European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 08, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 6 a a a the stars and stripes Friday february 8,1991 tests Lead army to reject use of skin Cream. By the Washington Post Washington the army has decided against giving . Troops stationed in the persian Gulf an experimental chemical warfare drug after new tests suggested it posed potentially life threatening hazards and might be less effective than originally thought. No Servic members were Given the drug Multi shield a skin Cream that initial tests sugg9sted would protect them from the blistering effects of Mustard Gas the army contracted for 1 million bottles last fall at a Cost of $3 million and about 200,000 bottles were shipped to an army depot. But the army killed further shipments after discovering problems in the manufacturing process so critical that the military essentially was receiving a different product from the one it had ordered. The army said it will destroy the 200,000 bottles it has acquired and recover any that May have been shipped to the Gulf. A we terminated the contract for Multi shield because of composition and purity problems a said Chuck Dasey a spokesman for the army medical research und development come at fort Detrick my. He said that when the manufacturer inter pro inc. Of Haverhill mass., started to produce a Large amount a the composition of the product changed in a Way that it Wasny to what had been successfully tested the drug was to be carried by soldiers in Small plastic bottles. In the event of chemical attack it was to be rubbed on their necks or wrists places where Gas masks gloves or chemical suits might not offer 100 percent Protection. Batches of Multi shield initially tested by the army last fall passed safety and effectiveness hurdles. However More recent animal studies of the Cream As it came off the production line raised serious questions from food Atud drug administration and defense depart mint officials. A Side effects included irritation and some skin edema. In some cases the edema was so severe that officials feared soldiers would be overwhelmed by itching or pain and forced to rip off Gas masks in an attempt to relieve the symptoms. This could be a potentially fatal act in a chemical warfare environment two government sources said. �?o1 can go As far As to say the matter is being reviewed by the department of defense Insp amp for general and Fra officials a a defense official said. One source said inter pro a family owned firm had to hire a subcontractor to help it fulfil the order. A spokesman for inter pro declined comment. The firm has received a a show cause order from the Pentagon which a source described As the first Legal step in terminating a contract. A War in the Gulf i a Marine checks bombs on the Wing of an a-6 attack bomber at an air base in Eastern saudi Arabia. Media poo Marine compares night flying to fishing with your line out by the stars and stripes with . Air forces saudi Arabia Allied pilots say their aircraft fill the night sky Over Iraq and Kuwait trolling for targets. A a it a very similar to if you re fishing with your line out and hoping to find something a said it. Col. William j. Horne commander of Marine All weather attack so 224, which flies a-6 attack bombers. Also moving about at night Are a-10 thunderbolts an unusual role for a plane designed for close air support for ground troops. A when the Wing commander asked us four or five months ago to Fly at night it was a response to the need to fight a 24-hour a Day War a said it. Col. Rick Mcdow commander of the 355th tac fighter so. The a-10�?Ts nighttime fighting capability is More a result of the pilots ability than the air planet a technology Mcdow said. Except for infrared viewing through Maverick missiles the a-10 has no particular night viewing capability he said. Capt. Terry Featherston 29, of Joliet 111., said that Only one out of 10 missions for the a-10 pilots involves close air support for ground troops. When the ground War starts in Earnest he said that ratio will probably reverse. A until then the plane known As the warthog will continue to attack iraqi convoys that try to move under the cover of darkness. The a loss nighttime targets include scud launchers anti aircraft artillery surface to air missile Sites Supply Points and radar plus every tank and armoured vehicle they find. Featherston said it is difficult to find fresh targets because the landscape of Iraq and Kuwait is so littered with the debris from other attacks. In the first week of the War he said he could expend his entire Load of weapons in a single pass. Now he might make six or seven passes before he can find enough targets. This a Ricl was compiled by Ron Jansen Middle East Bureau from information Gathard by Banugon Pool is porters on tha Alana in saudi Arabia a a a a. A combat by Dave Schad Middle East Bureau an air base in Eastern saudi Arabia a when it comes to combat photography air Force master sgt. Glenn a a sky King is in the pilots seat. Or pretty darn close King and the two other enlisted men in his photo team get to Fly in f-15s, hoping for dogfights missile hits or other forms of air War drama. There a none of that a watch the Cross hairs see the bomb hit stuff that a so popular at the Media briefings. Instead these Guys bring Back images that they say show the a a human element of this War. A your footage shows the Pilot a King said. A you can hear his voice and feel the emotion. We re capturing the human Side of the air the three photographers work out of a Small flight line office on a base in Eastern saudi Arabia. They Are assigned to det 3, seek shot at operating location Alpha and remain on constant standby. They Fly in the rear of two seat f-15 eagles. The sorties last More than four hours As the pilots wait to mix it up with an iraqi air Force that Seldom appears. Detachment chief King said there Are 15 Small combat camera teams operating in the theater. His is the Only one documenting fighter combat missions. King 38, from Auburn n.y., said All photo teams shoot video and still photos for historical purposes provide material for High level briefings and Supply hard to get images to the Media. None of his Crew was a stranger to Aerial photography when the War started. Each is on flight status and has earned air Crew wings. The three have a total of 1,800 hours of flight time in practically every aircraft in the air Force. A a however the Prospect of flying in combat was Quot new to them said tech. Sgt. David a Wolf Man a Mcleod. A every time you go up even in peacetime you know its a dangerous business and that you could get Hurt a said Mcleod 35, from Winfield Kan. A going into a War you have two chains of thought. You re excited about getting to do your Job in combat a its what separates combat cameramen from the Guys who just run around with cameras around their necks. A on the other Side is the anxieties. You think about the combat cameramen who be been killed doing this and you wonder if there a something you should be told your the cameramen talk about the a pucker factors that comes with flying into combat. Mcleod recalled that on his first Mission his f-15 was warned that an enemy aircraft Wasny to far away. It turned out to be nothing but he remembers the feeling that came Over him. A for a moment i Felt fear a he said. A then i picked up my cameras and just concentrated on doing my staff sgt. Dave a a Kiwi Vande Brake 30, from Atlanta said that when an alarm in his f-15 went off indicating that a surface to air missile radar had locked in on the Jet he reacted much the same Way As Mcleod. A a a i just maintained my concentration and asked the Pilot to Tell me which Side of the plane he would fire a missile from if it became necessary a Vande Brake said. A i have total Faith in those planes and the pilots a i know they re the All three photographers talk about shooting a the the one picture or piece of video that will show a missile slamming into its target. But King said another payoff is knowing their images will become part of history. A. A we know the stuff we shoot will probably be even More valuable in the future than it is right now a he said
