European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 31, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 a a a the stars and stripes thursday january 31,1991 at a glance an egyptian enters a refugee Camp. Khan Jim a wartime history the saudi arabian Oil town of Khanji has been the scene of periodic skirmishes since the Start of the persian Gulf War. A a Page 3 \ americans drug free War because of saudi Arabia s islamic austerity the persian Gulf conflict Likely will be the most drug free War Ever fought by . Troops. A Page 4 a remove Saddam sentiment about three put of five americans believe the United states should continue fighting to remove Saddam Hussein even if Iraq pulls out of Kuwait a new poll shows. A Page 5 sea of trouble Abu Gaib surveyed the nearly empty fish Market in a Gulf coast town where seafood has been bartered for centuries and said the Day s offering was the worst head Ever seen. A Page 6 Rains wont stall ground War air Force weathermen say the late january Rains Are the worst in. Years but not bad enough to stall a ground War. A Page 7 in come the foxes a the German government has donated 60 state of the Art nuclear biological and chemical reconnaissance vehicles to . Forces for operation desert storm. A Page 8 images of War photographs help depict the life of american troops As they go about preparing for and getting away from the War. A stripes Magazine War in the Golf j weight restriction eased on letters from Gulf area by Joseph Owen Middle East Bureau Riyadh saudi Arabia a military postal officials have raised the permitted weight limit of a letter leaving the operation desert storm theater from 11 to 16 ounces. A the change took effect sunday said air Force maj. Michael h. Whittaker theater postal operations manager. The old limits imposed when the War against Iraq began Jan. 17, stemmed from Federal aviation administration rules that required larger parcels to be screened for bombs combat zone military Post offices done to have the Means to do such screening which prompted the ban on Large parcels. A the Rule relaxation which lifts the size requirement that letters fit in sorting machines Means postal customers can mail video and audio cassette tapes. Originally troops in the theater were permitted to Send Home packages up to 70 pounds each at no charge. Military Post offices in the Middle East also May resume shipment of packages to the United states soon said Whittaker who also commands the 4401st air postal so. A a we re working now with the saudi government to obtain Large a Ray machines and we re also working with the military police canine Section to be Able to screen the mail a he said. A a we be got three or four different locations where w end like to put the machines.�?�. Bomb sniffing dogs Are More efficient than a Ray machines he said. Postal workers using the machines must break Down a pallet to inspect each package one at a time adding an hours work per pallet. A dog can inspect an entire pallet at once. But the dogs Are not always available Whittaker said because canine a burned in Accident medical personnel at a Navy Fleet Hospital in Eastern saudi Arabia treat an american Serviceman. The Man whose identity was not released was burned by scalding water during an Accident on tuesday. Skin shortage critical red Cross says Chicago at a human skin is As essential As donated blood to doctors try ing to save wounded and burned soldiers especially with iraqis threat to use chemical weapons according to the american. Red Cross. Special teams nationwide Are harvesting skin from cadavers to be stored to treat soldiers injured in the War in4he persian Gult. Red Cross spokeswoman Elizabeth Hall said in. Washington. Although blood supplies Are sufficient a there is a National shortage of skin a Hall said. A a we re collecting skin for the military to be sent to military hospitals in the United states a she said. A a it a also a Public education Campaign. We want to educate physicians and other medical personnel to make the Effort to ask families about possible Organ donation w Hen a member Dies. A the Public should know about it so they can Volunteer on their own a Hall said. She explained that people can vol Minteer by signing Organ donor cards. The skin of about 90 percent of All people who die is suitable but Only about 1 percent donate. Hall said. The average cadaver yields about 41 Square feet of skin said Ricky Roth of the regional Organ Bank of Illinois. Patients with second degree or third degree Burns Over about 50 percent of the body would need about 5 Square feet of donor skin he said. A if the Burns Are less than that the patient often can provide their own skin grafts Quot said Roth. Skin grafts can be used to treat conv in tonal Burns and those caused by chemicals. A a skin is really a temporary Burn dressing crucial to treating Burn victims Quot said tools of military facilities have higher priority. Only Active duty troops and activated reservists May Send letters free to the United states he said. Civilians must pay the Normal . Domestic postal rates. Whittaker said military Post offices in saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the theater handled 4 million to 5 million pounds of y inbound mail in August. That monthly total grew to 22 million pounds by december. A a a a depending on the outcome of the War postal operations in the. . Central come area May become even larger Whittaker said the military postal service Agency has approved his request to Reserve four military zip codes for use by . Forces after they move into Kuwait. A a it a part of Good postal planning a he said. A we  want a unit to get that far North and us not be Able to support them a Medio Pool or. Lawrence Gottlieb a plastic surgeon with the University of Chicago hospitals. A the burned skin needs to be replaced w Ith something and the donor ski can be used like a dressing to  in.�?�. He said skin harvested from cadavers can be stored under refrigeration for up to a month and Frozen for even longer. Hospitals and Organ Banks cooperate in gathering skin from cadavers but usually just keep Pace with current needs. The red Cross maintains a Small Reserve for emergencies. With the outbreak of War its 42 tissue services operations nationwide Are increasing their efforts. The red Cross is contacting hospitals and Organ Banks training More personnel in skin donation and working to educate the Public Hall said. Its developing a contract with the military specifying the amount of skin needed and w Here to Send it she added