European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 24, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Tacoma Wash morning new Tribune Call him the Crayon of Dhahran the doodler of dam Mam or maybe better yet Benson of Arabia. When editorial cartoonist Steve Benson heard that president Bush was Quot drawing a line in the Sand Quot to counter Iraq s invasion of Kuwait he reacted like any red blooded american satirist would a he packed his pens grabbed some sunblock and hitched a ride aboard a . Military transport plane bound for saudi Arabia where he spent several Days drawing his own lines on the front lines of operation desert shield. Benson who works for the morning news Tribune in Tacoma wash., and is nationally syndicated by Tribune Media services was the first a and so far the Only american editorial cartoonist to hit the beaches of the persian Gulf ready to prove that the Poison pen is mightier than the Poison Gas. Once on the ground Benson and some fellow journalists struck out for the local Market. Finding an authentic Arab eatery was As easy As pushing a Camel through the Eye of a Needle. American style fast food outlets were everywhere. At one Point an unmarked car pulled up alongside. The Driver in unmistakable sign language told everyone to freeze. Benson and his accomplices were under arrest of some sort. Within minutes two policemen pulled up in a Cruiser demanding to see passports and credentials. They especially wanted to examine the minarets and mosques Benson had been drawing. A crowd gathered somber and staring. No one spoke English. No one smiled. The saudis radioed for their supervisor. Then Benson remembered his Days As a struggling College student drawing quickie caricatures for tourists at six flags Over Texas. Now he Drew the policemen a mugs whipping off a look alike of the fellow in the passenger seat in a couple of minutes. The crowd started smiling. Another policeman pulled up. He asked to see the sketches and told the first two cops to let Benson and his pals go. They hurried off sticking close to Benson. Closer to the front the air was heavy with the smell of Jet fuel and the sound of War talk. Even the Gas mask on Bensons hip Wasny to very reassuring. He had received a 10-minute crash course on How to use it and was told he would have Only nine seconds to get it on if he wanted to live to draw another cartoon. Worse than Saddam a Gas however was the array of chemical weapons Benson came face to face with on the american Side go food standing for Quot gastrointestinal Quot. No wonder the soldiers looked so glum As they prepared to eat. While some of the soldiers were itching for a fight Benson found that a lot More were just Plain itching. Sand As Fine As Talcum powder managed to seep into every Nook and cranny of their boots clothes and equipment. Combine saudi Sand with saudi Sun and it took a pretty dry sense of humor to Deal with the danger of dehydrating in the dunes. Surviving the hostile environment and an equally formidable enemy next door in Kuwait May have seemed easy to the . Military Public affairs officers whose duty it was to keep their Eye on another perceived enemy a the press. Journalists trying to Contact local military units for the folks Back Home were met with three Standard answers a Quot we be never heard of this a Quot this unit is in a classified a Quot fill out this form Well get Back to Lucky for the intrepid cartoonist though he was allowed to scamper where others were forbidden to tread. As one Pao told him Quot you done task questions. You just Benson was soon befriended by an army colonel who escorted him around areas closed to everyone else letting him crawl up into an f-15 cockpit As fighter planes blasted by him on either Side. His sojourn with the troops in the desert finally Over Benson returned Home emptied the Sand from his sneakers refilled his Ink bottle and talked of his next big adventure a getting into Iraq to cartoon the Bozo of Baghdad. F this time his wife Drew a line in the Sand. She said no. The stars and stripes a a a Page 17
