From the S&S archives:
The pope was an 'Angel' to police

MAINZ, Germany (S&S) — Pope John Paul II might be pleased to know the code name bestowed on him by a few hundred Americans working behind-the-scenes at the U.S. Army airfield here.

"Angel" — the name radio operators, security personnel and military policemen uttered daily for almost two weeks — referred to the Polish-born pontiff.

As thousands of worshippers filed onto the airfield early Sunday to take up a patient vigil for the Roman Catholic leader, an operations tower in a fenced-off area of the installation hummed with activity.

Phones shrilled continually and radios crackled while police and security agents with radios on one hip and a revolver on the other huddled over briefing maps.

Capt. Richard Benjamin, Mainz military community provost marshal, began safety, security and transportation preparations three months ago for the papal visit to Mainz-Finthen Army Airfield. On the job at 5 a.m. Sunday, Benjamin had managed three hours of sleep after working around the clock Saturday.

Responsible for 260 military police, 25 criminal investigation division and military police intelligence agents, 90 German military police and 68 infantrymen, Benjamin said he had his hands full. "And I brought plenty of cigarettes," he joked.

"Since we talk about the pope all day, every day, we just started to call him 'Angel.' We have security code names for everything — people, sections of the installation," he said, indicating a chart printed with "North Forty," "Moon Base," and other designations for areas on post.

Benjamin assigned the police to various areas of the installation to provide security and to carry out protocol duties during the pope's visit. Infantrymen guarded ammunition storage areas of the Army base.

Germans also provided several hundred police and firemen who acted as security personnel, along with plainclothesmen.

Standing before a series of charts, Benjamin briefed the MPs who would join German security men in escorting the pope's convoy onto the airfield. He was interrupted to answer an urgent call from gate guards who had a car full of German plainclothesmen police who wanted to enter the installation. "If they don't have a green pass, they can't get in," he said.

A complicated system of security passes was developed by both German and U.S. authorities to protect access to the base and the papal party.

The Army's 8th MP Co, 8th Inf Div, provided platoons from Bad Kreuznach, Mannheim, Mainz and Baumholder. The company commander, Capt. John Tarr, said his men underwent special training sessions concentrating on riot control.

Tarr said the Darmstadt provost marshal provided. bomb detection dogs, and Frankfurt's 709th MP Bn assigned personnel to the operation. The 3rd Armd Div's 503rd MP Co handled traffic flow and accident investigation. V Corps' 527th MP Co formed part of the pope's escort.

"This is the highest concentration of military police in the last two years," said Tarr, adding that his company had also been called for duty during President Jimmy Carter's visit to Germany in July 1978.

Pfc. Victor Sawdy, 19, of Milwaukee spent four days in the operations tower helping put in a radio net control station for the military police. He said he would be leaning out the window to watch the pope's arrival by helicopter.

Sawdy, assigned to Co A, 32nd Signal Bn at Frankfurt-Hoechst and Sgt. 1.C. Anthony Wallent, were among 16 communications people responsible for installing ultra-high frequency lines and a secure FM for emergencies to V Corps Hqs.

At 3 p.m. Saturday, the pope's helicopter and pilots made a practice landing near the special operations tower to familiarize themselves with the military preparations, Wallent said.

Sunday afternoon, as the pope's arrival drew near, Spec. 4 Arliss Leo Archer of Texarkana, Ark., said, "I wouldn't miss this for the world. Assigned to Mannheim's 3rd platoon, 8th MP Co, the soldier had been on duty since 3 a.m.

Archer and his partner, Spec. 4 Bryan Schmid of Tucson, Ariz., said they worked a two-hours-on and two-hours-off shift guarding one of the gates to the airfield.

Both soldiers, drenched by a day-long rainstorm, said it was all worth it. "Just think," said Archer, "I'll be within five feet of the pope."

Back in the control tower, a voice barked, "Angel lands in 15 minutes."