European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 17, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 4 stars and stripes tuesday Aprim 7 2007 time to end global War on terror phrase by Ben Murray and Mark Stclair stars and stripes Raf Mildenhall England is it time to put an end to the global War on terror in a speech a prominent Brit ish politician on monday was plan Ning to Echo Calls from us House armed services commit tee staff member to eschew phrases such As global War on terror ism an internal memo from the committee made Public two weeks ago advised authors to keep the term global War on terrorism out of the 2008 defense budget authorization Bill but to some people who Are pre paring to fight in the global War it Doest really matter what you Call it members of the 173rd air borne brigade who soon will As politicians look to limit War colloquialisms deploying troops wonder Why the focus on words deploy for a 15month stint in Afghanistan didst see the need to focus on changing the name i dont think if s that big a Deal said pvt Johnathan Blan ton 21 of 4th battalion 319th air borne Field artillery regiment in just tired of president Bush using it it seems he says it every time you turn on the to another private who declined to be identified added what Are they worried about the name for they should be worried about the soldiers and not names but if s not global we aint in austra Lia Are we but 2nd it Caleb Wells 23 saw sense in leaving the term As it is German defense ministry Calls taped racial scene absolutely unacceptable by Kirsten Grieshaber the associated press Berlin the defense ministry said monday an army instructors order to a Soldier to imagine being accosted by Blacks in new Yorks Bronx Bor Ough while firing a machine gun was absolutely unacceptable a video of the incident which the army said it is investigating aired on German television sat urday and prompted Calls for an apology by the Bronx Borough president defense ministry spokesman Thomas Raabe condemned the episode but said he believed it was an isolated Case this behaviour is absolutely unacceptable and contradicts the training standards of the Ger Man army he said at a news conference we have a Success Story for More than 50 years in our Ger Man army and it is really Seldom that something like that Hap pens i think it is not a special German problem he later told a television news the German military or bund Estehr was founded in West Germany in 1955 More than 10 years after the collapse of the nazi government at the end of world War ii Raabe said the army would Likely Complete its investigation into the video which initially appeared on the internet in two to four weeks the clip shows an instructor and a Soldier dressed in Camou Flage in a Forest the instructor tells the sol Dier you Are in the Bronx a Black Van is stopping in front of you three Africa americans Are getting out and they Are insulting your Mother in the worst ways act the Soldier fires his machine gun and yells an obscenity sever Al times in English the instructor then tells the Soldier to curse even louder the video has vanished from the German web site but has since appeared on youtube com the defense ministry said the video was shot in july 2006 at Barracks in the Northern town of Rendsburg and that the army had been aware of it since Janu Ary Raabe said a Soldier had Given a Superior a cd with the video on it the clip has drawn Only muted reaction in Germany a headline in the Taz newspaper focused on reaction in the United states army video horrifies new yorkers in new York Bronx Borough president Adolfo Carrion or has demanded an apology and called for whoever was responsible to be disciplined the German government obviously has work to do to Correct something that is insidious clearly these folks dont know anything about african Ameri cans or the Bronx he said sat urday the video follows two other incidents that raised concerns about training in 250000strong military which has 38000 draftees and is increasingly called on to carry out sensitive overseas peacekeeping missions a group of army instructors Are currently on trial for allegedly abusing and humiliating recruits in 2004 last year newspapers published photos of German sol Diers in Afghanistan posing with skulls including one who exposed himself islamic extremism seems to be All Over were fighting it and the term is focused on terrorists when told that some democrats in the us Congress want to cite specific locations when refer ring to military actions such As the conflict in Iraq or the conflict in Afghanistan Wells said he saw a link Between them if s All about islamic extremism he said the House armed services committees internal memo dated March 27 came As part of the style guide for the authorization Bill the memo directed committee staff to avoid colloquialisms such As the War on terrorism Long War and global War on terror ism according to a copy of the memo posted on the Fox news web site the memo urges staffers to use More specific terms in the report such the War in Iraq the War in Afghanistan or ongoing Mili tary operations throughout the world British Secretary of state for International development Hilary Benn was expected to Tell a think tank in new York on monday that military efforts following the sept 11 attacks dont constitute a global War and that people in the United kingdom dont use the phrase Benns comments Are scheduled to be part of a speech titled where does development fit in foreign policy entered on the use of multilateralism As the Only answer to achieving peace according to a release issued by Benns office meanwhile since the initial memo became Public a week ago an updated version of the memo was drafted with that terminology Section revised according to Fox news the memo Drew fire from some republicans and the scorn of at least one former Marine so what in the world am i to do with the global War on terror ism expeditionary medal i was awarded for my service in Iraq Brian Bresnahan a former Marine major wrote on his blog High Plains Patriot if the War Doest exist should the medal also not exist email Ben Murray at email Mark Stclair at Courtesy of the us Navy two ea6b prowler aircraft launch from the flight deck of the uss Dwight d Eisenhower prowler commander relieved of duty from uss Eisenhower by Sandra Jontz stars and stripes the commander of the ea6b prowler Squadron aboard the air Craft Carrier uss Eisenhower in the persian Gulf was relieved of his command monday amid an investigation Navy officials said capt Scott Stearney commander of Carrier air Wing 7 relieved cmdr Christopher Rankin com Mander of electronic attack Squadron 140 due to a loss of Confidence in his ability to com Mand said it Denise Garcia a spokeswoman with the us navys 5th Fleet in Bahrain while Garcia declined to pro vide details of the ongoing investigation surrounding Rankin she said it was not the result of a mis Hap or Accident involving the squadrons radar jamming air Craft the investigation began thurs Day Garcia said Rankin assumed command on april 7 Only five Days before he was the squadrons executive officer for the previous 15 months Garcia said cmdr Timothy Murphy the squadrons executive officer has stepped in As acting commander Garcia said typically executive officers As sume the leadership role when commanders leave during nor Mal rotational cycles but Navy leaders have yet to decide whether Murphy will remain As the squadrons commander she said Rankin temporarily is assigned to Carrier strike group 8 based in Norfolk a while officials investigate the matter the Squadron is based out of naval air station Whitbey is land Wash and currently attached to the Eisenhower which has been in the arabian sea and persian Gulf regions since oct 30 the ea6b prowler is the Navy and Marine corps principal elec tronic warfare aircraft and is used to protect ships by jamming enemy radar and communications Emai Sandra Jontz at Ramstein change of command set command of the 435th air base Wing at ram Stein air base Germany will change hands wednes Day col Earl Matthews will take control of the Wing from col Kurt Lohide in a ceremony at 2 pm in hangar 1 according to an air Force news release Matthews currently is 38th combat support Wing commander at Ramstein while Lohide will move to Nellis air Force base Nev where he will oversee the air Force smart operations 21 program the re lease stated it Gen Rod Bishop 3rd air Force commander will preside Over the ceremony from staff reports
