European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 04, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Of 5. I1" h i tuesday october 4, 1994 the stars and stripes Page 3 i Sites picked randomly for probe areas Nof linked to Bias problems staffer says Fly Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington the four military communities in Europe to be visited this month by a congressional task Force investigating racial discrimination were picked at random a congressional staffer said. It s not a situation where we picked them because they were problem facilities said House armed serv ices committee spokeswoman Deanna Kirtman. The four communities were selected for geographic and service diversity she said. Wiir Burg and Kaiserslautern Germany Are primarily army communities while Ramstein a Germany belongs to the air Force and Rota Spain is a naval base. " officials with the . Army Europe said the team will be in Wiir Burg on oct. 13 and 14, in Kaiserslautern on oct. 17 and 18, and at Ramstein on oct. 19, no dates have been announced for the Rota visit. The visits by a four member team of House armed services committee staff is part of the committee s on going inquiry into racial harassment and discrimination in the military. After sending task Force members to 11 . Bases this year committee leaders Felt it was also important to talk with service members overseas who often feel isolated Kirtman said. Fatal Accident leaves civilian in hospital3. A. Hohenfels Germany is an Exchange service employee remains hospitalized with injuries suffered sept. 20 in a car crash that killed his wife who was a Soldier with the com Bat Man Euver training Center. Spec. Cynthia Gibbs 25, a photographer with the training Center s he co died at the scene of the Accident. Richard Gibbs 22, a sales associate in the Vilseck main Exchange suffered two broken legs a broken hip a broken  and other injuries. He remains hospitalized in Neumarkt. The couple s son Rich Ard Dion e Gibbs 3, was not seriously injured. The Accident occurred As the family was travel ing to Hohenfels about 8 . Sept. 20. Accord ing to a spokesperson the family made a left turn into the path of an oncoming car near Vel Burg. A heavy fog is being blamed for the Acci Dent. No charges have been filed. The Only per son in the second car was not injured. Cynthia Gibbs was buried in Las vegas. She is also survived by her Mother Laura Andrews of Alexandria a. _ demo announces Safe in Rota the defense re utilization and marketing office in Rota Spain will hold seve fal Cash and carry sales this month. A Sale is planned oct. 14 for Spanish personnel and. . Id card holders. On oct. 21 and oct. 28, sales will be held for . Id card holders Only. All sales Are from 10 . To 1 . In building 186, behind the four seasons store at naval station Rota. . Personnel must pay for merchandise with dollars White Spanish personnel must use pesetas. Items for Sale include furniture clothing office machines and supplies. In addition to the Europe trip another a team of committee staff members will go to bases in Korea Japan Okinawa and Guam this month. No dates have been announced for those visits. Rep. Ron Nellums d calif., committee chair Man and a longtime Champion of equal Opportunity in the military formed the task Prce about a year ago after noticing a Rise in the number Dellums of harassment claims from service members. Two years ago officials from the National office of the National association for  of col ored people visited Europe and were deluged with allegations of racial discrimination an episode that embarrassed the services. We want to find out what the salient issues Are Kirtman said. The task Force is taking a comprehensive View of the extent of racial discrimination and the effectiveness of the services in addressing the prob  the committee is taking a Long term approach Kirt Man said a formal report and recommendations prob ably will not be issued until fiscal 1996. This will not be the first time that the congressional task Force has visited Europe in april House staffers met with soldiers in Budinger Germany to look into a series of racial threats and incidents at Armstrong bar Racks. / beginning in 1992, a number of senior enlisted sol Diers and officers in Budinger were targeted with threatening phone Calls and racially offensive Graffiti Over a period of 18 months. The four member team visiting Europe soon will randomly select service members from a variety of units and specialities to gauge their experiences. The team will focus on Active duty service members Only. Findings and other observations will be kept Anonymous and will not be attributed to any specific person group session or installation said military officials in Europe. . Forces up stay prepared in Gulf Region Admiral says by sue Palumbo Mediterranean Bureau Manama Bahrain the invasion of Kuwait and the ensuing 1991 persian Gulf War was a