge he added. Heading s right hand is heavily bandaged. He said he suffered extensive tis sue damage and has had pins inserted for Bone reconstruction. Heading was especially critical of Hugh Mackey the Baum older civilian Post adjutant who had volunteered to Load and fire the Cannon when a full complement of maps could hot be found to conduct the Retreat ceremony. He had enlisted heading s help. Both men were injured but Mackey was treated at a German Hospital and released. I volunteered to go outside after the maps sought help said Mackey who re ported that he was burned on both hands and arms his inner right thigh and outer left thigh. The retired army sergeant major said he often assists those who ask for help in the Community. Heading said he was across the Street in a office assisting the Fiel officer of the Day when Mackey came in and asked for help. When heading reached the Cannon he found a Shell jammed into the Breech in a Way that would Falk it to be closed. That weapon  so bad even the fire mechanism was rusted heading said. At Mackey s direction heading said he held the Point of a 3-foot Flagstaff in the Breech against the base of the shells a Carlos Bong Mannl spec. Matthew heading has his blood pressure checked at Lan Stuhl s army Hospital. While Mackey hammered at the other end of the staff to fire the weapons heading of 1st army div s 4\h by 29th Field arty in Baum older said his left hand was less than a foot from the Breech when the Shell discharged out the rear of the Cannon. To heard him scream look at Myhand look at my hand Mackey said. Mackey said the maps attending the re treat ceremony ran Over to assist As he helped heading Back into the Headquarters , heading insists that some maps Stop at attention saluting after the Accident even As he was Yelling in pain. That s the biggest lie Ever Mackey said wednesday. It was those maps who later recovered heading s thumb and Finger Mackey said for the unsuccessful attempt to have them surgically reattached. Heading said he initially picked up the appendages but dropped them As he was led away. -. The Retreat ceremony is held next to the Headquarters of the 222nd base sup port  the incident heading said he. Questioned Mackey at the time about the procedure and the open Breech. He had emphasized that he had fired it that Way before heading said. He said Mackey asked him if he was ready but the older Man apparently did hot hear his response of  separate investigations Are being con ducted by safety officers military police and the military command a spokesman for the 1st army Piv said tuesday. On wednesday Telephone Calls to the 1st army div Public affairs office were , 222nd bib spokeswoman Tracy Ovitt said we do plan to release the results of the investigations when they Are available. But until they Are closed we cannot further  it is not known when the investigations will be completed she said. New Navy Hospital workers take Over facility in Zag by Marian Hamilton Mediterranean Bureau sailors from Fleet Hospital five in the United states took Over operation of the . Hospital in Zagreb Croatia on monday. The approximately 250 sailors rep forced american service members from Fleet Hospit Psi who had run Fleet Hospital Zagreb at Camp Pleso for . Protection Force since March. The 60-bed tent Hospital is the main emergency treatment Center for 40,000 . Force personnel from 38 nations in Region of the former Yugoslavia. Camp Pleso is outside Zagreb next to the City s air port. The staff of Fleet Hospital five is drawn from a variety of stateside naval commands on the East coast and is headed by Navy capt. Gregg Parker. Seaman apprentice Jason Kocienski 19, who normally works at the naval Hospital in Newport , now helps in the inpatient Ward of the make shift Hospital in Croatia. It s a lot better Here than i thought it would be he said "although-1 miss the people Back in new  officers and higher enlisted Hospital staffers in Zagreb live in a tent City those in ranks Al \pe-6 live in former yugoslav army Barracks. The inpatient Ward handles about 15 people a Day Kocienski said. Service members work 13-hour shifts with two or three Days on duty and then one Day or two Days off depending on the workload. The staff of Fleet Hospital six which was drawn from West coast commands and headed by Navy capt. James a. Johnson performed 225 operations on patients from 30 nations. Medical services also were provided in More than 300 inpatient and 7,000 outpatient cases. Personnel from Fleet Hospital six have returned to their stateside units. Navy Captain takes Helm of two units in Bahrain by the Star band stripes Navy capt. Kevin p. Cummings took Over As com Mander of the service Force . Naval forces Cen trial come and a logistics unit task Force 153, in a ceremony wednesday in Bahrain. Cummings replaced capt. Stephen g. Crandall who commanded the two units for 14 months. Captain Crandall s command was very unusual be cause he was a Supply officer and normally a Supply officer would never hold this Type of position said cmdr. T. Mccreary the nascent Public affairs offi cer. Crandall was temporarily appointed As task Force 153 s commander in 1993 when nascent assumed All logistics operations in the Middle East from the Pacific Fleet come. As far As i know Captain Crandall is the Only Navy Supply officer who has Ever been ordered to head a logistics task Force Mccreary said Cummings is a surface warfare officer. His last duty assignment was As chief of staff . Naval forces. Marianas. Crandall will remain on the staff of the commander nascent As assistant chief of staff for logistics