Show The Herald Journal Logan Utah Tuesday March 24 1996 — Page 7 Two rafters die in surge on AGNESS Ore (AP) — A uife of fowling twirling water roared through a narrow gorge killing two Whitewater rafters and forcing 10 people to cling for life to the moaiy aetout Helicopter! lowered retcnera on wins Monday into the gorge as narrow as 20 feet in spots to pull out survivors from along a treacherous stretch of southwest- ern Oregon’s Illinois River known as the Green WalL The only other traces of Sunday's accident were two empty overturned rafts floating three miles down rivet The surge was caused by heavy rain and snow melt that more than doubled the water volume on the river in a day and a half "When that water comes through that chute there’s nothing you can do there’s nowhere you can go to escape” said sheriff's LL Maik Metcalf A clerk at a grocery where rafters are required to leave their permits said mat a warning from : have been a lot worse” A kayaker who was on the Bob Tooker of Vancouver Wash was rescued along with river Sunday during the surge managed to paddle to a landing upriver and call police He said a buddy and a two other rafters Tboker 33 said the accident was unavoidable “All of us are walls 1800-fo- ot overnight the river rain-swoll- en professional-qualit- y were too dangerous for rescue fog prevented helicopters from flying over the remote canyon When the search began authorities initially thought as many as 30 people could be missing based on foe number of permits issued for people to launch their boats “They weren't beat up or bruised or anything like that — they’re just pital where the three were treated The search for the missing body was to resume today Rainfall averaged 2 inches a y day over the weeknid and warm weather has made for a heavy snow melt While a normal flow on foe river is 3000 cubic feet per second it swelled to 10000 cubic feet per second unsea-sociabl- permit were found “As far as we’re concerned the operation is over” Metcalf expected to crest at about 17600 cubic feet per second late Mon-- Pentagon losing its top pilots to airlines to Air Force Times an independent magazine “I will concede 6 pilot Steve Bojack was stunned when he got his next assignment a year’s deployment to Korea “I was in Saudi Arabia for four months starting five weeks after my daughter was born I missed her first Thanksgiving Christmas and New Year’s” Bojack said “My next assignment wu going to be Korea I wu going to be away one year unaccompanied by family" That wu 1996 Today Bojack the military flying for foe District of Columbw AirNitidfttl Guard Air Force Bojack’s active-dut- y career is over making him ope of a growing number of military pilots trading workdays and long stints away from home for the lucrative stable life of a commercial pilot With the economic boom and 12-ho- ur accompanying jump in airline hiring foe departure of military a headache pilots that began for the Pentagon hu grown into a major problem Not even a $110000 bonus for extending a tour of duty five years has u stemmed the exodus Two years ago when the Air Force wu offering nine-yeflying veterans $60000 to sign up for five more years six out of 10 took foe bonus and stayed Today with the bonus nearly doubled fewer than three pilots in 10 are accepting ar Nearly all who decline the bonus leave the military within two years “If pilot retention gets any worse it may directly impact the readineu of our combat units” said Lt Gen Michael McGinty the Air Force’s personnel chief The gripes from Air Force pilots have drawn some barbs from within military circlet The complaining “seems like whining to DriskeU me? wrote JD retired Navy in a letter ’ ii sAobLtte bottoriiTipe the subject largely remains taboo even in the doctor's office Control and lYevention is starting its most intense effort yet to combat sexually transmitted diseases and push mem into foe public’s consciousness Over foe next year the agency r 1300 1300 1200 1200 will encourage states to work with parents schools and local W 00 01 Ibp live reaeone tor baring the Air Force after nine yeera 1997 US 02 television stations to start preven effective system to deal with STDs and their prevention” said Dr Judith Wasserheit who directs foe CDC’s sexually transmitted diseases prevention division An estimated 10 million to 12 million new cases of sexual diseases are reported in foe United Statu each year The rates are highest in the industrialized world and in tome cities infection rates rival those in poor countries ' In 1993 force were 130 cases of gonorrhea per 100000 people I Midi CappinriiftMiMnil RSVP Mvw Lawn Hum nHSelrs or ar some combat pilots training BoucKUS-AtFac- SP - a “If they leave after eight or retention numbers nine years it’s probably a breakeven said Cot Irv Halter ations group commander First Fighter Wing an elite corps of 3 pilots based at Air Force Base Va “We’d to get some return on their investF-1- ment When they get to eight years I can really let them run with the bait” So far the pilot retention problem hu not forced the military to allow cockpits to go empty for want of pilots to fly the plums The shrinking size of the overall force hu allowed commanders to move pilots from deactivating units into those still in operation Now that the overall force size hu about leveled