European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 19, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Saturday november 19, 1994 the stars and stripes Page 3 Elora murder trial set for Virginia by Mark Kinkade staff writer the . Army will court martial spec. Patrick Smith on murder and kidnapping charges at fort Bel voir va., beginning Jan. 10, the army command in Europe said Friday. Smith 22, could be sentenced to die if convicted of premeditated felony murder in the september 1993 slaying and sexual mutilation of 2-year-old Elora Mckemy. The army also charged the Soldier a unit armorer with the 27th Field arty regt in Babenhausen Germany with rape sodomy and housebreaking in the Case. ,. The Case is being moved to the United states be cause a recent supplement to the status of forces agreement Between the United states and Germany prohibits imposing the death penalty or prosecuting cases that could Lead to a death penalty sentence in Germany a . Army Europe spokeswoman said. The court martial officially began nov. 10 with Smith s arraignment at the Southern Law Center in Mannheim Germany. The court granted a defense re quest to postpone entering a plea in the Case. Under the uniform code of military Justice Smith May not plead guilty to a charge that carries a death penalty according to Legal experts. Elora disappeared from her Babenhausen Home be tween 1 . And 4 . Sept. 15,1993. Searchers found her body in a water filled Quarry about a Quarter mile from her Home. German and american officials announced Smith arrest May 19 after a nine month investigation that included Dan testing of about 1,900 people. After the arraignment in Mannheim Joel Cohen Smith s civilian attorney said the change of venue gives jury members the option of killing Patrick Cohen said he has asked the German government to take Back jurisdiction in the Case. He said a German at Torney whom he did not identify is pursuing the Issue in the German Legal system. German officials have declined to comment on the Case. for some tis season to deploy to Macedonia by Wayne v. Hall staff writer kerch Gons Germany the norwegian general in charge of the Force in Macedonia has visited american soldiers who will join him in the former yugoslav Republic before Christmas. Brig. Gen. Tryggve Tellefsen told a Small group of officers and noncommissioned officers from the 3rd in 5th Cav regt that he will enjoy spending Christmas with them. I will not be Santa Claus but very close Tellefsen said thursday. Tellefsen s visit came As the battalion held its final training exercise near Ayers Cavern before deploying. The two week deployment process for the battalion will begin the week after thanksgiving. During his visit to Kirch Gons the general asked the soldiers about their expectations the Mission and their families. The peacekeeping Mission differs in almost every aspect said Cpl. Eric Emde a mechanized infantryman with the battalion s co a. We re trained to fight and now we re trained to keep peace we re trained to Low crawl and stay covered and concealed and now we have big flags and we re marching around in Europe on a patrol. That is what 1 think would be the most challenging thing that transition from what we be been doing for so Long into this new Type of patrol and it takes a lot of work. It takes More discipline to do peacekeeping than to do what we already the . Forces Are in the Macedonia to act As a Buffer against potentials Erbil an aggression. The Kirch Gons soldiers will be the third battalion of . Troops to serve under Tellefsen since he took command in january. Soldiers from the now inactivated Berlin brigade were the first group of . Combat troops to participate inthe . Force in Macedonia. The . Army Europe has deployed units to Mac Edonia for six month Tours since july 1993. . Peacekeepers May be in Macedo 848 norwegian Brig. Gen. Tryggve Tellefsen left head of the . Peacekeeping Mission in Macedonia chats with . Army pfc. Theron Lindsay of co a 3rd in 5th Cav regt in Kirch guns Germany this week As Lindsay s unit prepares for deployment to Macedonia. Nia for a number of years Tellefsen said. Take Lebanon for example . Peacekeepers have been there for 15years, and Only now is peace starting to unfold he said. Keeping the peace is not an easy Job but it is a Job that seems to be influenced heavily by politics. The . Decision to discontinue it participation in enforcing the arms embargo on Bosnia and Herzegovina will make the role of peacekeepers in Mace Donia a Little More difficult Tellefsen said. However he said he was not at lib erty to discuss the politics of the Situa Tion. The difference Between . Peace keepers in Bosnia and those in Macedo Nia is there is no conflict in Macedo Nia Tellefsen said. We be had Only on Soldier killed and that was the result of an automobile emphasized that one of the most important tools that soldiers can Ca Lupon during this deployment is their diplomatic skill by getting out among the local people getting to know them their customs Ana culture and to under stand How they live. I think it will be easy but at the sometime challenging because you have to learn to Deal with these people when you go in there said Emde who s been a Soldier for nearly three years. They Reform totally different after Tellefsen s visit capt. Thoma Goss co a commander told his men that the general was impressed. Goss also reminded soldiers that they must know the Mission saying every person inhere is one sprained ankle away from being a team Tellefsen also emphasized that the sol Diers will be working in a secure Environ ment. The peacekeepers have a woodworking relationship with the serbian soldiers along the Border he said. I want to assure the families that the soldiers will be Well taken care of and there s nothing for the families to be Wor ried about said Tellefsen. They the families should be proud of the Mission these soldiers Are going to be Hawaii based soldiers to replace troops in Haiti by Scripps Howard news service Washington the Pentagon is preparing to Send fresh troops to Haiti despite congressional Calls for the United states to pull out now. Troops from the 10th inf Mountain div from fort drum n.y., will rotate out of Haiti and be replaced by a smaller number from the 25th inf div in Hawaii be ginning in january Pentagon officials said Friday. The new . Troops about 2,000, will form part of a 6,000-member . Force commanded by an american it. Gen. Daniel r. Schroeder 56. Schroeder is the Deputy commander of the . Army Europe. The . Force is expected to remain in Haiti through february 1996, after a new president is elected and takes office to replace haitian president Jean Ber Trand Aristide. The decision to Send in fresh troops is Likely to raise questions in confess where republicans Are stepping up Calls for a Quick withdrawal. Sen. Strom Thurmond , who is expected to become chairman of the armed services committee in the next Congress is upset that an american general will head the . Force. Clinton s decision to keep . Troops in Haiti for another 18 months signals his continued disregard for the Congress role in the decision making process re lated to our Mission in Haiti Thurmond said tuesday. He said the Haiti Mission serves no purpose related to the National Security of the United the army wants to rotate the troops to ease the Bur Den on the 10th inf Mountain div which spent part of 1992 cleaning up after Hurricane Andrew in Florida and 1993 in Somalia. A brigade of the 25th inf div recently completed training in peace operations at the joint readiness training Center at fort Polk la. The brigade pretended its Mission was to separate warring factions and to turn the operation Over to the United nations. The first . Forces arrived in Haiti on sept. 19, an fewer than 12,000 troops remain. There was no rotation of troops during the persian Gulf War and the units that arrived in August 1990 stayed to fight the next year
