European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 19, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 2 a a a the stars and stripes wednesday september 19,1990 Iron. Crisis in the Gal Gulf troops need for ramp a poses problems Riyadh saudi Arabia apr american troops sweltering in saudi Arabia might be allowed to take their rest and recreation in foreign cities on private beaches or on cruise ships . Officials say. The need for some kind of Holiday system has become apparent with the realization that . Military forces Are Likely to be in the desert at least until Early 1991 and probably longer. At the same time officials concede there Are special problems in finding ways to let american soldiers relax in saudi Arabia a strictly conservative moslem society where they cannot mix casually with the local population or the opposite sex. Moreover the sheer size of the american Force a Likely to reach 200,000-plus within a few weeks a could have a severe Impact on nearby smaller persian Gulf states such As Bahrain and Dubai where alcohol is available and the lifestyle is somewhat More westernized. Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf commander of . Forces in operation desert shield said in an interview that he envisioned an ramp a system similar to that provided for american troops in Vietnam two decades ago. Those soldiers were allowed one weeks leave a year with the round trip air fare paid to any one of several places including Hong Kong Australia Singapore Taiwan Hawaii and Bangkok Thailand. Quot id Hope we could have the same sort of latter of selection available Here a Schwarz of said. But he added a we re still in the process of brainstorming this whole routine. We re a Long Way from having any firm plan for one obstacle is that defense department regulations permit government paid leaves Only for soldiers in areas where there is hostile fire he said. "1 know they re looking at that and a lot of other things a he said noting that another Pentagon regulation already has been changed to give saudi Arabia based troops free mail privileges usually permitted Only in combat zones. A key concern in finding suitable recreation centers was the threat of iraqi inspired terrorist attacks Schwarzkopf said a i m not going to set up another Beirut Barracks to get blown up Quot he said referring to the 1983 bombing of a . Marine Barracks in Beirut Lebanon in which 241 service members were killed. Quot we re certainly factoring that into on the deck of the . Guided missile Cruiser Antietam Seaman Mike Connors left of Palm Beach gardens fla.,deck watch checks his weapon before taking Over watch monday from Seaman Kelly Steiney of Long Beach Calif. The ship a is in Dubai uah., for port Call after several weeks of duty in the troubled persian Gulf Region. If a Vietnam style ramp a is approved possible Sites might include Cairo Egypt and vacation spots in Europe such As . Military ski resorts and recreation centers in West Germany. Schwarzkopf said another proposal was for a a couple of cruise ships where they can relax and dance and have music and air conditioning and swimming pools and just sort of live it Schwarzkopf said however that this was Quot an idea Only a As was another suggestion for a private Beach somewhere that could serve american troops without their numbers having too much Impact on the local population. The two most logical ramp a Sites in the Region Are Bahrain just across a 12-mile causeway from saudi Arabia and Dubai the major port of the United Arab emirates near the Southeastern end of the persian Gulf. Both Are accustomed to . Navy personnel in relatively Small numbers. But they could have difficulty coping with an influx of military people looking for fun. Schwarzkopf said there had been a no agreements. No formal contacts with those countries. But he said he could imagine a some entrepreneurial bahrainis who mind setting up a hotel at some location that interfere with bahraini in addition to planning for out of country ramp a officers Are setting up centers with air conditioned tents showers and television where troops can gain a few Days respite from the desert. Schwarzkopf acknowledged that the military faced a a shortage of videotapes because of the saudi ban on sexually oriented materials. A a it a their Law just As we have customs regulations that done to allow outsiders to bring certain things into the United states a he said. A so if they deem it objectionable and confiscate it that Sok. In a sure there Are plenty of other videotapes out there that will not be deemed , pet scorpion help divert base bound units by Ron Jensen staff writer an air base in saudi Arabia a some of the airmen dispatched As part of operation desert shield never roam far from the air base where they landed on saudi soil. Or Sand As the Case May be. The 1st Aero medical evacuation so and the 1st equipment maim so Are two such air Force units that have remained on the desert s Edge. Outside the Canvas Headquarters of the medical Squadron is a hand lettered sign declaring it the Quot desert shield Yard of the a we nominated ourselves a said staff sgt. Jim Brown a medic with the unit which is normally based at Pope fab near Fayetteville . The a prize winning Quot Yard is ankle deep dust. An attempt at gardening failed when even the medical prowess of this group could not save the units two potted plants now Brown and withered. Nonetheless they won the award albeit by default. Quot we were the Only entry Quot Brown said. The medics arrived More than five weeks ago and have been treating illnesses and injuries around this Busy air base since then. A not much heatstroke at a Quot said Brown of Oklahoma City. A bumps and bruises. Broken Bones. That kind of Brown Melkers if it is serious enough the patient is sent to West Germany. If not the patient recovers at the base. One of the less seriously injured was pfc. Joseph Hall who twisted his knee while unloading ships at a nearby port two Days earlier. A it Hurt like hell a said Hall an impatient patient a i want to get Back to work. Get it done and get Back to the states. In a not used to this the medics Are just now beginning to adjust to saudi temperatures. A other than that its just Day by Day waiting for patients and fighting the boredom a said sgt. Paul Melkers of Toledo Wash. At the shop where the 1st equipment Maint so of the 1st tac fighter Wing works the most menacing thing is not the Quantity of missiles and bullets the Crews Load onto the wings of their 50 f-15s. Its a scorpion housed in a Glass Jar. A we caught it right outside a an airman said. The men were cautious around the scorpion but they Are accustomed to caution since they handle the powerful missiles that Arm the jets. A it was scary at first a senior airman Jeffrey e. Mark of Wichita kan., said about handling the missiles. A but after a while you get used to being careful All the the desert causes Only one problem not found at the units Home base at Langley fab a. The Sand blows into the missiles fins fouling up the guidance system a if the Sand gets in there it can keep them from hitting the target Quot Mark said. A a we re constantly cleaning the missiles. When not cleaning or watching their scorpion Romp around its tiny Home the men play cards or hold Ping Pong tournaments on a table fashioned from scrap Wood. A big advantage to being Here As opposed to deep in the desert is a better Chance of communication with the Home front. A my wife Calls me once a week if the lines Are not. Usy it Mark said. But he adds a they re usually ringing off the j