off that option is no longer available Commanders uy they may need to dip into foe administrative ranks in Some time shortly after the year 2000 the problem could become more severe This year foe Air Force expects to be 833 pilots short of its requirement of 14000 By 2002 it predicts foe “pilot gap” will more than double Among the reasons pilots cite for leaving are frustration over repeated foreign usignments missiwis foot don’t require pilots to exercise combat skills and a difficult promotion track Then there are foe incentives of work' ing for an airline ' Initially military pilots who leave after nine yean get no pension and take a sharp temporary pay cut when they go to an airtwo years line With little u u search of officers with flying with an airline hoipever they can experience In addition the Air irmrii their old military — Force is offering lesser bonuses for pilots who sign up for fewer and within a few yeus earn than five years a step that hu salaries exceeding $100000 and modestly improved the pilot even $130000 omas wewelens in i sift' lllSI iMeqsii SEATTLE (AP) — A man who I ware- lllpHll- - 11 Mil house to support an extravagant 3 Qte SoHaaiwiam I n lifestyle x- Pang 42 pleaded guilty to manslaughter in a plea bargain last monfoi that avoided foe possibility of a life sentence for arson Henad escaped murder charges by fleeing to Brazil Which refused to hand him over unleu prosecutors dropped the murder case Pang wu sentenced Monday after a hearing at which the firefighters’ parents children wives and colleagues tearfully described their grief and anget - "I1 US (7L la- - ft omasweaeien$ r 1 Cast and three per 100000 in Sweden The US rate for syphilis wu almost 16 times the rate in Canada The costs of treating sexually transmitted diseases reach $10 billion a year according to a 1996 report by the Institute of Medicine which advises foe federal government on health issues Walk Walk Onion Pknts Sandersons! ‘ifK jarUucSon' service takes with him an average of $39 million in training For costs over nine yean can exceed j $20 million in the United States compared with 186 per 100000 in Canada Just arrived from Washington 20 c6mmgm U j an aviators fly out the back A nine-yepilot who leaves the t ii killed four firefighters was sentenced to 33 years in prison Prosecutors said Martin S Pang an aspiring movie and television actor at too time hoped to collect insurance on foe business In foe wealthiest country in the tJaMttpmoesanpiBirBfi veter-the front door Caa set a fire to his parents’ world an epidemic of sexual infections hu silently surged But tion programs It will press the nation to eliminate syphilis and expand testing for chlamydia “We do not have in place an her of pilots coming out of Arsonist is fatal fire Number of pitots Ab Force 14000 DT Oliver the nder normal conditions the Illinois is considered a Class 3 ATLANTA (AP) — Chlamydia: 4 million new cases each year Gonorrhea: 800000 new cases a year Genital herpes: 200000 to 300000 new cases So the Centers for Disease Navy’s personnel chief spoke in recent congressional testimony of the possible “wholesale loss of aviation subcommunities” While Air Force and Navy officials talk of increasing the' num- - is flying the Delta Shuttle between Washington and New York While he keeps a hand in Mayfield who has run trips on difficulty river with the top ing a Class 6 considered to be 'nin at risk of death? “It’s an adrenaline sport when you're looking for thrills” May-field said The US mUaryfr bsst pSotsara baring In unpraoadsntodnumbm The U& Air Force experts to haw 13 peicsntbwer plots than I needs by 2002 because too many plots ate dtosnehantod wfth mitairy Ms expects to requite Number of plots twyaspeetto decided to take bonuses and stay “It’s whitewater It is quite j—— CDC finds rise in sexual disease ’ But pilot departures are also sweeping the Navy This year according to Navy figures' only 10 percent of eligible carrier —1 have pilots — 27 out of 261 Vice Adm the river for 20 years Pilot shortage that it’s not the life for everyone but this is a volunteer force and we had to know coming in tohat ' f wu in store” F-1- APpiwto Rafter Bob Tooksr exlta an ambulance Monday afternoon at rescue canter at Agnesa Ore A Coaat Guard helicopter craw flew Tooker and nine other sutvtuors out of the Illinois River and recovered one body by Sunday morning and was said “We’re thankful It could WASHINGTON (AP) — Just back home from four sweltering months living in foe Saudi desert cold? said Millie Bin an administrator at foe hos- never launched because of the bad weather and at least four made it out of the water on their own Even some rafters who went out on the water without a conditions on the river came in just minutes after foe group had er rafter were killed and several people were clinging to the bank Coast Guard officials said one body was recovered and 10 people were plucked from the rocks along a mile and a half stretch of foe riven They appeared to be in good condition three had mild cases of hypothermia boats to go in and heavy rain and US Forest Service about white-wat- nver-numing rafters I’ve got 18 years experience” he saidT "It was w unfortunate circumstance” Rescuers had to wait until daybreak Monday to search for survivors because foe raging waters fiM' iiatt 1 |