European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 28, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 b the stars and stripes thursday february 28,1991war in the Gulf a Cache of captured weapons Pool members of a Marine Light infantry unit spread out wait during the ground War this week. The weaponry and examine weapons captured from iraqis inside Kun includes rocket propelled grenades and ak47s, Gulf War continues to snarl transport of mail to Europe Ramstein a Germany a amps a mail to military postal patrons in Europe from the United states continues to be slow because of several factors related to the persian Gulf War Quot air Force postal  this week. A v   a /  the military postal service Agency advised us that we will continue to experience increased transit times bunching and out of sequence mail for at least the Short term a said col. Fred Hicklin information management director for . Air forces in Europe. . Civil Reserve air Fleet requirements have forced commercial airlines to turn Over Many wide bodied Long Range aircraft to the War Effort reducing space available on smaller planes that continue to Fly. A . Postal system restriction on package travel inside the United states is hampering the speedy move mint of mail that weighs More than 16 ounces. All mail heavier than that must travel by surface transportation inside the United states. Packages bound for Europe travel to Gateway cities by surface transportation inside the states and then wait for air transportation. A 300,000-Pound backlog of mail for Europe sat at John f. Kennedy International Airport in new York last week said Robert. A. Bents mail transportation director for the 7025th air postal so at Ramstein a. A the military Airlift come is helping ease the backlog by flying the mail overseas. Mail to the United states from Europe is travelling smoothly Bents  Kirch Gons Germany a amps a the 3rd army div commander has approved the conscientious objector application of a Soldier who waged a 16-month Battle with the army Over his status. Pfc. Francis Brown Iii said he Learned monday that Gen. Paul e. Funk had approved the application. Brown first filed for the status in november 1989, a year before his Germany based division was ordered to saudi Arabia. No action was taken because  a hold had been placed on his Legal packet by col. William Nash Browne a brigade commander. Brown 24, was sent to saudi Arabia in december but returned to Germany 10 Days later after he conferred with a staff member of the inspector general a office. A  a. \  a. A a but shortly afterwards he said he was notified that he would be returned to his infantry division in saudi Arabia. A v corps spokesman later said there were no plans at that time to Send him Back to the Middle East As a class 1ao conscientious objector Brown Sta sin the military although he objects to bearing arms or training in the use of weapons or participating in combat. A  \ /  his enlistment Date is up april 25, but that could be extended under a desert storm Stop loss provision a policy that prevents transfers or separations. Now working As an office clerk Brown said he expects his combat Job designation As a Bradley fighting vehicle crewman to be changed. See no sign do ssh dispatched  Ron Jenesik. Ultimate .1. A .1 Challenge sgt. Kenneth Walker pauses before answering the question. A a what a this the 25th? two Days will make it five months a he says a i thought id be Home by  memorial Day maybe. Walker a Patriot missile crewman with d Btry 343rd air defense arty from fort Bliss Texas knows his ticket Home is being punched a few Hundred mites North by the attacking soldiers in the ground invasion of Kuwait and Iraq. A a in a like to have a glimpse of that a says Walker 31. A that s what 1 came in to the army for. I did no to know the army had air defense artillery. I thought the army was  but he has accepted his lot As a Patriot crewman. "1 guess that a the was god had it written in my life in a supposed to be Here a he says. A if i was supposed to be there id be  where Walker is is a tent the color of the desert landscape. Twenty cots vie for space on a Canvas. Floor carpeted with a Fine Brown Sand that finds the. Cracks through even the most tightly fitted tent Flap. It is better than what could have been. Walker grew up in los Angeles. He could have joined a gang instead of the army. A you got fools dying Over gang colors a he says. A i can to see dying Over  he did no to finish High school. He had wanted to go to Junior College play some basketball and then find a University. # it did no to turn out that Way although he did finish High school in the service. A this is the ultimate Challenge right Here a he says. A was Long As in be been in the army 12 year this is it. This is what its All  Walker wont say How Many scud missives his Battery has knocked from the arabian sky mining operation desert storm. Looser lipped colleagues put the figure at nine. A one terminally crippled piece of the soviet technology lies near the Camp recovered from air Force units nearby. A i told my wife a Ete going on a Long walk and ill Tell her about it everything i did a he says. And hell Tell his children  son 6, and a stepdaughter 15. A maybe when i get Back. Ill go Down to my songs school and Tell them about it a he says. It will be a different Kevin Walker who returns to the United states a Man changed by the  a in a going to do the things i did t do in life. Go to College. Be a better husband. Be a better father a he says. A i know what i am. I know what my capabilities Are. In a going to sit up at night and think about this horrible  the Start and strip by Ron Jensen Middle East Bureau Riyadh saudi Arabia a Canadian pilots flying support missions for coalition forces say there has been no sign of the iraqi air Force since the ground Sault began sunday. A the combat air pm Tirol missions have been very uneventful a said it. Col Ralph Coleman one of39 canadians flying Cf-18s from a base in Qatar against targets in Kuwait and Iraq. The bulk of the pilots and their 24 air Craft arc from the 439th so at the Ca Nadian airbase in Baden Solingen Ger i air he said in a Telephone interview. Many Coleman said. A v-ll0ls c0tbat missions. A . During the korean War but were at All missions have been successful cached to american squadrons and flew and  reports of dam Jeriean aircraft he said. Aee to our aircraft. Coleman s and of hip the canadians arrived during the Early age to our aircraft a Coleman said of the units  said the persian Gulf War has opened a new chapter in the history of his nations air forces. A this is the first time since world War ii that the Canadian air Force has flown direct air defense and air to ground missions in combat a Days of operation desert shield the massive deployment that preceded the Gulf War. Until the conflict began their main Mission was flying combat air patrol missions above the Northern persian Gulf to protect the Allied Fleet farther South. Although pilots recorded no kills in the lonely iraqi airspace canadians were involved along with american pilots in sinking an iraqi patrol boat capable or firing exocet missiles at Allied ships. A if you want to compare it to hockey we were Given an assist a Coleman said. During the opening weeks of desert storm canadians escorted fighter bomb ers to targets and flew ahead of them to Clear a path through any air resistance which did not materialize