European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 3, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 m a a a the stars and stripes wednesday october 3,1990 a crisis in the Gulf Battery braces for desert strategy by Vince Crawley staff writer with the 101st airborne div saudi Arabia a capt. Jim Waring thinks of himself As expendable. As an artillery company commander his Job in combat is to arrive by helicopter five to 15 minutes ahead of his troops making sure the Landing zone is Clear and if necessary using himself As a diversion. A rather than destroy six aircraft with howitzers a Waring said a a it a better to lose one aircraft and a few people. That a the  _ if a desert War starts the fighting wont be done with just tanks and aircraft. Armies need the infantry to hold onto ground and infantrymen need artillery to hold Back the enemy. That a where Waring comes in. The Fairfax va., commands Btry a of the 3rd in 320th Field arty regt. The Battery a Job is to help Back up an infantry brigade of the 101st airborne div. The division based at fort Campbell Kyd a is actually an air assault outfit. Its tactics made famous in Vietnam Call for hundreds of helicopters to shuttle the divisions troops in and out of the Battle in scant moments. Waring s Battery a can get in and get rounds Down Range in eight minutes Quot he said Basing his estimates on the last time his six gun company was tested. The division Standard is 10 minutes by Day 13 at night. Once on the ground Waring said his 105mm howitzers can fire three rounds during the first minute. Alter that the barrel gets so hot he s supposed to keep his firing rate Down to one per minute. A a that a what the Book says a Waring said. But in conflict a you fire Mem As fast As you can Load Mem keep track of the rounds fired and change the barrels a Little  artillery by itself Isnit much Good against tanks though a direct hit could certainly destroy any Armor in the iraqi inventory. In the saudi desert a Tanker can actually see to the end of the seven mile Range of his Cannon. Still scoring a direct hit on a tank would be like i it ,. T. _ a amps vines Craw Isy Amman ikc.1�?os.�? camouflage netting around his Field howitzer in the blazing saudi arabian desert he s with the 101st airborne dives 3rd in 320th Field arty regt. Shrapnel would Fly out about 250 Yards he said. He also has White phosphorous rounds for setting fuel and ammunition depots on fire. Waring said that hitching a ride on helicopters will be especially Welcome in the desert since he does no to want to stay in one spot for very Long. A because its wide open a he said a we would shoot and  the artillery Battery can be hauled around by either Chinook cargo helicopters or the smaller Black Hawks  that have replaced the Vietnam Era Huey As the they re caught in a pounding firestorm of hot steel. Army a flying workhorses. One 3,300-Pound Cannon can Battlefield casualties in world War ii were be Slung under either helicopter with the five member Crew and ammunition Riding inside the chopper. The Chinook could also carry a humvee for use in towing around the howitzer but if Waring were to Fly in on a Black Hawk head have to stay put. Trying to shoot a spider with an m-16 Rifle at 300 meters. Possible but Tricky. Against people however artillery is a different Story. War recollections Are full of the horror men feel when caused by artillery and mortar fire and Many veterans of shelling say they be panicked when a civilian noise triggers a memory of the a screaming  Waring knows the Power of his Arsenal. A the bursting radius on a 105mm round is 50 meters a he said. A that Means if you re within 50 meters you re probably going to die if you re dismounted infantry. Fifty meters equals about 55 Yards. Band could also prove an enemy Waring a equipment has been in the country Only a few Days and last week was the first time he had a Chance to deploy most of his Battery to the desert. He Hasni to had a Chance to fire the guns yet and he a already hearing stories that he might run to some snags. Artillerymen from the 82nd airborne div for example reportedly have had trouble with their guns shifting in the Sand each time they fire. That could mean a lot of time lost while the men keep adjusting their aim. Cannons done to just sit on the ground. One of newtons Laws of physics talks about a reaction for every action. So big guns Are staked Down like tents to keep them from bouncing backward while shooting. Waring said that he normally uses 3-foot stakes but that the army also makes 4-foot stakes for use in the Snow and ice of the Arctic. He a hoping those will help solve the firing backlash in the Sand. For now Waring is More concerned about his wheeled vehicles getting stuck in the Sand. So in lieu of firing missions his troops have been Given a simple routine to follow a get off the Road get stuck practice recovery a he said. Gulf briefs5 gis who were injured in copter crash evacuated saudi Arabia a amps a five 101st airborne div air assault soldiers injured in the crash of their uh-60 Black Hawk helicopter late saturday have been evacuated from saudi Arabia Central come officials said tuesday. The soldiers assigned to the 2nd so 17th Cav regt were injured when their helicopter crashed about 9 . During a night training flight. Their names Are being withheld until relatives Are notified the officials said. No other details were  Arabia to double military size Jane s says London apr saudi Arabia is to double its armed forces to 120,000 troops Jane a defense weekly reported monday. The defense Magazine published in London quoted unidentified sources inside and outside saudi Arabia. A analysts say at least three divisions would be needed to protect the Border with Iraq and another division for the Tabuk Region. One division would be required in the South near the Border with Yemen Jane a said. The Magazine said saudi Arabia would Call up Reserve forces if the increase could not be achieved with recruits. Jane a said the government would provide incentives to attract Grad a Tes to the military. Gis family members adopt military police unit in Gulf Mannheim Germany a amps a operation Send encouragement is coordinating a confrontation with operation desert shield that will include men women and children. Soldiers and family members of the 42nd my group m Europe Are adopting the 16th my brigade from fort Bragg n.c., to show support for their fellow policemen assigned to saudi Arabia. A a we re trying to adopt a unit and build morale through letters of encouragement a said Debbie Powell one of the groups organizers. A at the same time it builds morale Here too. When you take time to think about other Peoples problems it makes you feel a Little bit better to help them and it takes your mind off prob Lenis Here. The goal is for soldiers spouses and children who Are affiliated with the 42nd my group to Send letters to their counterparts. Powell said she Hopes they can establish one on one relationships so that soldiers will write fellow soldiers and children will correspond with children in North Carolina whose parents Are in saudi Arabia. Powell who is the wife of the 42nd my commander talked with the commanders wife at fort Bragg and said her counterpart was very encouraged and extremely pleased with the idea. In addition to letters Powell said they Are checking into the possibility of sending books radios games and other items requested by sol q16is� she said the interest in the project has been terrific since the idea originated within the unit about three weeks ago. Their first correspondence was a scroll sent to saudi Arabia after being signed by military police soldiers attending the my anniversary Ball. The same evening approximately $400 was collected and sent to the family food locker at fort Bragg. Artist displaying big bang up about Saddam he a in n a Titran a i. _ r rapids Mich. Up a motorists along 1-196 just West of grand rapids Are confronted with a startling sight these Days a a huge billboard depicting iraqi president Saddam Hussein. On either Side of Saddam a familiar face Are the words a crude  and just to make sure the Pun is Clear thick Black liquid that looks like Oil seems to drip from the word a crude a the billboard is the latest work of Mark Heckman a 27-year-old grand rapids artist. Fater this week with television Crews in Tow Heckman will have the Saddam poster removed and Laid on the ground. Then flying overhead in a helicopter hell drop balloons filled with red White and Blue paint on us Pic Jse he then plans to re Post the besmirched billboard for All to see Heckman a former mathematics major and Amateur said his favorite medium is the billboard. A a you can speak to the masses Quot he said. Millions of people get to see what i do. And that appeals