European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 31, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday March 312007 stars and stripes pages expert us Japan ready to counter n Korea by David Allen stars and stripes Naha Okinawa Japan and the United states Are in an Excel Lent position to counter the threat of North to reas development of nuclear weapons and bal Listic mis Siles a Tokyo based aerospace and defense Catling consultant said thurs Day at the us consulate on Oki Nawa North Korea test firing of a missile Over Japan last july and a nuclear test in october is proof the country is developing the Ca consultant says missile defense plan can oppose threat ability to strike a crippling blow to Japan said Lance Catling a former state department foreign officer who now Heads a defense and space consulting firm a recent Japan ministry of de sense strategic review called North Korea weapons develop ment the greatest threat to peace in East Asia Japan is particularly vulnerable because it is so close to North Korea and nearly half the Popula Tion is in just four Urban centers primarily Tokyo Gatling said this makes it very difficult to defend he said having weapons of mass destruction so close to a highly concentrated Popula Tion is a very bad combination Gatling said the us and Japan have developed a missile defense plan to counter such a threat us and japanese destroyers armed with Aegis missiles patrol the sea of Japan Japan is deploying pac3 missiles Tokyo and other major areas he said and has been assisted by the recent deployment of a us pac3 Battery on Okinawa an integrated detection should be Able to catch a threat i time to added likening the ability to text incoming missiles by and heat detecting having the Edge in a whack mole in Washington on tuesday air Force it Gen Henry head of the us defense depart ments missile defense said a japanese he to of destroyer will test fire a us interceptor missile called a Stan Dard missile 3 by the end of the year in a written testimony to the House armed services commit tees strategic forces subcommittee Obering said it will be the first such firing by a maritime ally i we initially turned our Atten Tion to North Korea because we Felt that had the higher sense of urgency and we believe that was somewhat justified by the activities last summer Obering stated Gatling said concerns that a missile defense system is some How provocative Are baseless they Are purely defensive he said Only Good if you fire a missile at me its the same message coming from Obering at a state depart ment briefing he said missile de sense weapons Are not offensive weapons they do not even carry War Heads he said there Are no explosives on these missiles we operate on a Hitt Okill technology which is we actually drive a very Small kill vehicle into an enemy warhead to destroy it Gatling said the state depart ment brought him to Okinawa to conduct a series of briefings for local journalists and government officials on the missile defense system being developed by the us and Japan theres a lot of misunderstand ing about missiles themselves which leads to misunderstand Ings of missile defense he said email David Allen at Tuskegee airmen honoured by Bush Black air corps unit from Wii receives congressional Gold medal by Darlene Superville the associated press Washington president Bush saluted the Tuskegee air men on thursday six decades after they completed their world president Bush left shakes hands with Tuskegee airman Lee Archer or second from right As House speaker Nancy Pelosi second from left shakes hands with Tuskegee airman Roscoe Brownjr right during the medal ceremony thursday War ii Mission and returned Home to a country that discriminated against them because they were even the nazis asked Why Afri can american men would fight for a country that treated them so unfairly Bush told the group of legendary Black aviators who received a congressional Gold medal the most prestigious Congress has to offer these men in our presence Felt a special sense of urgency they were fighting two wars one was in Europe and the other took place in the hearts and minds of our Citi Zens Bush then saluted the airmen saying he wanted to offer the Ges Ture to help atone for All the unreturned a Pablo Martinez Lonnie Timmons Iii the Cleveland Ohio Plain dealer members of the Tuskegee airmen the first Black aviators in the army air corps from left Clarence c Jami son or Arthur Saunders Travis and Thomas Austin pose in front of a projected p51 in Cleveland Lutes and unforgivable indignities they endured Bush members of and other dignitaries joined 300 airmen widows and Rei natives for the ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda hours of the event Tuskegee airmen some walking with the any of canes others pushed in chairs flooded Capitol ways on their Way to being sized for their Long ago its never too late for your country to say that youve done a great Job for us retired col Elmer d Jones 89 of a said in an interview this week Jones was a maintenance officer during the War retired it col Walter l Mccreary who was shot from the sky during a Mission in october 1944 and held prisoner for nine months in Germany said it Hurt that the groups accomplishments had not been honoured years earlier we took it in stride its a recognition Long overdue said Mccreary also 89 of Burke a House majority whip Jim cry Burn dec the highest ranking Black member of Congress ech oed Mccreary sentiment Many of the Tuskegee airmen also trained at Walterboro army air Field in his congressional District people Are now beginning to come to grips with our history o global Van co Ltd local and Domestic moving Quality service on time Ever time one Call does it All global saves you Money and time free estimate for All moves household goods cars office equipment merchandise delivery of pm Chatan Branch English service Call Mon Fri closed weekends american holidays main office japanese service Call 098 8992114 Mon sat 08001700 Clyburn said thursday in an inter View our history is what it is its never going to change the Tuskegee airmen were recruited into an army air corps program that trained Blacks to Fly and maintain combat aircraft president Roosevelt had Over ruled his top generals and or dered that such a program be Cre ated but even after they were admit Ted Many commanders continued to believe the Tuskegee air men didst have the smarts Cour age and patriotism to do what was being asked of them nearly 1000 fighter pilots trained As a segregated unit at a Tuskegee Ala air base not Al Lowed to practice or fight with their White counterparts the Tuskegee airmen distinguished themselves from the rest by paint ing the tails of their air planes red which led to them becoming known As the red tails the Tuskegee airmen left a segregated country to fight in War and unfortunately returned to one that was still segregated House speaker Nancy Pelosi said though Hitler was Defeated prejudice was not today we Are trying to right that wrong