European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 18, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 12 the stars and stripes Friday january 18, 1991war in the Gulf medical facilities prepare 1 conflict s outbreak draws mixed feelings from troops to receive Gulf victims from staff and wire reports Lan Stuhl Germany a the Lan Stuhl  regional medical Center has closed it emergency room and other outpatient clinics in anticipation of receiving injured Servic members from the persian Gulf officials said thursday. A the emergency room does not exist anymore a said Marie Shaw Public affairs spokeswoman for the Center. Other outpatient clinics that have been closed Are the Newborn Nursery neonatal unit and labor and delivery unit. The units Are being converted into a Burn facility with up to 50 Beds. Soldiers in the Community can receive out patient care at the Kleber Cavern clinic in Kaiserslautern. Family members will be seen at the to Gelwich clinic across from the Vogel Weh officers club. The Vogel Weh clinic is expanding its Sery ices to include 24-hour acute care. Family members and service members can get emergency care through local German hospitals Shaw said. Information on using the civilian health and medical program of the uniformed services champs is available at the Vogel Weh clinic. The Ramstein a clinic is providing Samc Day acute care appointments from 6 . To 4 . Monday through Friday. Soldiers and their families who normally receive medical care at the clinics in , Baum older and Munchweiler can Contin be to do so Shaw said. Appointments May be made at the Vogel Weh clinic by calling ets 489-6143 or 7439 or civilian 0631-536-6143 or 7439 and at Kleber Cavern by calling ets 483-8464 or civilian 0631-4118464. For More information on the medical Center Call ets 486-7181 or 8144 or civilian 06371-867,181.24-hour phones set up for troops relatives Washington a the defense department has established 24-hour Telephone numbers in the states for relatives of service members to obtain general information concerning casualties in the persian Gulf War. It is Long standing. Military practice to provide personal notification to the next of Kin of those killed or wounded and the Pentagon stressed that the numbers were for in a a formation of a general nature. To expedite requests for information about individuals the Pentagon said callers should be Able to provide the Correct spelling of the service members last name and other pertinent information such As rank social Security number and military unit. A Mere Are the numbers by service  general information 1 -703-614-0739. Air Force general information 1-800-2539276 a a. \ a a \ _ Navy immediate family members 1-800-255. 3808,&Quot a a v a Quot Quot a a a Navy general information 1-800-732-1206. Marine corps immediate family members 1800-523-2694. Coast. Guard immediate family members 1800-283-8724 a Crews give ing Mission by the stars and stripes Eastern saudi Arabia air raid sirens wailed and some soldiers broke into tears As news spread that operation desert shield had become a desert storm. A some people cried some people stayed pretty quiet and some people were fired up a i know i was a said 1st it. Tess Whitmer a Kentucky reservist assigned to the 313th my det. A i think nearly everyone was glad that it had started. The sooner it starts the sooner we get to go  sitting in the Kitchen of their living quarters Whitmer and about 15 other members of the 60-person detachment listened to the radio As president Bush addressed the nation four hours aft the attack began. It Wias silent in the cluttered room and the soldiers stared at the radio when the president began his speech. When the president talked of bringing . Forces Home As soon As possible Heads nodded and several soldiers said Quot yeah a drawing out the word. V it. Col. Bob Boesch commands the detachment which will handle the records and property of enemy prisoners. Boesch a  Veteran said his first thoughts upon hearing the War had started was of a speedy return Home to West Virginia. Another Vietnam Veteran maj. Terry Tallman responding to. The presidents talk said a a let a win this and go  first planes took off about 12 50 . Thursday from the largest  air base in saudi Arabia said col. Ray Davies the bases chief maintenance officer. A a it a absolutely awesome. I mean the ground Shook and you Felt it a Davies said. A we have been waiting nearly five months. Now we finally got to do what we were sent Here to  after the first wave took off air Crews walked in pairs across the Concrete to their waiting planes which were fully armed and ready to go. A a it a like the Dallas cowboys football team a Davies said. A they weren t a really emotional team. They just got the Job done when  Back in their heyday. A a that a exactly what its like with these pilots out Here. They done to have to get into the a Rah Rah of psych ing themselves up. They know exactly what the targets  the Mission Quot and they just have to. Execute it. Its pretty much  at another base More than a dozen air Force f-4gs, the