European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 25, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 a a a the stars and stripes thursday october 25,1990crisis in the gulfs desert cools troops tempers Rise in Eastern saudi Arabia a the 24th Mech inf dives a Battle Kings Man 155mm howitzers but the Only weapons used in anger Are Fly shatters. The enemy for Many is a clock that moves too slowly. A people keep telling lies that morale is High a said spec. Chris Hernandez of san Antonio playing cards with friends who nodded assent. A a they re Only fooling themselves. Morale is  a sampling of the 200,000 soldiers and marines deployed under operation desert shield to confront Iraq suggests a classic military malaise troops with no idea of when new orders might come want to get Back to their lives. Some have been in the blistering northeastern saudi desert for More than two months preparing for a Battle that might never come. The desert weather is Cooling Down but the Sand remains fouling equipment jamming weapons and fraying tempers. But Many Are still anxious to fight. Marine sgt. Marco Rodriguez a 23-year-old aircraft Mechanic from Santa Barbara calif., left no doubt. A a in la come Home in one of two ways the big Parade or in a body bag a he said. A i prefer the former but ill take the latter.�?�. Lack of enthusiasm however seemed More common. Field commanders like it. Col. Stephen Lutz of the 3rd in 41st Field arty a the Battle Kings a scrounge videos books volleyballs and games to help their troops get by. A a we re thinking about this every Day a Lutz said of growing morale problems. A we try to provide some Relief and outlet for the  sets. Steve Coles of Pittsburgh and to Mcwhorter of Wichita Falls Texas weren to convinced by the efforts. They spent last Christmas in Panama on operation just cause. This year they figure  miss out again. A fall the goodies we done to want them a Coles said. A we Only want one thing to go Home. And that a speaking on behalf of  Mcwhorter nodded gravely. His daughter was born 17 months ago just before desert training. Then came Panama and More desert training. And then saudi Arabia. Like most others Coles and Mcwhorter acknowledged desert shield was made up of Volunteer service people. Like Many others however they said that if they weren to going to fight they had no business sitting around in the desert. Spec. Darnell Thompson of Akron Ohio said his daughter was born in Early october and the news a from the red Cross a took 10 Days to reach him. He had been due for discharge soon but emergency orders extended his stay for six months. A a we re not prisoners and  be held against our will a he said. Four soldiers playing cards broke in to condemn the Long Uncertain wait. William Curtis 22, of Kelso wash., was Bare chested against the heat revealing a troops must cover their 155mm howitzers because of Sand a frustrating aspect of Gulf deployment. Snarling Tiger tattooed on his right shoulder. On the left was a heart with the names of his three children. A fourth child is due anytime. A if my wife a going to read this Tell her i love her a he  my question is Why Are we Here a said spec. Anthony Zipperer of Ruskin Fla. A a Kuwait a such a Little country. Its not a democracy. If this Isnit for Oil Why Are we fighting a he laughed and added a i wont Tell you what i really feel. In be Only said what i can get away  another shouted a i done to see Why i should fight for constitutional rights that Are denied to  the reporter on an escorted tour had to move on before he could get an elaboration. Morale is a sensitive question. After grousing 24th div soldiers were quoted in the new York times the commanding general restricted Access to individual reporters. A one Man insulted the president a an information officer said on condition of anonymity. He referred to a remark that president Bush should come out and drink hot water with the troops to see things up close. Such remarks however were common not Only in the 24th but also among the 1st Marine expeditionary Force and elsewhere among the . Forces. Sgt. Christopher Paugh 28, a Marine aircraft Mechanic from Philadelphia wondered Why troops  have a cold Beer. Someone said . Forces had to be careful not to upset the saudis for whom alcohol is forbidden under islamic Law. Paugh retorted a they if they done to want us on their Side they can fight their own damned holy wars on their own land by themselves. Well go  senior army Field officers blame the morale problem on uncertainty. In Vietnam a tour of duty was fixed at 13 months. In Korea troops had a Calendar for marking off the Days. Operation desert shield deployed in haste after Iraq invaded Kuwait aug. 2, is undefined. Rumours Fly one year Tours or six months or 18 months or War any Day. Some soldiers fault their comrades for grousing about a Job they volunteered for with risks they agreed to take. A a it a part of the army a Lutz said. A i was away when my son was born too. No one likes that part but it is our  for the majority who grumble but do their Best to adjust Small comforts appear by the Day. Marines of the 3ilth combat support Wing based in Yuma ariz., built a weight room from scrap Wood and Iron. A poster pinned to the camouflage netting reads a body by  on a jeep outside a Driver decorated his unneeded defroster vent with a photo of his wife an american Flag and a Bart Simpson doll. For Darin Gallow 25, of Lake Charles la., playing basketball by himself with a locket photo of Darin or. Around his neck the luxury of letters from Home makes the difference. Quiet plans Are afoot for rest and recreation trips. Some men and women take two Day Breaks at a resort Camp run by Aramco the giant .-saudi Oil company. At the Battle Kings club the Small Library is limited. Among the weighty tomes of military biographies and memoirs is a Well thumbed paperback change of Pace a a Dante a  wants veto of Bill without Croton funds by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington a defense Secretary Dick Cheney will urge president Bush to veto the $8.4 billion military construction Bill for fiscal 1991 unless Congress restores funds for a new air base at Croton Italy a Pentagon spokesman said tuesday. A we feel very strongly that Croton i important to preserve a said Pentagon spokesman Pete Williams. Williams said the primary objection to the legislation is that it contains no Money for moving the 401st tac fighter Wing from Spain to the new nato base in Italy. A we believe the Southern flank of nato is very important. We think Croton is the Way to guarantee our air Force presence there a he said. Flow Ever Cheney will urge Bush to sign the $288 billion defense authorization Bill even though it contains deep cuts in the strategic defense initiative and the Mil Star satellite system. Pentagon officials also object to a provision of the Bill to set up a new base closings commission that they say will complicate efforts to shut Down unnecessary bases. But Williams quoted Cheney As calling the Bill a a pretty Good  in the military construction legislation lawmakers Cut $500 million requested by the administration As the . Share of the Croton base. The 401st tac fighter Wing must leave Torrejon a outside Madrid Spain by the end of 1992 at the direction of the Spanish government. Numerous lawmakers led by rep. Pat Schroeder d-colo., have questioned the need for the base and the Large . Contribution that would be required to build it. A the fact is that base is not necessary this year or any other year a said an aide to Schroeder who chairs the House armed services military installations subcommittee. The House has approved the construction Bill but sources said sen. Sam Nunn d-ga., the powerful chairman of the Senate armed services committee May introduce an amendment to restore funds for Croton when the Bill is debated in the Senate some time in the next few Days. Army Gen. John Galvin supreme Allied commander Europe told reporters recently that Croton would be an important regional asset for nato and the United states. A a we a have 72 first line fighter aircraft on the foot of the italian Peninsula in the Middle of the Mediterranean a Galvin said. A strategically speaking that is an enormous advantage for us if we Are concerned with stability in the  beyond the strategic value of the base itself Galvin said that cooperating in nato initiatives such As Croton is important to the United states in situations such As the current operation in the Middle East. A the reason we be been Able to do what we re doing right now in the persian Gulf is not just because we have c-141s and c-5s but because we have friends who say you can use our air space and put your tankers and aircraft Down in such places As Spain Germany and the azores he said. A you done to get that kind of help unless there a a sense that you Are committed to them a Galvin said. A we can to sit Back and provide nothing to other countries and then when we need to get involved m some military activity expect them to say a sure you can use our  that a not