European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 22, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 Star sunday april 22200 consults african nations on new Comman by David rising the associated press Stuttgart Germany us plans to develop a new military command Headquarters based in Africa Are moving ahead and Ini tial operations should be ready to Start this autumn from Germany the Admiral in charge of the project said thursday though the Africa command or Aricom Headquarters is not expected to be fully operational until september 2008 it is on schedule to begin work on a lesser scale a year earlier and should have a commander to Lead it by then said rear adm Robert Moeller head of the Africa com Mand transition team we would anticipate the com Mander of Aricom will be in place by me time we establish our initial operational capability he told a Small group of reporters at the us european commands Headquarters in Stuttgart where his team is working us defense Secretary Robert Gates in february announced the plan to establish a full Headquarters in Africa a nod to the continents increasing strategic importance it is a so called unified combat ant command that will be made up of All branches of the military As Well As civilians from not Only the defense and state depart ments but also the agriculture Treasury and Commerce depart ments As Well As said Moeller said it will initially operate As part of european command in Stuttgart then become Independent at the end of 2008 it is not yet known when the Headquarters will move to Africa and it is possible that even by september 2008 it will still be based in Germany Moeller said already Ryan Henry Deputy undersecretary of defense for policy met last week with leaders in six african nations South Afri Ca Nigeria Ethiopia Kenya Ghana and Senegal for preliminary consultations on the us plans the Headquarters would Over see peacekeeping humanitarian Aid missions and military partner ship operations with african coun tries As Well As defense support to nonmilitary operations critics have charged that establishing a Headquarters on the Conti nent could provoke ant american radicals but Moeller said such considerations were being carefully thought through in determining where the operation would be established and How big it would be so far he said there has been no decision on either count though officials in Washington have said they would expect Afri com to be about the size of other such command Headquarters roughly 1000 personnel part of the rationale behind the development of this command is clearly the growing emergence of the strategic importance of Africa from a global Security and eco nomic standpoint he allows us to work More closely with our african partners to in working with them enhance the stability across the continent broadly speaking the establishment of a com which is to take responsibility for All of Africa excluding Egypt which will still fall into Central commands designed to make it easier to coordinate All of the various programs and allow the us to better address regional issues Rafiq co Kenneth Azarow of 54ist Forward surgical team right gestures As his colleagues treat a wounded afghan Soldier at a us military Field Hospital in Southeastern Afghanistan life or death trauma surgeons in Afghanistan specialize in saving lives by Denis d Gray the associated press Kalat Afghanistan it was a dream Job for a sports Medicine specialist repairing the battered Knees and shoulders of the Cincinnati bengals and other athletes major trauma was defined As missing a season to injury two years later in Afghanistan capt Richard m Slusher Doest get to prac Tice his much loved specially the trauma he confronts now carries the Gravity of life or death one recent morn ing Slusher could do nothing to save an 8yearold boy car ried in after his brain was shattered by a ordnance lit ters the landscape Here hours earlier Slusher and a fellow surgeon col Kenneth Azarow amputated the legs of an afghan policeman scythe Down by a Roadside bomb four others Lay nearby riddled with shrapnel a sixth was dead its a Long Way from Small incision unless you come to us totally mangled destined to die you Are not going to die 99 capt Richard m Slusher compute guided arthroscopic sur Gery on a linebackers knee to blood tissue Bones everything blowing up in your face in not used to people dying on me the 37yearold orthopaedic sur Geon said in seeing things Ive never seen in my career Ive done More amputations in six months Here than in my whole five years of residency Slusher said and things Arent Likely to ease up Dur ing the second half of his yearlong tour with the us a mys 541st Forward surgical team i expect this will be a very Busy Spring and summer were getting ready said Azarow echoing warnings that Taliban insurgents soon will intensify ambushes raids and bombings in Zabul prov Ince and other areas the 10man unit is half the size of a Standard army surgical team it treats us coalition and afghan military personnel As Well As civilians a us Soldier seriously wounded at one of Zabulis Remote bases can be flown by helicopter to the team at Kalat the provincial capital and with in an hour undergo surgery and be air lifted out first to the coalition air base at Kandahar and then to a major Mili tary Hospital in Germany All within 24 hours we dont have the capability to sup port a critically injured patient for More than a couple of hours Azarow said Here we do me and limbs Par ing surgery Stop bleeding control contamination stabilize the patient As a comment on the medical Situa Tion in the Dir poor province Azarow said his understaffed unit housed in two Small rooms is the most sophisticated facility in Zabul if you dont work As a team you Are truly lost said Azarow one of Only two paediatric surgeons among the roughly 4200 physicians on Active army duty Twenty six doctors Are serving in Afghanistan to ensure it has enough medical personnel the army is offering bonuses and helps pay off student Loans in Exchange for commitments unless you Corne to us totally mangled destined to die you Are not going to die Slusher said this is our storming the Hill taking the objective we Are proud of that driving 106 Mph costs Lakenheath airman his License by Bryan Mitchell stars and stripes Raf Lakenheath England Singer Sammy Hagar May not be Able to drive 55 but airman 1st class Virgil Heather had no trouble hitting 106 and now Hes roofing it the 48th maintenance Squadron airman lost his driving privileges on British roads for one year after appearing at Ely magistrates court and admitting to eight speeding offences in the past 12 months court officials said in addition Heather also faces administrative punish ment at Raf Lakenheath and has lost his air Force driving privileges according to Raf Lakenheath spokeswoman staff sgt Vanessa Young on one occasion Heather 22 was tagged driving 106 Mph in a 70 zone according to the Cambridge evening news which published heathers Story on april 10 he was ordered to pay in fines and court costs according to Ely magistrates court according to Young Heather who has served at the Home of the 48th fighter Wing for approximately 14 months had incorrect information on his vehicles registration and did not receive the tick ets in the mail in a timely manner but once he did he notified his Chain of command and the base British Liaison Legal office and then appeared in court Young wrote in an email to stars and stripes hundreds of safety cameras Are positioned on Brit ish Roadside to photograph speeding motorists tickets Are then mailed to the offenders infractions Cost motorists a set number of Points depending on the violation accumulating 12 Points normally leads to the revocation of a License Brake a British Road safety advocacy group said the courts decision to take heathers License sends a Posi Tive message to speeding motorists were clearly glad Hes lost his License said Rachel Burr a spokeswoman for Brake there int an excuse for speeding and doing 106 in 70 zone is simply inexcusable Burr said that 29 percent of fatal accidents Are caused by speeding motorists or Drivers travelling too fast for conditions such As driving 70 Mph in a thick fog or heavy Rains by comparison 11 percent of fatal car wrecks Are due to Drivers operating vehicles under the influence of alcohol or drugs she said email Bryan Mitchell at  were clearly glad Hes lost his License there int an excuse for speeding and dog 106 in 70 zone is simply inexcusable Rachel Burr spokeswoman for Brake