European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 7, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday March 7, 1991 the stars and stripes in the Gulf b Page 5 a kuwaiti Oil Fields spew nightmares in Kuwait a greater Bur Gan Oil Fields a like flames from hell hundreds of Orange fireballs leap from burning Oil Wells into a desert to so filled with Black Poison that Day is As dark As night. Kuwait has become an environmental Nightmare with tons of toxins spewing into the air daily and a huge Oil Slick slap Ping against its persian Gulf coastline. The iraqi sabotage that caused the twin disasters also devastated Kuwait s Economy so completely that Fife emirate says it lacks the Money to clean up the pollution that will leave scars for years to come. A the magnitude of the problem is beyond the capacity of Kuwait administratively technically and financially a a said Musab Aly Aseen the Kuwait Oil  superintendent of Oil reservoirs at the greater Burgan Oil Fields 25 Miles South of Kuwait City. A it s a total  nowhere is the disaster More dramatic than in greater Burgan one of the worlds largest Oil Fields. The iraqi occupiers used explosives to set afire almost All of the 654 Wells on feb 22, two Days before  launched a ground War to liberate Kuwait Aly Aseen said. Driving toward the infernos the color of the sky darkens As if controlled by a Light dimmer Knob going from deep Blue to Ashen Gray to Midnight Black within the space of Miles. Because no sunlight has been reaching the desert floor the temperature in greater Burgan at midday monday was in the Low 40s, about 25 degrees cooler than in nearby Kuwait  of fire shoot hundreds of feet into the air roaring like Jet fighter planes and releasing acrid Black smoke that covers the entire sky blocking out the Sun even at High noon. From one Small Rise More than 80 fires although is noontime the sky around Kuwait City is darkened by thick smog from burning Oil Wells As a ii makes its Way Back to saudi Arabia. A amps by Wayne Bogasse a. Marine Convoy Are visible. Soot Falls like Black snowflakes adding a dark coat to the desert Sand. Pools of leaking Oil form fiery lakes of thick sludge. A this is the Way the end of the world will look a one journalist said. Nationwide about 800 of Kuwait s 950 Oil Wells Are on fire and it will take billions of dollars and at least 500 Days before they can be extinguished Aly Aseen said. A a a a a a a. A a a a a a a a a a a a a one Oil Well fire is a disaster. What kind of word would you use to describe this a said Ali Al Laban i superintendent of budgets with the state owned Kuwait Oil co. A the effect on the Ozone the ecology the Marine life is massive. We Arentt even breathing air Here we re just breathing smog Quot Al Laban i said several american companies and a Canadian firm had been called in to put out the fires but none had arrived As of monday. In an attempt to inflict maximum damage the iraqis blew up the Wells while they were turned on full throttle. With All the damaged Wells in that position the 126 million Gallons of Oil they could be pumping each Day Are being turned into smog Aly Aseen said. Some of the burning Wells in Western Kuwait have a relatively High concentration of Hydrogen sulfite a highly toxic Gas he said. However few people live in the area and no problems Nave been reported. In the Waters of the persian Gulf up to 84 million Gallons of Oil some of it released by the iraqis from a kuwaiti Oil terminal have been partially contained but not clean Cuip. The spill already has killed thousands of Birds and other Marine life and is damaging the fragile coastal ecology Western environmental groups have begun washing off Oil soaked Birds but major cleanup efforts have been slowed by the War and Kuwait a preoccupation with More urgent needs such As food and water. A a a. A a a a a  a a a a. A a \. The Gulf Oil Slick dwarfs the 11-million-gallon Exxon Valdez spill two years ago in Alaska and no one has yet put up the Money to pay for the cleanup operation. In the stars and stripes Welcome Home 10yearsago March 7,1981 a president Reagan said that he is making permanent his temporary freeze on hiring Federal workers a it is time to put Washington on a  Reagon vowed to reduce non defense per sonnet by nearly 33,000 this fiscal year and another 63,000 next year. -20 years ago March 7,1971 a a mandatory course in race relations was ordered for All service members generals As Well As privates a As part of a Pentagon drive to ease racial friction in the armed services.30 year Sago March 7,1961 a the supreme court refused to act on an Appeal by 12 people arrested during two sit ins at a White lunch counter in Tallahassee Fla. It was the first time the High court had been asked to Rule on a Case growing out of a wave of sit ins occurring in the South. 40 years ago capt. Steve Hill embraces his wife Kim at Canadian forces base Baden Solingen. Hill of Toronto piloted one of four Cf-18 fighter jets that returned to Germany on tuesday after spending five months in the persian Gulf. An Aerial Tanker and 32 support personnel deployed to saudi Arabia for the War against Iraq also returned. Four More aircraft were to return wednesday leaving 18 Canadian aircraft in the Gulf. Officials done to know when the remaining forces will return. March 7,1951 a the Western allies handed the West German Federal Republic vast new internal and external Powers including permission to control its foreign affairs. The relaxation of the occupation statute was announced by the three Power Allied High commission in Berlin