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Show Sd Military bases responsible? (if- Taking a Gander By Michael S. Robinson It's been proven lime and time gain: You can't fight City Hall. ,'0r that matter, any puny mderling is helpless in fighting the 'establishment." It applies equally 0 all: Brave John Q. Citizen igainst City Hall; little city versus arge state; little state in conflict jith big nation. Another ,rganization that, as an upperling, njoys a great immunity from jutside comments and investigation is the military. Vietnam's black-marketeering, ,ast fuel thefts in Thailand, the Pueblo incident, and many other cases of irregularities on military establishments both inside and outside our country have brought little more than ineffectual public censure. Throughout the years ' there has been a serious lack of meaningful communication between military reservations and the authorities of the areas in which they are located. When evidence apparently scandalizes it, the government usually weasles its way out of the mess and gets off "Scot-free." Death The recent death of a Hill Air Force Base employee, whose blood was found to contain a large percentage of methanol (wood alcohol), and the subsequent denial by the Air Force that the lethal substitute for liquor could have been consumed while on the job is another proof that the military has too much license for covering up incidents which occur on its bases. Weber County's sheriff, a brother of the victim said that he heard several accounts by Hill A.F.B. employees that drinking on the job was not such an unusual occurence. Yet he admitted that if he gave any names and made the statements public, they would be promptly denied. The victim's wife said that the term "punch party" was common on the base, and that employees spiked their coffee with alcoholic beverages. The Air Force statement of denial shows a fine cover-up for the truth. It failed to make any statement as to where the victim may have obtained the wood alcohol, which is used for cleaning purposes and is stored in large quantities on the base. There seems to be a definite connection between this fact and the tragedy. Several other deaths in the past several years among Hill A.F.B. employees have shown symptoms very much like those of wood alcohol poisoning. None of these has been successful in stirring up a satisfactory investigation. The: military has often found ways to get out of shouldering the blame for such tragic accidents. Laws which give local police the authority ot investigate irregularities which occur on military bases located within their areas are urgently needed. The Air Force statement seems to be a brush-off. Barriers must be removed; the truth must be made public. |