European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 3, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Monday december 3, 1990 the stars and stripes no a a a crisis in the gulling for water by Randy Pruitt staff writer somewhere in saudi Arabia a sgt. Steven Johnston a rough calloused hands baby the dirty noisy contraption that keeps him up most nights. Johnston and nine other soldiers play nursemaid to a Mobile truck mounted drilling Rig that is cutting it it Teeth under the desert Sand. Its not Oil these americans Are after. They re searching for water that might be used to Supply a base Camp in wartime a if. We hit Oil we re not going to be Happy at ally joked sgt. James Bellamy. He and Johnston Are with the 865th water drilling det 20th engr in from fort Bragg . These roughnecks Are the water Wildcat ters of the desert working round the clock to strike their first Well in saudi Arabia. A a we re fishing in the desert a said Bellamy supervisor of the Well site. A for the size of the area there Are a lot of a the whole idea is to hit potable water a Johnston five Man Crews work 12-hour shifts preparing to bore As deep As 1,300 feet into the sometimes Sandy sometimes Rocky soil. Two other drilling Crews from the 22nd and 38th Waterwall detachments also Are in the country Quot there a plenty of water in saudi Arabia. Just getting it that s the problem a said Bellamy Whir has operated rigs for the army in the United states Honduras Jordan and Somaliland. A the team is trying to tap the same aquifer used for saudi Wells. The water would be used for drinking bathing cooking and Road construction. It would also ease the logistics of transporting water to troops. A once you Start drilling you can t Stop a said Johnston who runs the night Crew. He a found water for the army in Honduras Egypt and the United states. Using geological surveys Johnston said there a Little likelihood of hitting potable water in desert land before 900 feet. _ finding water May take three weeks the men said. Until then by both sunlight and Moonlight. Ten soldiers Gas masks strapped to their legs rifles at hand fussing Over their Derrick in the desert. A a a a is amp Sikon Qoon army specs Michael Deponte and Scott Davis keep an Eye on the drilling Rig. They Are with the 865th water drilling det 20th engr in from fort Bragg ,programs by Luke Britt a staff writer Aschaffenbur Germany a when Alvin b6ny celebrates Christmas in the Sand of saudi Arabia the curtain at a Schaffenburg a soldiers theater wont open. B6rry is the Aschaffenbur military Community dance instructor and theater choreographer. He also is a private first class motor vehicle operator with the 3rd army div and one of 200,000 troops being added to . Forces in the persian Gulf. J b4ny was organizing three Holiday programs for the Aschaffenbur theater when his unit was ordered on nov. 9 to prepare for deployment. A we bad to cancel our Christmas production and two programs in january a bin said alot of work a lookalike it was for nothing a a full children a production of a the Nutcracker was planned for dec. 22-24, and dance recitals by youth and adult dance students were scheduled for the first week of the new year by Ray said. About 40 people were participating in the programs v a we traditionally put on a production of a the Nutcracker a said Charles Dougwillo the theater manager. A but without an instructor we can to do Dougwillo Hopes a replacement is found in time to Salvage some of the schedule the deployment came As a Surprise even to some leaders of the 3rd army div b4rry said since operation desert shield began the word in Aschaffenbur was that the division probably would not go he said Barry said a when i went to Ray unit that afternoon the order to prepare to deploy came a Community spokesman said barrys unit was a last minute replacement for a 1st army div unit that is unable to deploy because it is involved in extensive raining on new equipment Barry has been teaching dance at soldiers theater since he arrived in Germany in the fall of l989. Before enlisting in april of that year he danced professionally and was a student at the Columbia College of modern dance in Chicago he stages and choreographs most plays and musicals produced by the Aschaffenbur Community and trains most of the dancers to think the children Are the ones who will Hurt the most from this a Beriy said. A adults can understand the reasons Why this happened but the children just know desert shield Means instructor Alvin b6rry, shown with six Young dancers won t put on his Aschaffenbur shows they be been learning to dance for months and the first time they have a Chance to perform they can to some Aschaffenbur parents done to understand Why one private cannot be left behind to Complete a Christmas musical b4rry said a petition asking that his deployment be postponed has been circulating a but i done to see much Hope it will happen a he said a the army sees this As its most important Mission right now. But Aschaffenbur will not be empty. There will still be some troops and tots of families Here during driving ammo trucks and Bradley fighting vehicles if a War begins a sure ill be shot at like everyone else a being in the line of fire in the Middle of the desert was not what fhe 22-year-old North Carolina native had in mind when he entered the military. A i understand my duty a he said a but had planned on serving Only one tour and then using my at Bill to Complete my dance education a
