NHL FACES PACIFIC Gretzky’s goal-scoring ‘Hobbit’ actor Soviet symbols mark might be in Martin Freeman finds seen in the skies at Ovechkin’s reach fame unexpectedly Cope North exercise Back page Page 14 Page 3 US airstrikes hit ISIS amid weeklong partial truce with Taliban » Page 6 stripes.com Volume 78, No. 223 ©SS 2020 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020 50¢/Free to Deployed Areas US, S. Korea mull curtailed training due to coronavirus BY CAITLIN M. KENNEY Stars and Stripes WASHINGTON — U.S. and South Korean forces are looking to curtail upcoming training ex- ercises out of growing fears about the spread of the coronavirus, the defense leaders for both countries said Monday. Army Gen. Robert Abrams, commander of U.S. Forces Korea and Gen. Park Han-ki, chairman of the South Korean joint chiefs of staff, “are looking at scaling back the command post train- ing due to concerns about the coronavirus,” Defense Secretary EXPOSURE Mark Esper said during a Penta- gon news conference with South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo. On Sunday, 13 Republic of Korea soldiers were diagnosed with coronavirus, Jeong said. “We do regard this situation as DANGER a serious one,” he said. Travel for South Korean ser- GREGORY STEVENS/U.S. Army National Guard vice members has been limited, affecting normal military train- Elements of 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, convoy to Hohenfels Training Area during an exercise in January. ing and vacation leave, Jeong said. The semi-annual joint com- Study finds thousands in military community mand post exercises between the U .S . and South Korea, with the poisoned by carbon monoxide over a decade next happening in spring, have already been limited during the past year as part of an attempt BY NANCY MONTGOMERY last month in the Defense Health by President Donald Trump’s ad- Agency’s medical journal. Stars and Stripes ministration to persuade North No details were provided for Korea to give up its nuclear round 6,400 troops and the assault case or the deaths. weapons. their family members Troops working in repair and were poisoned by car- engineering jobs accounted for SEE TRAINING ON PAGE 4 A bon monoxide in the more poisonings than those in past decade, a military health other career fields. study has found. “This finding warrants further Some 24 service members died analysis to examine the overall US base in from breathing the colorless, incidence rates of CO intoxication tasteless, odorless and deadly across occupations and highlights S. Korea lists sites gas. the importance of appropriate Most of the cases were deemed preventive measures for military visited by woman accidental, but around 11% of personnel who repair or maintain RYRE ARCIAGA/U.S. Navy who tested positive active duty service members in- vehicles,” journal editor Cmdr. tentionally harmed themselves Shawn S. Clausen said in an Petty Officer 2nd Class Ilya Bauer welds a crack on an exhaust Italy sees 27% and one case was ruled an as- email. pipe of a CH-53E Super Stallion aboard the Wasp-class sault, said the study published SEE EXPOSURE ON PAGE 7 amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge in June. more virus cases Coverage on pages 4-5 PAGE 2 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Wednesday, February 26, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER EXCHANGE RATES Virus fear causes airline, cruise stocks to fall Military rates Switzerland (Franc)............................0.9781 Euro costs (Feb. 26) ..........................$1.1120 Thailand (Baht) ......................................31.74 Dollar buys (Feb. 26) ........................€0.8993 Turkey (Lira) .........................................6.1286 British pound (Feb. 26) ........................$1.33 (Military exchange rates are those BY DAVID KOENIG Airlines Group Inc. shed 8.5%, runs its course by mid-May and Japanese yen (Feb. 26) ......................109.00 available to customers at military banking South Korean won (Feb. 26) ..........1,180.00 Associated Press and Delta Air Lines Inc. and on- travel on trans-Pacific routes re- Commercial rates facilities in the country of issuance for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the Bahrain (Dinar) ....................................0.3770 line travel agency Expedia Group turns to normal over five months, Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For British pound .....................................$1.2951 The stocks of American Air- Inc. fell more than 6%. the airline could still hit its goal nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., Canada (Dollar) ...................................1.3277 purchasing British pounds in Germany), lines and several cruise lines After the market closed, United of 2020 earnings between $11 and China (Yuan) ........................................ 