European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 11, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Oft the Mountain with Nib Amman iranian teaches skiing at arc a is amp Srim Der aim Nima Mina Learned to ski on the slopes of Northern Iran. By Chuck Roberts staff writer a ski instructors in Bavaria usually have names like Hans Siegi or Helmut but then there s Nima Mina. He s from Itan. -. Mina is the Only iranian ski instructor in Germany and the first instructor from a German ski school contracted to work for the armed forces recreation Center in Garmisch. Germany. A a a a a a a a. A a a a. He did t learn to skin the Sand in Iran some mountains Are loftier than the Alps and Snow is abundant he said. During the Winter Mina conducts the outdoor Challenge program he puts service members and civilians through a grueling week of survival training mountaineering Cross country skiing downhill skiing and biathlon training his summer months Are spent As a University student in marburg Germany where he settled after leaving Tehran during the islamic revolution in 1980 Mina was attending a German school in Tehran when the revolution began in 1978 iranians began rejecting Western ideals and his school was closed about the same time that a group of americans were taken hostage in the u s. Embassy there he left Iran and moved to a Village near Heidelberg where he completed High school Mina said he left Iran for the same reason that he could not support the Allied involvement in the Gulf War. A. A Quot it is a fight Between islamic fundamentalism and arabic nationalism Quot Mina said Quot belong to neither Side that a Why left the country and lost a my citizenship when i was 20.&Quot a. A. Mina recently completed a master s  German studies and is working on a doctorate in. The same subject. After he completes his doctorate. In a few years he would like  in Canada or. The United states Mina said. /. A a a most of his family has immigrated to the United states some of them live in los Angeles where he said about 480,000 a iranians have settled. There Are other iranians living and working in marburg but none of them has the same Job As. Mina who perfected his skiing in Northern Iran. Skiing can be a bit Tricky in Iran a volcanic regions near Tehran he said. Skiers must began climbing these mountains Early in the morning to avoid sulphuric fumes that began rising above the ground with the warming Sun. But not All skiing was so complicated. Under the leadership of the Shah major ski. Resorts were built in. Iran during the 1960s and 1970s with the help of French and austrian interests a a a a a. A a a. A a a promising Rac Frig team was formed uner a. Swiss coach. The program came to a halt during a the revolution. A. A a a a a. International races still take  Iran but major european nations Don t participate Mina. Said a a a a a a.  a / a Mina enjoys his Job of taking marines or airborne rangers for a week and pushing them near their limits with Long treks through the Woods on Cross country skis lugging heavy backpacks. A he especially likes american troops because he said they Are easy to work with. A a readers action line the status of Stop loss my husband 1s an e-6 in the army with 17years. Service. We be been looking Forward to this last tour in Europe before we go Home to Texas and  were to due to leave in april. We had our a assignment and orders in hand and  was time to. Go Home. A a a a a a now we Are stuck in a country we can t get out of and we can to go Home. We go and live where the army tells. Us to we stay As Long As they Tell us we have to stay. Every few years or less we Puli our Homes apart say. Goodbye to family and friends once again and Start Over a a All to support our soldiers and peace. V. So does no to that give us the right to know the truth and not be kept in the dark a. A when will the Stop loss on permanent changes of station pcs be lifted when will we get our new orders and be allowed to  the states does this Stop loss affect officers who Are going on to advanced schools it s like being held against your will. We Don t like this feeling of being a prisoner of this War from afar. In a Way a that s what we Are. We Are asking for answers and  that beat. Around the Bush. A ,.  Lapell Mannheim Germany Denis Keating marketing and advertising office office of the Deputy chief of staff for personnel department of the army replies. Department of. The army suspended separations and. Retirements f<5r officers  personnel Stop loss immediately after operation desert shield began in Southwest Asia. The. Original suspension concerned. Critically Short and highly technical specialities As Well As commands determined to be in direct support of operation desert shield. After this suspension was imposed it was decided that commands not in direct support of operation desert. Shield would suffer in their abilities to execute operational commitments if selected personnel were allowed to depart and move to the commands which were directly participating in operation desert shield this could have. Resulted in an imbalance across the army. The commands hitch Are not in direct support of operation desert shield and subsequently operation desert storm continue to conduct missions of. Importance to the daily operations of the army. As operation desert storm began army planners were. Unable to predict the exact requirements for the theater. There was a possibility that additional or different units might be required in order to realize Success in operation desert storm. A. A. As the army embraces peace in Southwest Asia the requirements to redeploy units to the United states and the possibility of the requirement for a contingency Force to remain in Southwest Asia Are being Analysed by the. Army staff. A. A. A. Until this determination can be made Stop loss cannot be reversed unilaterally nor can the involuntary foreign service tour Extension be terminated. Department of the army and the entire nation a appreciate the Many sacrifices made by service members and their families worldwide., especially in those 1  when the Soldier deployed to saudi. Arabia. A a a a a Quot a a a a a a you can be sure that every Effort is being made to ensure that hostilities have been terminated that the  Are returned to their Home stations As soon As practically possible and Standard procedures and a programs reinstated. Officers and enlisted personnel scheduled for. Department of the army schools Are currently being \. Considered on a Case by Case basis As to whether they will proceed on the orders consideration is Given to the. Command to which the Soldier is currently assigned the Sipler s specially and the requirements in Southwest Asiaa / a when Stop loss is lifted and suspension of foreign service Tours is lifted new orders will be published As necessary or As the situation in Southwest Asia. Develops. A up a a to write us ,. Readers action line is he readers court oblast. Resort Quot striving to answer some of the questions about life overseas in a military environment,.or. Questions about policies and guidelines when other avenues for answers Are not readily available. If you have a question and Don t know where to turn for the answer write to readers action line co the stars. And stripes Apo 09211-4211. All letters must be. A signed and preference will be Given to those seeking information of general interest to our readers. Page 16 a the stars and stripes monday March 11, 1991