European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 22, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Crisis in the Gulf related stories and photo pages 2 and 3 the  authorized unofficial publication Fob the . Armed forces vol. 49, no. 252 saturday december 22, 1990 Dot by mgt a sunday d 8693 a like War s coming to Gulf Cheney tells troops s is Eastern saudi Arabia a defense see rotary Dick Cheney told . Troops Friday it is increasingly Likely War will be needed to oust Saddam Hussein army from Kuwait and that Quot absolute total Victory ii the Only option if War Breaks out. Quot it increasingly looks like he a not getting the message and Well have to use Force a Cheney said in a Pep talk to troops in the Northeast saudi desert. Quot the Only acceptable outcome if hostilities begin is absolute total Victory a Cheney continued. Gen. Colin Powell who was visiting the troops with Cheney said he still hoped for a peaceful Resolution of the persian Gulf crisis. But the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff Drew roars of applause when he vowed Quot when we launch it we will launch it violently. We will launch it in a Way that will make it decisive so we can get it Over As quickly As possible and there a no question who won.�?�. Cheney and Powell fresh from three Days of strategy sessions with Field commanders in saudi Arabia were somewhat evasive when asked by troops whether american ground forces would be ready to fight by the Jan. 15 deadline that Saddam has been Given to voluntarily withdraw from Kuwait. Those questions were raised this past week by army it. Gen Calvin . Waller Deputy commander of . Gulf forces who said wednesday that arriving ground troops might not be combat ready until Well into february. Asked by an airman How Long the United states would wait to attack if the deadline passed without an iraqi withdrawal Cheney said Quot while i can to Tell you a specific Date for obvious reasons when that would happen i can say that we Are eager to get this wrapped up As quickly As  Cheney added that . Military officials do not think Quot waiting indefinitely is going to solve the  in Washington Bush a National Security adviser Brent scowcroft said Friday that the Jan. 15 deadline for iraqis withdrawal from Kuwait Quot is not an attack Day for american forces in the persian Gulf instead he said Quot what it tells Saddam Hussein is that after the 15th a head better get moving now a after the 15th of january he is at  this past week military analysts said that if United states attacks Iraq the assault could begin with a massive air strike a followed by a Short pause to give Saddam a Chance to surrender. That scenario gained credence wednesday when . Military officials conceded that some vital american see War on Back Page v a. A v of brr a Otherl a John Terry braces against wind cold Zero temperatures leave no doubt that and Snow in downtown Denver As below Winter has arrived. Story on Page 4. Get a True test in passage by Ken Crauson Middle East Bureau Eastern saudi Arabia a if the persian Gulf crisis turns into a War Arab front line units in saudi Arabia Are expected to spill first blood then fade sout a a i to w ing b e 11 Erc q u Ippe d . Units to surge North into the fray. Such an operation called a Quot passage of lines a can be a Challenge in the relative Calm of a Man Euver area but in a Battlefield obscured by smoke dust arid darkness a passage of lines can become a deadly gridlock of hundreds of vehicles to move in a directions . Com Mander say compounding the problem in saudi Arabia Are a Lack of command and control among multinational units from 15 countries the associated language barriers and the fact that some military equipment including tanks and armoured personnel carriers Are common to both Friendly and enemy forces. Quot passage Omines in the daytime with people who speak your own language is a Tough Mission a said col. Douglas Starr see skills in Back Page delays of 2-3 weeks by Crystal uti of it no and Chuck Vinci staff writers delivery times for All types of mail from the United states to Many military Post offices in Europe Are running about two to three weeks longer than usual an air Force spokeswoman said Friday the Normal fir Chi is mail Deli Quot time of seven Das from . Post Luces to major  centers is now 21 to 28 Days said m y Paula Kougeas a contributing reason for the delays is 3 massive increase in inbound Holiday mail. The Frankert Aerial mail terminal has proc de about a million More pounds of Mih this Holiday season than in past years Kougeas said the terminal processed a record 3.945 Mill Ion pounds of mail from nov. 3 to dec. 7. The terminal sorts inbound mail for ground transportation to army mail centers and air Force bases in Germany Fiek Gium Luxembourg and the Netherlands the requirements of operation desert shield have put a Strain on ground transportation but knickers did make 80 additional runs in november compared with the number of Nins made last november. Of Fie i als Cann of poin t to s be e if c Ca uses for the mail increase. But they speculate that increased mail ordering spurred by poor currency Exchange rates and increased gift giving by relatives in the s to t e s May be contributing a c Tor s. Although the terminal has been flooded with mail Kougeas noted that the increased volume is not the Only cause of see mail on Back Page