European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 23, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes by Kevin Dougherty Kaiserslautern Bureau Sembach a Germany Over the next five months Sembach a will Complete a draw Down plan that Calls for closing its flight line and preparing the base for its new identity As an Annex to nearby Ramstein a. Under the plan the United states will turn the Lightwine Over to the German government but retain the administrative Sid of the base which includes 17th air Force Headquarters. More than 1,000 people service members and civilians will work at the installation said col. Bruce h. Senft commander of sem Bach s 601st air base Wing. All base support activities will come under the 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein when the 601st formally inactivates on March 31. There s a Happy and sad part to closing bases Senft said. The Happy part is that we did win the cold War so every draw Down is sort of a Celebration of that Victory. Trip sad part is having to close some outstand ing facilities i guess it s the Price of  that Price is reflected in the dramatic Cut in sem Bach s budget. In fiscal 1994, . Air forces in Europe budgeted $50 million for the base Senft said. For the current fiscal year the amount is about $14 million. Over the past couple of years the air Force has allocated about $17 million for various improvements to base facilities arid for infrastructure projects Senft however the draw Down at Sembach has not occurred without some costs to people and property. For several months late last year Senft said there was an increase in the number of reports of driving  influence misconduct by family members and Domestic disputes. The increases also came at time when a Sembach unit was deployed in support of official reminds  of youth funding by sue Palumbo Mediterranean Bureau Naples Italy a defense department official is reminding military Coni unities to apply by dec. 30 for a share of the $1.5 million Worth of Grants set aside for youth programs instead of telling people Here is our program implement it i wanted to let people work out what was Best for their needs and then help them fund that said Carolyn Becraft Deputy assistant Secretary of defens for personnel support and education. I m looking for a Broad collaboration Between the military and the Community that will address a specific problem or need of the youth in that  the recently announced initiative is aimed at giving military communities world wide a Chance to request three years Worth of funding for their youth programs. Becraft was in Naples in a fact finding Mission wit special emphasis on living conditions and Quality of life for military families Becraft overseas. In Naples she visited the department of defense schools youth Center morale welfare and recreation facilities the commissary and the child care centers. She is scheduled to visit in Ciurlik a Turkey this week. Military commanders will be exposed to the defense department current interest in increasing youth pro prams next month at a conference slated for Tampa Bay if  said she Hopes to show commanders How to plan positive youth programs. Also on Becraft t s priority list is child care she said noting that she already is asking Congress for More Money for child care facilities. But even with More Money from Congress child care prices will not go Down Becraft said. Our child care is government subsidized she said our prices Are comparable to what you d pay in the states and yes child care is expensive. It always  Sembach a operation deny flight in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We Are dealing with some very Small num Bers Senft said. A Good educated guess is that deployment and draw Down had some thing to do with those higher  the units that will re main behind include 17th air Force head quarters 617th regional support group which among other tasks on base supports some geographically separate units the nato combined air operations Center the defense mapping Agency and the defense commercial communications office in Europe the nato Center coordinates Allied tactical Offen Sive and defensive aircraft within Central Europe and in peacetime conducts air surveillance for Germany. The mapping Agency diagrams terrain for various operations. The communications office or Decco buys commercial information systems equipment and facilities for the defense department in Europe Africa an the Middle East. Sembach is certainly not going to Wither away Senft said. The flight line s return to German hands had Bee announced several years ago but it took them a Long time to determine when it the return would actually happen said tech. Sgt. Ignacio Rubalcava a sem Bach base spokesman. One reason for keeping Sembach on the books is the. Sunday october 23, i 994 role nearly 500 family housing units on base. The Kaiserslautern military Community the largest in Europe has been plagued by a housing shortage and keeping sern Bach s 500 units is an absolute necessity. N regardless of How Many people Are going away there is still a shortage of military housing in the Kaiserslautern area said Rubalcava. Besides the housing area Sembach will retain its elementary and Middle schools child development Center and youth activities facility. The base Exchange commissary fitness and Bowling centers theater Library club Chapel medical clinic and billeting will also re main.  -. A. V we re not Locking the door and throwing out Theca Rubalcava Saidi As recently As 1991, Sembach had More than 3,300 people assigned to the base Senft said. The number dipped that year when regular flight operations ceased at Sembach. /  at the time Sembach was Home to the 601st tac control Wing which was responsible for radar control and surveillance of . And other nato aircraft in Central Europe it also was Home to the 66th electronic combat Wing which operated c-130 Compass Calls an aircraft reconfigured to thwart an enemy s commandant control ability Over its weapon systems electronically a. V . A Sembach s flight line however is not shutting Down without some fresh skid Marks for Good measure. Because of runway repairs at Ramstein Abas part of its new task of assuming Rhein main a s Airlift Mission c-9 nightingales arid c-141 Star lifters have been Landing at Sembach since aug. 29. The base is averaging about 15 sorties a week Senft said. Ramstein s runway is scheduled to reopen about mid november. The sight of aircraft returning to Sembach Senf said was a shot in the  Cedric Wilson of the democratic unionist party that supports Northern Ireland s continued Rule by great Britain is led away by police during a protest in Belfast on Friday. Peace efforts make Progress major says Belfast Northern ire land a the search for peace in Northern Ireland has made a quantum leap for Ward British prime minister John major said saturday a Day after accepting a Irish Republican army cease fire and saying Britain was ready to begin talks with sinn fein the Ira s political allies major said the drive for peace is gaining Pace. I think there is now a momentum that will carry it fur ther he said. In the Republic of Ireland police raided the base of suspected terrorists including Ira dissidents and members of the Irish National liberation army an Ira splinter group that has t declared a cease fire. Several people were arrested. This is a warning shot across the bows of anyone tempted to turn Back to terror ism the Irish news Agency Ireland International quoted senior Security source As say major who has received a warm Welcome on his two Day visit to Northern Ireland told business leaders in Belfast on Friday that the Ira s week old cease fire was sufficient for British officials to Start exploratory talks with sinn fein. 9 killed As floods damage buildings roads in Athens Athens Greece a nine peo ple died from Flash floods after torrential Rains swept through Athens and its environs causing millions of dollars of dam age to roads and establishments police said saturday. The three hour downpour Friday night disrupted Telephone and electricity serv ices and trapped scores of people in elevators and in basement apartments. Many streets and avenues were flooded from blocked sewers. Sections of a Highway running parallel to the i fists River on the outskirts of Athens collapsed As the River overflowed its Banks sweeping away scores of abandoned cars. Shulika Shpiti helps Honor a Vav a Eod of Philippines site Manila Philippines a . Army Gen. John m. Shalikashvil chair Man of the joint chiefs of staff joined filipino and american world War ii vet Erans saturday in honouring comrades who failed to return Home Shalikashvil visited the american cemetery located inside the philippine army Headquarters in suburban Makati for a memorial service honouring the warhead. It is said that any nation that forgets its heroes will itself soon be forgotten Shalikashvil told the More than 500 filipino and american veterans. Neither we the children of those who fought and bled Here for the cause of Liberty nor our children shall Ever  under a Cloudy sky that hovered after a deadly typhoon Friday the veterans offered prayers to the 17,201 buried in the cemetery. A special memorial was erected in the Middle of the cemetery for 36,281 others who died in the War but whose bodies were not recovered