European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 31, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 a a the stars and stripes thursday january 31, 1991. Media Pool nay medic. Climice Conne purple heart Winner charges medevac delay in Eastern saudi Arabia a a . Navy medic who won the first purple heart in tile War with Iraq says lie Lay in pain in the desert for about three hours before a medical helicopter took him to a Hospital. Clerence Conner recovering from a shrapnel wound in the right shoulder said the military a system of medical evacuations needs Ini pro vement. A a i hey done to really have the medevac system worked out a said the-21-year-old medical corps Man from Hemet Calif. A they done to have a lot of the bugs worked out. It Felt Good to get the helicopter in  Conner w As w Ith a Marine unit near the kuwaiti Border the night hostilities  said he was sleeping near ail observation Tower when the unit was hit by enemy artillery. A piece of shrapnel Tore a wound 3 inches deep in his shoulder. He said lie received first Aid but Lay on the. Ground for 21 e to 31/ hours before the helicopter took vim to a Hospital. A they had to keep giving. Me morphine a while lie waited Conner Saidt a ii Ulm. Richard a. Mayo commander of the Navy a Fleet Hospital 5, said lie was unaware of delays in evacuating wounded. Mayo said he expelled Conner to be returned to Active duty when his wound was healed. Conner said he is proud of his role in the War and had a bragged Quot to his Girlfriend that he would win a purple heart. She said a Don t get yourself Hurt a according to Conner a lie said lie expects to be hospitalized about six More weeks. The shrapnel is in a specimen Jar beside Connery a Hospital bed. He said he plans to Drill a Hole in it and Quot make a  War a sobering experience for . Troops in Gulf by Lee Siegel a science writer los Angeles a because of saudi arabians islamic austerity the persian Gulf conflict Likely will be the most drug free War Ever fought by . Troops an expert said. A a a a a a its like one giant alcoholics Anonymous meeting with Only Large amounts of tobacco and Coffee readily available a said Ronald k. Siegel a psych pharmacologist at the University of California los Angeles school of Medicine. A alcohol is prohibited in saudi Arabia where most american soldiers Are based. A stimulant called khat and local forms of tobacco called Jurak and Shammah hold Little Appeal for the troops. . Forces Lack Access to opiates and hashish shipped through Iraq from neighbouring countries Siegel said tuesday. American soldiers a Are just not going to be directly around any trafficking area a although the Chance they May get hashish and such opiates As heroin and morphine will increase if the War drags on said Siegel author of the 1989 Book  a this May be one of the most drug free wars our soldiers Ever fought a he said. A it will be the first major War in which american troops remain  the main theme of Siegel s Book is that humans have a Basic drive to intoxicate themselves much As they crave food water and sex. A a that a Why our troops in other countries have always picked up what drugs were  he said. A Fortuna Tely there Isnit a lot in the persian Gulf War theater to pick  some civil War veterans became addicted to morphine used As a painkiller for the wounded. During world War ii methamphetamine or a a Speed was Given to troops to keep them Alert Siegel said. In Vietnam Many soldiers developed marijuana dependencies and heroin addictions. Allied forces trying to oust Iraq from Kuwait a probably will not carry local drug problems Back to their countries a Siegel said. Siegel has studied khat also known As Al at a Plant grown in Yemen. Millions of people in the Middle East and Africa Chew fresh khat leaves for energizing and euphoric effects. He said addicts sometimes become manic and hyperactive. Khat caused High blood pressure stomach problems and addiction among British troops in Arabia during the 1920s, Siegel said. Its cultivation and use is now illegal in saudi Arabia and most users Are in the Southern part of the country far from . Troops he said. The same is True of illegal Shammah a mixture of powdered tobacco Ash Carbonate of Lime and other additives. Siegel said Shammah is linked to High rates of Mouth cancers As is other chewed tobacco. There is somewhat broader Access to Jurak a tobacco paste mixed with bananas or other fruit he said. However the paste which is smoked in a Large water pipe known As a Shesha does not Appeal to Western tastes he said. It is not illegal but its use is discouraged he a said. Quot. A a a a a. A a. V.,/ v. Respite gives 1st army div More time to adjust to desert by the stars and stripes with the 1st army div saudi Arabia Vii corps commanders were pleased this week to be told that preparations for a ground offensive were slowing. The decreased Pace gives the Germany based troops More time to train for desert fighting. A this is a whole new world for them a said it. Col Michael Leahy commander of a battalion of m109 howitzers a a it a going to take time in   a mane vering Armor across=4and is not the same As moving it across a German Meadow. Plus the sheer scope of the offensive if and when it comes w ill create Nev challenges. In Germany the soldiers have room to  As a battalion. Here brigade sized units will go into action. Quot a we thought mane vering the Armor would be like turning a battleship. Its More like turning a Fleet of battleships a said col. James Riley whose 3rd inf div is attached to the 1st army div As its first brigade. On monday commanders ordered a two Day halt to Nigist operations across the entire 1st army div to provide soldiers time to Bathe repair their vehicles and rest alter what for Many was a harried 10 Days since the Wai . A a / a. a. A v a a a a a a Vii corps did not receive its final pieces of head Armor until last weekend making the extra time even More important. E sonic elements of the Vii corps have been Quick to it adjust to the new environment. The corps was credited with a hit after firing a new Type of missile for the firs time in combat. The advanced tactical missile system a tacos i designed to explode above the ground spraying hundreds of grenade like bomb lets Over an area larger thai a football Field. It has a Range of 120 Miles. For Security reasons no information about monday target was released. A i he Long Range missile is expected to be used again key iraqi strategic targets. Officers said the unveiling o the weapon could signal the beginning of a new phase ii the . Attack As the air Force starts to shift its sight to iraqi troop concentrations. Information for this article was gathered by Pentagon Pool reports Gate ered on the scene in saudi Arabia a. Q u a i i to of b u 11 it res i Sta it vests sold to military being questioned body Armor denied that any vests sold to the City of Houston were substandard. He also said that vests sold to the Houston police department were not the same As the fragmentation and Bullet resistant vests sold to the military. The military Type vests Cost from $400 to $700 each he said. In june 1988, american body Armor delivered 2,140 vests to the Houston police department at a Cost of $196 each. More than 1,900 of the vests were issued to officers. After delivery of the vests City officials Learned that ballistic tests conducted by a National Institute of jus Tice certified lab in Maryland showed that four of four randomly selected vests of the Type purchased by the Houston police department failed to meet the institutes standards. Houston up a some troops in the persian Gulf War May be wearing body Armor manufactured by the same company that is being sued by the Houston police department for allegedly providing substandard Bullet resistant vests. American body Armor and equipment inc. Announced recently that it had sold More than $3 million in protective body Armor for use by Allied forces in operation desert storm a City of Houston lawsuit claims that the company sold the police department bulletproof vests that failed to meet standards set by the National Institute of Justice the Agency that establishes non binding standards for body Armor. In an interview published in wednesday s Houston cd Hornikle Steve Giordanella. President of american