European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 28, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pages a a a the stars and stripes monday january 28, 1991 flying Gas by Malcolm Vav. Browne the new York times in saudi Arabia a Fleet of flying Gas stations Over Northern saudi Arabia is pumping millions of Gallons of fuel each Day into Allied warplanes on their Way to and from their targets. At the air base from which the planes Fly the line of air Force Kc-135 Aerial refuelling aircraft stretches As far As the Eye can see even when Many Are in the air. Since Allied aircraft Fly missions Over Kuwait and Iraq Day and night the airborne tankers must be continuously in the air to refuel them. During a flight to the Border area Friday Cloud cover obscured iraqi territory where Tanker pilots Are often Able to see burning targets. But the volume of air traffic waiting to take on fuel suggested that heavy raids Ovet Iraq were in full swing. The Kc-135s refuel combat planes by extending Tail booms which Are clamped into fuel ports of aircraft flying Only about 30 feet below. An operator in the Tail of the Tanker uses a Joystick and other controls to operate fins on the Boom guiding it into the filling port of the receiving aircraft. As the Tanker planes take up stations High above the iraqi Border area they Fly in wide circles at various altitudes waiting for customers. Each Kc-135 can carry about 120,000 pounds of Jet fuel enough to fill the internal tanks of 10 twin engine f-15 fighters or More of the smaller single engine planes. In a Mission lasting about three hours a Kc-135 commanded by capt. Dan Soltys 30, of grand rapids mich., filled the fuel tanks of four saudi arabian f-15s that had been patrolling iraqi skies. The iraqi air Force has mostly remained on the ground but its tactics could change exposing Allied aircraft to fighter opposition. Iraqi fighters could endanger the tankers if they could penetrate the of powerful Aerial shield provided by Allied High tors. But Soltys and his Crew a it. Dan Polohar 28 of Saltsburg pa., the Copilot it. Michael Grimes 28, of Ryegate vt., the navigator and airman 1st class John David Harston or 20, of Orlando fla., the refuelling Boom operator a Are not unduly worried.  we be had no trouble from iraqi air in the Gulf or a a v v a Quot a a it f a f a a a s f t it it Quot it j 4 it / a saudi f-15 loaded with bombs and missiles is refuelled in flight Over saudi Arabia by an air Force Kc-135 Tanker. Craft a Polohar said a but we get a Little jumpy on the ground when the scud missiles Are coming  often flying two missions a Day each lasting four to five hours Tanker Crews said they have had trouble sleeping partly because of their irregular hours and partly because of the scud attacks which have done Little damage in saudi Arabia but Are a cause of widespread anxiety. Quot in a suffering from an affliction called the Why go to sleep when a scud might hit syndrome a Polohar said. The Kc-135 tankers modified Boeing 707s that began rolling Oil the production lines in 1957, Are older than the Crew members who Fly them. But Crews of the 1703rd air refuelling Wing consider the plane Safe reliable and Ideal for the role it plays. .  a i m suffering from an affliction called the Why go to sleep when a scud might hit syndrome Kc-135 co Pilot it. Dan Poluti marines who died named by Dod by the stars and stripes the Pentagon sunday released the names of the three marines killed saturday in an Accident while returning from an artillery Mission. The Diu were listed us pee. Michael a. Noline 20, a Phoenix Lance Cpl. Arthur o. Garza 20, of Kingsville Texas and staff sgt. Michael r. Conner 32, from Fremont Calif. The three marines were killed and seven were injured when two Light armoured vehicles collided while returning from taking part in the saturday morning barrage on an iraqi position inside Kuwait the spokesman said. Four of the injured marines were evacuated with serious injuries and three were treated at the battalion Aid station for minor injuries. The spokesman did not know where the evacuated men were taken for treatment. Further details of the Accident were not released. The largest artillery barrage of the 10-Day-old persian Gulf War began about 1 . Saturday by an artillery task Force with the 1st Marine div. A battalion sized Force with 155nun howitzers and other equipment fired on suspected iraqi positions about six Miles inside Kuwait near the a shaped Border with saudi Arabia. Moreover an iraqi vehicle was destroyed in a firefight along the Border but no . Casual lies were reported in that engagement. Front line Load master s glad Beans bullets flights Over Fly Dave so had Middle East Bureau Eastern saudi arabian senior airman Brad Graves says lie s a Ngung How about his Job especially now that he finally gets to do it. When the transport plane Load master arrived in saudi Arabia in Iii August be expected to begin his wartime Mission of dropping paratroopers and flying combat slip plies to warring front line units. Amp instead the airman with the 317th tac Airlift Wing from Pope Aeb . Found himself flying tons of fonts food and supplies to units scattered throughout. The  i ended up hauling Beans and bullets a Graves said.  done to get me wrong. I lulling Beans bullets and tents is important but it s not the same thing As wartime resupply.�?�. However when the .-led coalition attacked Iraq on Jan. 17, Graves c-130 unit switched gears and began airlifting equipment to troops preparing for War. Still the months he spent hauling the routine cargo were not w without rewards he said. Quot a a i enjoyed hauling mail More than anything else a said Graves a Las vegas native. A email is the most in. Portent thing to people Over Here and it made me feel pretty Good to give it to  the peacetime runs have also allowed Graves to rack up flying hours.  a a a since i got Here in be flown 435 hours a Graves said after consulting his Logbook.  that a about a years when we drop the Back door and i see the people waiting for the ammunition and other things we carry i know we re giving them what they need and it makes me feel Good a senior airman Brad Graves Worth of flying under Normal  Graves workday usually starts Early with a bus ride to the flight line where he and fellow Crew members Check out their aircraft and receive a Mission briefing. 4hen the Crew starts an 18-hour shift that will include about 10 hours in the air a following a mandatory 12 hours of Crew rest a interrupted by scud missile alerts a the pattern Star again.  a he finds personal rewards in the hard work. When we drop the Back door and i see the Peop a jailing for the ammunition and other things we Carr know we re giving them what they need and it Nikul me feel Good a he said. A