wild weasels armed to Knock out iraqi air Joe finses zoomed into the moonless night at 1 26 . An hour later dozens of bomb Laden Fa-18 Hornet attack jets accompanied by prowler jamming and intruder fighter bomber aircraft soared off lighting the moonless night with their afterburners As they headed a North. A a. A a a a a. A. A. A they Budman hit Mem hard a a commander shouted toward the cockpit of a weasel turning toward the run a. Way. A a a a a a a As the first wave of warplanes headed into the night Marine and air Force people at this secret base scrambled into bunkers wrestling with chemical masks and helmets As missile alerts were  planes and pilots a rousing Send off on their bomb against Iraq Early thursday morning. For nearly an hour 30 Fa-18 fighters with Marine pilots at the controls Rose into the sky in perfect weather for nighttime flying a Light Clouds no Moon and a few stars. A a a a a. _ a. Two american flags kept under wraps until now to prevent offending the Host nation were put up wednesday afternoon some of the pilots saluted them As they moved out. In Riyadh police cars roamed the streets broadcasting emergency alerts Over loudspeakers. The . Embassy in the capital advised americans to stay at Home or at work and not to stray outside a until the situation  commercial air traffic was halted to Clear the skies for the attacking warplanes. Some roads were blockaded the embassy said. . And. British military spokesmen had no immediate comment on the Success of the attack. Abdul Aziz Al ayob an undersecretary for the kuwaiti communication ministry in exile in Riyadh said he was Happy that the attack had occurred in the Early morning hours just like iraqis aug. 2 invasion of his country. Aat 3 25 ., air raid sirens sounded in most cities in the Eastern province. Almost immediately the Power went out in the Dhahran hotel housing the military s joint information Bureau and people were ushered to the basement  alerts were staged in Riyadh with journalists and other residents huddling in a cafe in the basement of the City Shyatt Regency hotel. In islamic Fash Iori men were separated from women arid children in the shelters which had mattresses spread on the floors. By Dawn an uneasy Calm had settled Over the Eastern province. Morning prayers were broadcast Over loudspeakers As usual about 5 20 . In Dhahran i. A a a contributing to Thi report Ata of writer Ron Jensen Vince Crawley Dave Schad and Joseph Owen a nato orders Allied naval Force to guard by Dall Tarrant Brussels Bureau Brussels Belgium nato ambassadors reacted to War in the persian Gulf on thursday by ordering an Allied naval Force Back to the Eastern Mediterranean to protect sea lanes. Nato and shape officials said the Alliance also decided to Send a multinational Force of minesweepers to the Central Mediterranean. The Craft will be transferred from the English Channel. The decisions followed an emergency meeting of the ambassadors of the to member Alliance. 1 he meeting began at 3 30 . Thursday just hours alter the outbreak of w a in the Gulf. The nato allies warned Iraq that an attack on Turkey which Borders Iraq would be considered an attack against the entire 16-nation Alliance. The allies expressed full support for the .-led multinational Force and also reaffirmed their Quot Solidarity and support for the enforcement of the United nations Security Council resolutions by those forces that Are engaged in the  Illiam h. Taft in the . Ambassador to nato briefed his colleagues at the special meeting explaining that the Quot goal of these operations is not the destruction of e u p a i to n o r d i s m e m b e r m e n t of Iraq it is the liberation of  Taft also said the action was consistent with the . Security Council mandate and came Only after president Bush had exhausted All diplomatic options. Quot Iraq Quot Taft said Quot can still avoid further destruction by unconditional immediate and Complete withdrawal from  until now nato has largely kept out of the Gulf crisis because the Alliance treaty prohibits operations Quot out. Of area a or beyond the territorial Waters of its members. The multinational naval Force in the Eastern Mediterranean will conduct training and surveillance a the Mediterranean sea Quot with the purpose of improving the operational Standard and monitoring the Freedom of navigation and Safe passage a according to a nato statement. Quot the Force called the naval on Call Force Mediterranean consists of Ehy it vessels from the ., British German italian Spanish portuguese greek and turkish  last year nato complied with a . Request and sent the same Force to the Eastern Mediterranean. The five and three anti submarine vessels patrolled the area for three months then withdrew to their National ports for maintenance. The Allied minesweepers going to the Central Mediterranean come from the standing naval Force Channel which normally consists of ships from belgian a Germany the Netherlands and Britain. Their Mission according to a statement will be Quot to protect the safety o shipping and Freedom of navigation in Thi vital