7.0371 check with your local military banking Denmark (Krone) ................................6.8939 were among the worst perform- Airlines said it was withdrawing $13 per share. facility. Commercial rates are interbank Egypt (Pound) ....................................15.5615 ers in the Standard & Poor’s 500 rates provided for reference when buying its estimate issued just last month Before United’s news, CFRA Euro ........................................ $1.0837/0.9228 index Monday, as investors fret Hong Kong (Dollar) .............................7.7900 currency. All figures are foreign currencies of its full-year 2020 earnings be- Research lowered its investment to one dollar, except for the British pound, that the new coronavirus could Hungary (Forint) .................................311.24 cause of uncertainty around how rating on United Airlines Hold- Israel (Shekel) .....................................3.4251 which is represented in dollars-to-pound, take hold outside China and fur- long the outbreak will last. The ings Inc. to “hold” from “buy.” Japan (Yen) ........................................... 110.39 and the euro, which is dollars-to-euro.) ther disrupt international travel. airline stood by its first-quarter The firm says United is even Kuwait (Dinar) .....................................0.3064 INTEREST RATES Norway (Krone) ...................................9.3816 Shares of Norwegian Cruise estimates, saying that a drop in more dependent on international Philippines (Peso)................................. 51.06 Prime rate ................................................4.75 Line Holdings Ltd., Carnival fuel prices and a new credit card revenue than American or Delta. Poland (Zloty) ..........................................3.96 Discount rate ..........................................2.25 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) ...........................3.7521 Federal funds market rate ...................1.58 Corp. and Royal Caribbean Cruis- deal will offset lost revenue . United’s stock, however, ended Singapore (Dollar) ..............................1.3983 3-month bill ............................................. 1.51 es Ltd. fell about 9%. American United said that if the virus down a relatively modest 3.3%. South Korea (Won) ..........................1,214.09 30-year bond ...........................................1.83 WEATHER OUTLOOK WEDNESDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST WEDNESDAY IN EUROPE THURSDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 31/26 Kabul 56/39 Seoul 45/31 Baghdad 63/53 Kandahar 73/44 Osan Tokyo Mildenhall/ Drawsko 46/31 43/34 Lakenheath Pomorskie Busan 44/35 39/36 46/40 Iwakuni 46/43 Kuwait Bahrain Zagan Sasebo City 73/68 Brussels 39/35 Guam 68/60 42/36 Ramstein 49/46 82/79 Lajes, 39/35 Riyadh Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 71/54 72/68 62/58 38/35 44/40 Aviano/ Vicenza 47/44 Naples 59/53 Okinawa Morón 66/63 61/48 Sigonella Rota 63/39 The weather is provided by the Djibouti Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 87/71 59/46 60/54 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ..... 11 Classified .................. 13 Comics ...................... 15 Crossword ................. 15 Faces ........................ 14 Opinion ..................... 16 Sports ...................17-24 Wednesday, February 26, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 3 PACIFIC Soviet symbols in the skies at Cope North drill BY SETH ROBSON exercises. Stars and Stripes “Our role is to train partners and coalition forces and the U.S. ANDERSEN AIR FORCE Air Force,” Murphrey said as BASE, Guam — Card carry- he stood on a ramp at Andersen ing communists may have once ahead of a Cope North drill involv- dreamed of the day when the ing 60 aircraft last Wednesday. hammer and sickle would be A patch on his shoulder incor- worn proudly by U.S. airmen. That dream was a reality at this porated the communist hammer- month’s Cope North exercise on and-sickle logo along with an F-16 Guam, with members of the 18th soaring over a coconut tree and Aggressor Squadron rocking red the words “Hardship Tour.” PHOTOS BY SETH ROBSON/Stars and Stripes The joke is that the aggressors and black Soviet-style patches Maj. Melvin Murphrey, 32, of Trenton, N.C., speaks about the Alaska-based 18th Aggressor Squadron were giving up sub-zero condi- in the skies over the Northern during Cope North drills at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, on Feb. 19. Marianas. tions in Alaska to train in the The squadron brought a dozen tropics, Murphrey said. camouflaged F-16 Fighting Fal- Guam’s sunny weather might cons from their home at Eielson help pilots work on their suntans, Air Force Base, Alaska, to role- but the humidity is a challenge play as the enemy during the for maintainers used to Alaska’s drills. drier conditions. This year’s exercise involves It’s meant a little extra tin- more than 100 aircraft and