European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 20, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday november 20,1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 3 onto a rail car. A amps Dave Didio Margaret Wolfe a Driver with the 1st combat equipment co in Mannheim Germany Waits on a Gulf bound m1a1 tank for the order to drive i warehouse Crews keep meals on fast track by Crystal Laureano staff writer Mannheim Germany a army warehouse workers Are continuing to pack up and ship out m1a1 Abrams tanks making the trek from european storage to the Sands of saudi Arabia. At Mannheim a Spinelli Barracks workers have been putting in overtime to get the 63-ton machines loaded onto rail cars and headed North to the port of Bremerhaven. The tanks will then travel by fast cargo ship to a port in Eastern saudi Arabia. A a that a the Mission a Foreman Uwe Hansen said monday of the Long hours being worked by the 1st combat equipment co at Spinelli. A they the workers done to  Hansen a company is one of 15 units operating 17 Sites where vehicles Are maintained and stored in humidity controlled warehouses. Dubbed Pom us or pre positioned Materiel configured to unit sets the storage system was developed to provide equipment for  units to rapidly reinforce troops in Europe. Annual reformer exercises have been the workers main occupation until this year when units being deactivated in Europe began turning in equipment. And then came desert shield. In addition to Rushing top of the line meals to the persian Gulf Region the equipment companies have also been handing out gear for european units deploying South. Essentially the equipment group is sending a to Nesses and Tosies of just about everything to fill in the equipment gaps of deploying units said maj. Tomm Nunn the maintenance chief for the group. Vehicles in the storage facilities Are on a cyclical maintenance schedule which keeps them in Good condition workers said. Before moving out each vehicle is fitted with batteries a sue for the m1a1 a and filled with Gas and thoroughly inspected. The m1a1 inspection takes about eight hours per tank Hansen said. Vehicles Are also supplied with Basic Issue items such As first Aid kits and warning triangles. And in the Case of the tanks machine guns Are put inside and the hatches sealed. A you feel proud when you Issue something that you know is combat ready a said Hansen a 22-year employee at the 1st combat equipment co. A so the extra time you work is Worth  in his 22 years with the combat equipment group Europe Bernard Franz has seen Many changes. But the ones he talks about Arentt political. The supervisor of the 12 warehouses at Spinelli Barracks marvels at How things have changed. A we were Only in quonset huts. I saw this whole place built a he said motioning to the humidity controlled warehouses. Hansen recalls having a a junk in the warehouses when he began working in 1968. A now everything is in outstanding condition. And we make sure that when it goes out it is combat  sees unit off As it begins trip to Gulf by Joseph Owen Stuttgart Bureau Bobingen Germany a few unit deployments to operation desert shield will dispatch their equipment under scrutiny like that endured monday by the 4th in 159th aviation regt. As soldiers turned turnbuckles checked chock blocks and piled pallets the commander of the . European a it my Gen. John r. Galvin strolled along a Busy rail platform. Tolli a Lucu Xii of in an us aug o i a a Galvin said while behind him soldiers secured no in be hides to flatbed rail cars headed for a seaport the location of which is classified. The ?dress?8 reporters in a sputtering drizzle one of last rainstorms the battalion will see for several in u said he chose the units that Are deploy a to the hot arid persian Gulf area. I m responsible for the United states units Here in rape that Are going. But obviously All these com Enders had something to do with it in terms of making ?.mendati�ns to Roe As to which units were most Fly which units had the proper capabilities. A and of course we had a lot of other considerations to take into account a Galvin said including the continuing nato Mission and military Community balance As two such considerations. He said the United states decided to Send units based in Europe to saudi Arabia a because its Halfway there  Galvin who also serves As supreme commander of nato forces in Europe talked about child care problems and other obstacles facing families left behind in Europe. A every one of these cases is an individual Case and we re handling it that Way a he said. A but most of us have been Over Here for years. I brought up my kids Over Here i know what they re up against. A there will be a lot of heart in All of this and a lot of Effort to make sure that it goes right for All the families a Galvin said. A we can to have a Soldier that a going that a Overly worried about what a happening to his family. He a got to know what a happening to them. So we re going to take care of  asked whether the United states is soliciting help from Germany to maintain the military facilities partially vacated by Gulf bound Vii corps units Galvin said Germany already is providing help. A they Are very forthcoming with it in a very wholehearted Way they have assisted us just As they re doing right Here. They be Given us top priority on the railroads to move this  Many battalion soldiers seemed to be in a Jovial mood monday. A i want to go to saudi Arabia. I love hot weather. Whatever the Guys name is a Saddam a i want to get him a staff sgt. Randy Johnson bellowed with mock bravado strutting for a television cameraman. Johnson 30, Fayetteville n.c., a non commissioned officer in charge of Petroleum oils and lubricants for the battalions he co said the battalion took five Days to pack its equipment and transport it to the Railhead. A a it a going smooth for the Short notice. Everybody a working As a team in the battalion a he said. A we see something falling Short and everybody just jumps in to make it  he said he does no to expect to be Able to spend a lot of time with his wife Cecilia 10-year-old daughter Miranda and 5-year-old son Cecil before departing for saudi Arabia. A but we be had a lot of peacetime and we be had All that time to spend with our families a Johnson said. A now its time to go out and perform our