European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 02, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 6 a a a the stars and Stripe saturday february 2,1991 in the gulf7just taking a Detour through iraq7 by Vince Crawley Middle East Bureau thai Iran saudi Arabia a the Battle for Kuwait May be an epic one but it will be fought by Ordinary men who want to Lead Ordinary lives. �?o1 told my Mother its a Little like being a Mechanic who trains live years to learn How to fix a car a said staff sgt. Steven Smith a tank crewman from Columbus Ohio. A it s time to fix the Smith with the 1st inf dive it out of foot Riley kan., said he and his fellow crewmen Are ready. A a we be made our peace with our people before we ame a lit said. A my it wife knows there is a change i wont tic we Quot left the port in saudi Atabia Inge s made the last five months of my life miserable. Now it s his turn spec. Joh Flague fear he said a is a healthy thing. It is not healthy when Guys run around and say a yeah we can kill them a we can take care of these and they Are not aware that your buddy might get killed or you might get these paratroopers have constant reminders of the risks they face. The 2nd brigade is so. Far North that lookouts can see the Glare of iraqi windshields across the Border. When Allied aircraft took out an iraqi chemical it was too late to worry about being waxed. It was time to do the things that make sure you done to get some soldiers talk about fighting to liberate Kuwait Andjulo Ting an end to Saddam Hussein a menace. Many say the reason they re ready to fight is so they can go Home. A most of us Are so sick and tired of sitting in the desert that War seems like our Only route of escape a said Marine Lance Chi. Jimmy Brown 20, of Kings . A if we go in now we can probably finish with Saddam and be Back Home by his timetable May be off but again and again service members say that finally they re going Home. A a we re shr Steve Brown 23, from Kent Ohio lies with the 82nd airborne div and was having scrambled eggs on the Hood of his humvee before driving paratroopers in the -82nd said they have personal scores to Settle with Saddam a a lies a made the last five months of my life miserable. Now its his turn a said spec. John Hague 29, of Oakland Calif. Yet a commander from the 82nd�?Ts 2nd brigade said he wants his men to be a bit fearful. A we Tell them that if you feel apprehensive or afraid and not sure of Why you Are Here join the club Quot said col. Ron Rokosz 45, of Chicago. Weapons Plant Poison Gas wafted across the Border tripping alarms and sending men scrambling for their masks. Sgt. Mitchell Louviere 25, of new Iberia la., is with the 101st airborne div an air assault outfit. He tries to control the fear by focusing on his family. Uso t by to think about wha h h ave waiting b ack Home for me. People say hey re Gung to about getting a combat Patch. That does no to mean a thing to me. I be got my weapon and in be got my Gas mask. But my letters and pictures Are what keep me pfc. Nathan Cartwright of Jonesboro Arkis one of the Marine combat engineers who might be one of the first sent in to breach iraqi defences. These first wave units Are being told to plan for 10 percent casualties. A the offensive is just something we be got to do a said Cartwright 28. A i just Hope like hell we can get out of Here alive and go \ this article was compiled from interviews by Pentagon combat Pool reporters on the scene with the . Forces a a t v. A a a a a a inv we it a it a is is ,. A a a a a. A a a a a a a a in a a. R stress of fighting making its Mark on combatants minds by Peggy Davidson Kaiserslautern Bureau Lan Stuhl Germany a with air and ground units fighting in the persian Gulf soldiers bearing the unseen mental wounds of War have begun to need care. Three patients suffering from Battle fatigue have been treated at 7th medical come facilities since operation desert storm began Jan. 17, said Barbara Slifer a command spokeswoman. Two of the patients were soldiers and the third was a civilian. Army regulations prohibit such patients from being interviewed Slifer said adding that the seclusion is intended to reduce stress and hasten their recovery. Based on recent wars As Many As every three or four casualties of the War is expected to be psychiatric. Experts in military psychiatry said the kind of War being anticipated in the persian Gulf offers advantages and disadvantages psychiatric casualties tend to be fewer in a intense Forward moving w ars but it is More difficult to treat casualties dose to their units which is the preferred method of treatment. A it. Col. Or h. Frank Edwards chief of psychology services at Lan Stuhl army regional medical Center said Battle fatigue is a a Normal reaction to an _ \ of put a per scan in an environment where you re being shot at and most of us Are going to get a Little upset a eth mls said. Thinking of friends apr Ca v an american Marine pauses during the Battle for Khanji after hearing Ovca the radio that his comrades in a reconnaissance patrol were pinned Down by iraqi fire. Combat fatigue is the most common acute psychiatric problem. Soldiers Hgt conic anxious exhausted and Are easily startled. Some have difficulty eating and drinking and air unable to sleep or concentrate. They May become excessively fearful and emotionally numb. A Edw Ards said the Best Way to treat the soldiers is to take them a out of that threat situation for a Short period of time to let them regroup to let them regain a stress level below that breaking the soldiers Are then sent Back to wherever they were assigned Edwards said. The quicker this can be accomplished the better. Military psychiatrists and psychologists agree that combat fatigue is Best treated close to the front or near the soldiers unit. A it is said that if you can treat the person close to their unit and return them within three to 10 Days the chances that they will go on to develop More serious disorders Are reduced by 50 percent a said Alfonso Batres a psychologist with the . Department of veterans affairs. J Only the most severe cases such As potential suicides Are evacuated out of the combat area said a Central air. Force come spokesman in saudi Arabia. While they Are being treated soldiers Are Given a quiet place to rest people to talk to and the Promise of an Early return to their unit. Because of the treatment Edwards said service members a go Back stronger. Its like when you re welding and there id. Is Strong or than the original Metal. That a what we be done. That a Why we can return a Large percentage to the soldiers who Arentt sent. Back face the possibility of never recovering from feelings of failure he said a if they done to go Back Many times they live the rest of their lives with was a Coward. I take it everybody else they never forgive themselves a Edwards said. The More serious psychiatric disorders that can be expected to develop in the War Range from Long term anxiety and depression to substance abuse and Post traumatic stress disorder a condition that became widely known after the Vietnam War Post traumatic stress disorder which can also occur in victims of other types of trauma such As rape often involves recurrent thoughts or dreams of the painful event. Or it can entail a deliberate avoidance of thoughts that might evoke memories of the experience therapists describe sufferers As being in a chronic state of emotional arousal. The also have Many symptoms of Battle fatigue. They May be hype vigilant easily startled unable to sleep and quickly moved to anger. Contributing to this report the los Angeles times
