European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 20, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 2 the stars and Stripe wednesday february 20,1991 at a glance a Soldier practices with Bayonet. Old mixes with new although words such As laser guided rocket powered and heat seeking have become buzzwords of this High tech War the . Military has brought along plenty of old tried and tested equipment. A Page 3 All in the family an Quot any sen ice member Quot letter from a College student ended up in the hands of the writers father at an air base in saudi Arabia. A Page 4 past returns to Kent stat anti War sentiment has again found a forum at Kent state University where four students were killed and nine wounded by National guardsmen nearly 21 years ago. A a a Page 5 dancing for warriors hundreds of indians donned ceremonial costumes and danced Ait offered prayers that service members in the persian Gulf return Home Safe in a a a a a a a a \ a Quot a a a a Page 6 Reserve Issue goes to court the supreme court has agreed to decide whether employers Ever May bar their workers from serving in the military or military reserves. A a Page 10 a bit of therapy a bit of fun As their husbands and boyfriends Are off fighting the War a group of women Are gathering for what turns out to be part briefing part group therapy and part Tea party. Pages 14-15 credit help for troops All military personnel whose income has been reduced because of the crisis in the Middle East should Contact their creditors in writing. A Page 17 mine Sailor wish i was Home now by the stars and stripes a persian Gulf mine that blew a 400-Square-foot Hole in the amphibious assault ship Tripoli had Adonis old Funburg pining for family and friends. A i wish i was Home now a said the 19-year-old from Las vegas. A a in be been in the Navy six months and this is wild. I did no to expect to be going to Oldenburg a fireman apprentice and damage control worker was going on duty in the mess Hall when the Tripoli an iwo Jima class helicopter Carrier was rocked by the mine in the Northern Gulf. He reported to his Battle station near the damaged area but was driven Back by heavy fumes. However he helped Rescue two sailors who had been in their bunks near the explosion. A the two Guys had a hard time coming up a he said. A ladders were twisted a hatches we get by then the 602-foot Tripoli was dead in the water. The 16-by-25-foot Hole about 10 feet below the water line had allowed water to flood three major compartments. One Seaman said a dry storage room was destroyed by the blast. The compartment contained a Load of Gray paint and the Rush of sea water through the damaged Hull created a Gray Slick that trailed the vessel. The sailors Oldenburg rescued a were just drenched in paint and thinner and water and you name the Tripoli eventually was Able to get under Way but not before the Princeton a sophisticated Ticonderoga class guided missle Cruiser also hit a mine some 11 Miles away from the Carrier. It suffered significant damage and was returning to an unidentified port tuesday for repairs. The Princeton was believed to have hit an influence mine. Such mines Are designed to lie of the Bottom and explode when triggered by the sound water pre sure or magnetic attraction of a passing ship. a a a. There were no major injuries in either explosion. Aboard the Tripoli Michael Jurowski 25, a damage control Man from Rockford 111., was one of the first to arrive at the scene. A a was soon As it happened it threw me a Navy diver plunges into the Gulf to assess mine damage to the Tripoli. Media Pool out of the rack a Jurowski said. He and another Sailor ran Forward to the damaged area acid found that the blast had torn the Hatch right off the no. 1 pump room a i saw water rising in there and i said a we gotta Seal this thing off a a Jurowski recounted after making sure no sailors were trapped below a we just picked the Hatch up a it was blown off the hinges a put it Over the Hole. And sealed it meanwhile British and . Helicopters circled the Carrier searching for More mines. More than a half dozen possible mines were spotted and marked yith smoke for futher investigation. The Tripoli is the flagship of the . Mine countermeasures group working the Northern persian Gulf. It has a Crew of 625 and normally carries 2,000 marines. A. A a a a a. The ship is using six Mh-53 helicopters Tow sleds and teams of underwater demolition experts to find and defuse mines. It also carries four Marine cobra attack helicopters to protect the helicopter minesweepers. Despite the damage military officials said the Tripoli remains operational. Military officials in Riyadh saudi Arabia said it had not been determined positively what Type of mine the Tripoli had hit but they believed it to be a Contact explosive. Capt. David Grieve the Commodore of the min sweeping group said most Contact mines found in the Gulf Are based on a 1900 russian design and Cost less than $500 to make. They generally have an explosive potential equivalent to 220 pounds of int. A they Are extremely cheap and very effective. That a some of the reasons the min sweeping forces Are important a he said. A look at what you can tie up or deny based on a very old bit report Wae compiled by George Manee Middle East Bureau from information gathered by Pentagon Pool reporter on the scene in by Denis d. Gray v associated press northeastern saudi Arabia a they Call each other Devil dog and let out rousing barks to Boot. There a much male bonding and talk about willingness to die for the corps. The traditional self image of . Marines As lean mean and magnificent is thriving in the saudi desert. Its shadings Are More a throwback to world War ii than the last big . Conflict Vietnam. Some marines regard themselves As the Allied answer to iraqis elite Republican guard a except far better. And they assume that should a ground War begin the. First and most dangerous missions will fall to them. In Pursuit of their motto Semper fide Lis a always faithful a marines have been called Bullet stoppers human mine detectors and Gold medallists posthumously in javelin catching. But How Well the 90,000 marines in the persian Gulf live up to their impressive 215-year-Long martial record remains to be seen. Most Are untested in combat. A the first to go the last to know a a the few and the proud a a the marines take care of their own a a once a Marine always a Marine a and other adages Are used Here As unabashedly As Many in the United states sing a god bless in contrast to the unquestioning and idealized precepts heard now a alluding to earlier times a veterans recall the Marine mystique As tipped with cynicism and doubt in Vietnam. Not heard during that War were such greetings As a Good morning Devil dog a a term the germans hurled at the marines from world War i trenches. A a done to mean nothing a a Vietnam War Marine might say to mask the pain of a comrades death a sounds like a personal problem to me a ranked High in the lexicon of the offhand. A in the later stages of Vietnam when draftees filled the normally All Volunteer ranks of the corps discipline sagged. And declaring oneself a a lifer a or career Marine could draw jeers. A s a we had Good Guys in Vietnam but we have a helluva lot better ones Here a said col. James k. Van Riper a 35-year Veteran with two Tours in that conflict. Navy cmdr. John Cusack a psychiatrist with the marines in Vietnam said they Haven to changed much Over time. A time seems to stand still in the marines a Cusack said. A you go to some typical Marine town in the United states and you think you re Back in the Days of the roman legion.�?�. From the first Day of Basic training Cusack said certain Core values Are methodically instilled into every recruit. Recruits become a a band of Brothers a an exclusive fraternity open Only to those who stand up to the Manly rites of passage. And being a Marine extends beyond a retirement. A command. Sgt. Major Ronnie a. Chamberlain described the Marine corps As a family. A a it a a Way of life. You be got to love the corps 24 hours a Day 365 Days a year a he said. Letting Down ones a Abr others is a Cardinal sin