regional Wake up Call that the United states is not Likely to for get or repeat says a top military official in the area. More than 70 percent of the world s Petroleum was at stake As were the major maritime Trade routes jink ing the Middle East Europe South and East Asia and the Westein hemisphere. Following the War . Strategy made sure there was enough fire Power in the area to meet any contingency. The naval presence in the Region grew from four or five ships to More than two dozen. The Gulf War was a real Keystone event the culminating event which brought naval forces Central com Mand into being As it is today said vice  John Scott Redd commander of the . Naval forces Central come. This is a theater that is Here to stay our interests a Eliere to stay ,.," said Redd whose area of responsibility stretches from the Northern Border of Iraq to the Southern Border of Kenya and from Egypt through Pakistan. More than 15,000 military personnel Are As signed to various ships and Shore units throughout 19 countries. The command recently moved its Headquarters from a Navy flagship to the administrative support unit in Bahrain. . Military ships and their coalition partners swept More than 1,300 mines from the arabian Gulf follow ing operation desert storm. Naval and coast guard personnel conducted More than 7,000-boardings of commercial ships in the red sea and the arabian Gulf in support of . Sanctions. They continue to Monitor or . Commitment is  if you have any intentions or thoughts of Messing with the Region we Are a Force to be s reckoned with vice . Johns Redd commander of the naval forces Central come the no Fly zone in Iraq As part of operation Southern watch our . Commitment is real Redd said. So if you have any intentions or thoughts of Messing with the Region we Are a Force to be reckoned  . Forces Are not working alone. The number of combined military training exercises with allies has More than quadrupled in a Little Over a year. Redd said the Gulf War showed that America and its allies had to Combine the human element with train ing doctrine. Communication problems were a major stumbling Block during the War not Only Between Dif Ferent countries but within the services in the us Mili tary he said. \ Redd noted that the increased . Presence in the Feigoh is coming at a time of decreased military spend ing. He said the Navy s ability to be Mobile and stretch its assets is a reasonable balance Between a shrinking military and global Security requirements. There Are some people who would like to go Down to a tripwire kind of Force Redd said. We in the Navy a not going to do  " t  -. -. ". By Doyle Tillman Kaiser Lautem Bureau Vogel Weh Germany the busiest american movie House in Europe will be closed for at least 18 More months for $2.2 million in emergency repairs. The cafes Vogel Weh theater in the Kaiser Lautem military Community was closed abruptly aug. 24 when engineers confirmed that structural weaknesses posed a danger to patrons. Ramstein a civil engineering officials said repairs to the 42-year-old building will take at. Least 18 months to plan and com plete. " to the theater was closed following a Struc Tural analysis of the roof and trusses con ducted by the German Staatse auant an engineering Agency that confers with american engineers on construction projects. An official with the Ramstein 786th civil engr so said a contract Painter brought the matter to the Staatse auant which recommended closing the theater until repairs to the roof and Load bearing Walls can be  emergency project will be designed to make the necessary repairs the civil Engineer said. That groundwork will take six months followed by a year s construction. The work is expected to include a new roof Complete Interior renovation stage renovation ventilation upgrade repairs to the basement an upgraded fire alarm sys tem and some exterior renovation. There is nonspecific Date for completion but an optimistic estimated opening is March 1996,"  the spokesman. Since the closure of the cafes first run Cinema movie schedules at Ramstein s four Corners and Falcon Thea ters have been expanded to meet the entertainment demand. The Vogel Weh movie House was the highest attended in Europe until it closed said Carrie Higley Krowka an cafes Europe spokeswoman. Movies scheduled for Vogel Weh have been moved to the four Corners theater. The four Corners theater now features two screenings on weekdays and three or four each saturday and sunday. The fal con has boosted saturday s showings to three or four depending on the film. Cafes said it intends to use the Emer gency reconstruction As an Opportunity to revamp the lobby by adding a reel Tim express refreshment stand Higley Krow Kasai. Reel time express is a new cafes plan to make military theater lobbies More com parable to those in the states. The concept features Neon and Subtle colors in the lobby and stands that offer an expanded movie food selection