European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 05, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 6 a a a the stars and stripes tuesday february 5,1991 a War in the Gulf War brings modern times to saudi scene by Edward Cody the Washington Post Riyadh saudi Arabia a the number of male female couples having lunch Toge Thuv in a hotel dining room last Friday amazed a saudi observing the scene. A this would it ver have been possible before the War a he explained. Signs of change Are visible throughout the kingdom saudi soldiers patrolling Riyadh streets in jeeps mounted with .50-caliber machine guns can be seen craning their necks at a pair of British female soldiers walking along the sidewalk in camouflage trousers. In Dhahran a be Speni taxi Driver gets visibly agitated after a visit to a hotel lobby where female Western journalists arc walking around in jeans and Short sleeved shirts. A they have uncovered women in there a he told a passenger in an urgent tone. A they Are uncovered a he repeated gesturing along his face neck an cd arms. Not since the Oil Boom Days of the late 1970s has this Arch conservative Muslim country experienced such a flood of westerners and the sudden changes they Are imposing on this wealthy kingdoms traditional lifestyle. The Swift evolution began As soon As Iraq invaded Kuwait on aug. 2 and gained momentum with the Arri Val of hundreds of thousands of . And other foreign troops. It pushed More deeply into saudi society and government when coalition forces attacked Iraq on Jan. 17., transforming the peaceful desert realm into a staging area for War where scud missiles and Gas masks have become As real As Oil Wells and the Roar of c-141 transports drowns out the Muezzin Scall to prayer. By to offer a number of benefits including making ution of the Arab israeli conflict easier. A for some saudis and diplomatic observers the changes have been so vast and profound As to seem irreversible altering the saudi role in the Middle East and shifting regional politics into a new order. These analysts see the new order in which saudi interests Are More closely and openly linked to those of the West As like a. Ruso. For others however the islamic conservatism and Arab world universe on which King fahd and his Brothers have based their Rule remain the Only permanent Points of reference in the Royal court. When the War is Over and the . Troops go Home they predict saudi Arabia is Likely to close Back up at Home and revert to its Long standing foreign policy based on generous for eign Aid and financial Arm twisting in Hopes of achieving Arab a a whatever the future All agree that today a saudi Arabia is changing at a Pace so rapid As to have been Urt imaginable Only sue months ago a a to ease the transition and avoid offending saudi sensibilities the United states and its european allies have gone to great lengths to keep their troops isolated from a a saudi so pity. To a Large extent the segregation has worked. But with a half million . Troops in the Region and nearly 200,000 soldiers from other nations Points of Contact cannot be avoided. 0 islamic zealots have upbraided some female soldiers and reporters reminding them that walking in the Street with Bare arms or uncovered hair offends traditional saudis. In one such confrontation a female . Sold incr was reported to have responded with the butt of her m-16 Rifle. In general however saudi authorities and people have displayed an unprecedented tolerance since the crisis began. A perhaps nowhere is this More evident than in the flood of reporters allowed into the kingdom to cover the War. The-. Military a joint information Burea Uhas reported about 600 journalists registered to cover american forces alone a a Sharp departure from the previous saudi practice of issuing visas to Only a few reporters at a time. In addition to opening itself to foreign exposure saudi Arabia has had a rude lesson in the ways of the world from the 28 scud missile attacks launched by Iraq on saudi territory since Jan. 17. Air raid sirens and Poi son Gas alerts in Riyadh and Dhahran have reminded Many saudis that their country for All its wealth is not immune to the regions turmoil. A we were living in a dream in a Way a said a businessman. A we were thinking we had no Sultan Bazie National editor of the arabic newspaper Al Riyadh said residents of the capital in particular a had no ideas their City would be attacked. A this is something entirely new for the country a a Bazie said. A. A a a a v a. A a Abdul Aziz Fahad a Riyadh lawyer said Many families have left the City taking advantage of Winter school vacation. Some went to Jidida on the red sea where hotels Are fully booked and others found excuses to visit Distant relatives in Small towns. 30,000 women is bearing share of Load and . Curiosity by Jolln Balzar the los Angeles tin is Eastern saudi Arabia a i am Quot says Natalie Applegate a a Soldier first. And in be got to do a soldiers Job. Whatever it even at the risk of capture or death. Females. That show they Are universally known in the military in the persian Gulf theater. They 30,000, or approximately 6 percent of the troop total. By every possible measure a. And it has been measured Many times and in Many ways a these women arc shouldering their fair 6 percent share of the heavy Load except for service in combat units. And with each escalation of the War each new encounter each twist of events women endure the curiosity of their nation which has never sent so Many of them info such grave danger or expected so much from them As in operation desert storm. The listing of one female army Soldier As missing in action has renewed interest and concern about american Wom a at War. a there is no better place to satisfy this curiosity than at the army a 937th engr group. By one count the group has the greatest concentration of women of any unit in the Forward combat area two officers and 12 enlisted. A they arc not on the so called front lines because Congress passed a Law in the Early 1970s prohibiting women a direct involvement in combat. That Means no deployment in combat aircraft or in infantry and artillery units. But in this deadly age of warfare with Long distance weaponry lightning fast delivery and stealth danger acknowledges no line in the Sand. Army spec. Melissa Rathbun Nealy a 20-year-old with a transportation unit is evidence of that. Her parents in Newaygo mich., announced Friday that they were informed by the military that she was missing in action lost with a male Soldier on a desert Road in saudi Arabia near the kuwaiti Border. Initial accounts said this was the first female Mia since world War ii. A a lot of people say a Well you be out Here a but we done to need anything special a said pfc. Applegate the 937th engr groups armorer. A it makes you proud to know you re the first women up here.�?�. Women in combat zones May be a new concept to some americans but the idea of women making the 937th function is old hat. They be been at it for several years and since their arrival in the saudi desert have unloaded equipment trucks Strung concertina wire aug bunkers and sounded off going to just the same As the men. By the looks of it the Only ones to pay attention to gender at least openly Are the reporters who visit. The easy part of the women at War Story has been Well established. Females display the same determination voice the same fears pull the same duty Brave the same dangers and yes Wear the same pants As men. A reporter for a woman a Magazine raised eyebrows with her questions about the love life of females at War. The answer making the rounds is that its better than for men but perhaps Only because there Are 100 men for every six women in the military and there is no consorting he. Tween american gis and Arab women. Even so its not great. Insofar As is known there Are no women with private quarters in Forward units. Ai the 937th, female officers sleep in a co of tent with male officers partitions providing a visual shield but no real privacy. Enlisted women have their own group tent. As women Tell it the demands and dangers of War have tightly bound together Small units such As the 937th. A your company a not like a company a its More like a family a clerk Ginny Thomas said. On the cutting Edge Media Pool Louise Higgens. A British army private gives capt. Bob Scur tile a haircut at a logistics Ordo a s become the in oftring re a 11 Supply specialist with the 162nd a trim a fore Moring up to the Tak Keedah Rrvel we As for troops wanting fact she a trimmed up to 50 Heads of hair a Day. My a 800 a
