European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 21, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 b the stars and stripes thursday february 21, 1991war in the Gulf a hot item jordanian Drivers on tuesday display part of an Allied missile at the Ruwe shed crossing on the iraqi jordanian Border. Missile parts Are a hot item for auctions in Amman where Money is collected to Aid the iraqis. Medics make preparations for ground War casualties by the stars and stripes Northern saudi Arabia like everyone else in. The desert the people of the 12th evacuation Hospital from Wiesbaden Germany Are making last minute preparations for ground War. Doctors Are Clearing the Beds of less urgent cases and warning the staff of the grim possibilities ahead. A of had to have a sit Down with my folks to warn them that things Arentt always pleasant a said it. Col. Virgil East the Hospital s Deputy commander for administration who is a Vietnam Veteran. A you have to be truthful with  the unit has 600 Beds six operating rooms and a Large emergency room. All afe in Large billowing tents. A thin wooden front door is painted with a Camel and a sign that asks a can you say major trauma  in the past few Days we be dropped our census from 60 to 80 patients in the Hospital to 20 to 30,�?� said it col. James a Tarzell the Deputy commander for clinical services. \ doctors expect a different pattern to Battlefield injuries than in past wars. Bullet wound casualties could be relatively minor Ami pared with the multiple fragment wounds and Burny expected from the clash of tanks and artillery. A in general we fuck pet a High incidence of Burns severe Burns and when you get Burns in an enclosed space you also expect pulmonary injury from breathing in superheated gases and noxious chemicals  Tarzell said. A \ ����.�. A a tanks can be hazardous even when they Are not hit he noted. A a it a very common to encounter a Driver with his head outside the Hatch and the Guy will rotate the Turret and it will get him in the head a he said. A for the Guy will be standing up and have the vehicle hit a Trench and his face will slam  wedding rings also pose a Hazard for tankers. A since we be been Here we be had three or four Finger removals and another three or four fractures from people wearing their wedding rings  Tarzell said the rings get caught on vehicle hatches or other Metal parts he said. At another Forward Hospital the 13th med evacuation unit medics last weekend treated gunshot casualties a Young Soldier accidentally shot himself in the thigh while cleaning his weapon. He was seriously injured when the Bullet hit the femoral Fain artery. A second Soldier was less seriously Hurt by the same slug. It was valuable practice for the Hospital. The helicopter carrying the seriously wounded Soldier arrived at 7 56 . At 8 56, he was on the operating table. Besides the fragmentation wounds of Armor warfare the Hospital staffs must be prepared for chemical injuries. For. The doctors the threat of contaminating the Hospital is As great As the risk of the agents to the combatants. A you have to make sure that contaminated patients do not get inside the Hospital a said a Tarzell 44, of thousand Oaks Calif. East said that during the Iran Iraq War a numerous patients totally contaminated hospitals. One patient can contaminate a Hospital if that patient has Mustard Gas and it is not  but East also said that physicians in the Iran Iraq War became adept at treating chemical injuries. A they did no to panic a he said. A i think we have to be tested. You have to go through it a time or two before All the fear of the agent disappears a he said. This article was complied by George Manes stripes Middle East by. Reau from information gathered by Pentagon Media Pool reporters tankers found unique Way to stay warm dry ? by Frank Britni. Detroit free press Northern saudi Arabia out in the desert soldiers take Comfort wherever they can find it  . A. Spec. Shane Batten 21, found it inside a body bag. T hats where the Tanker from Washougal Wash., slept for two weeks using the thick Nylon As an extra Waterproof Shell Over his sleeping bag. Two of the other three men in his m1a1 tank Crew also zipped themselves into the Forest Green death shrouds every night. They drifted off to sleep knowing that if rain fell they a stay dry. If the wind kicked up they a keep warm. Only spec. Jerry Keymon slumbered without one. He just  handle the thought. A a body bags Are meant for people who done to get up Quot said the 20-year-old from Brown county ind. Then he smiled and said with a deep laugh a i was raised that you Don t get into no body bag unless you re  this is not a Story about a strange trend the four in this Crew say Only 15 to 20 men in their troop part of 3rd so 3rd army Cav ref Ever used the body bags. Rather its an illustration of the Way was raised that you Don t get into no body bag unless you re dead a spec. Jerry Keymon men who have lived five months in the desert and have spent most nights stretched out atop1 the hard cold steel of their tank will lose certain inhibitions make certain accommodations. But All lost the use of the bags a few Days ago. The first sergeant took them away. Tie never really explained w by they said he just  was a bad idea. A ,. A  the tank Crew got the idea just Over two weeks ago when they were driving through the desert and came upon a Bunch of mortar Nien sleeping on cots., it was raining and the men had scrunched their sleeping bags inside another kind of bag this one Green and shiny with a Zipper up the Middle and six strap handles along the length of it. The extra bags obviously were keeping the men dry and had been for about a week. A i said a where did you get those a and a give me some  said sgt. Bobby Martin the tank commander. A a in a never seen one before. After i heard it was a body bag i said a wait a  it was a weird . Martin did no to get one just then but Batten and the gunner did going to a platoon Supply area to fetch the bags. They started using them right away. That night it rained. Since Keymon As tank Driver sleeps inside the machine Marin was the Only one to Wake up wet. A Walter that i saw the Light you could say a mar tin said. He too got a body bag. The flags Are Roomy enough. That sleeping bags easily fit inside. They not Only kept inhabitants warm and dry but also kept sleeping bags1 from being coated each night with the deserts Chalky Dusty Sand which quickly turns them from Olive Green to speckled beige. A a in five months we be Only gotten to Wash our sleeping bags once a Martin said. A How would you like to Wash your sheets Only once every five months a Bruni is with a Pentagon Media Pool on the scene in saudi  Cross sending water purifier to Baghdad Geneva. Switzerland a amps a the International red Cross is sending a water purification system to Baghdad to help replace the City a bombed out water lines a spokeswoman said wednesday. A shortage of water fuel and electricity has caused drastic sanitation prob Lens within the City Quot said Yette Sorensen the press attache at the Organ to tron a Headquarters in Gene a. Residents of Baghdad Are using in purified River water and there is a fear that a typhus epidemic could break out Sorensen said. The purification system which will be delivered this week will turn out 800,1 1 0 one liter plastic bags of water a Dav she said. It will be the fourth Relief Convoy that the International red Cross has sent across the Iran Iraq Border since Jan. 31. Previous convoys contained Medicine and medical equipment Sorensen said. Quot next week the red Cross will follow up the water purification system with deliver of 500,000 wafer tanks that will be set up in various areas of the City a she said. The deliveries have been carried out with the cooperation of Iraq Iran and the Allied forces it the War Region she said. A the medical supplies and  have been flow n from Europe to Tehran then trucked to the Iraq Border where they Are put aboard iraqi red cresent vehicles for. Movement to Baghdad a she said. Quot the allies then allow Safe passage of the convoys which Are marked with red Cross and red cresent  the red Cross has not yet received permission to visit pos in Iraq but Sorensen is hopeful that Shyeh visits will be arranged soon. The red Cross also is wants to Send teams to other iraqi cities in the Comina weeks