European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 22, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday March 22, 1991 the stars and stripes b Page 3in the Gulf harrier performed Well in Gulf pilots say by j. King  Mediterranean Bureau naval station Rota Spain a harriers the vertical Takeoff and Landing fighter bombers that proved their Worth in the 1982 falklands War also performed extremely Well in combat against Iraq say Marine corps pilots who flew them. Marine av-8b harriers operating from King Abdul Aziz air base in Southeastern saudi Arabia deployed closer to the front than other fighter aircraft in the War said capt. Richard Carrasco. Carrasco is a harrier Pilot with Vma-231, one of three Marine harrier squadrons with the 2nd Marine Wing that operated front the saudi base. A a a a a the harriers did just great in the War. The close deployment Cut our turnaround times considerably. We did no to have to refuel so we could launch out with six 500-Pound bombs Fly our Mission return to base rearm and be ready to launch again in less than an hour from the time of our first launch a said Carrasco 26, from fort Lauderdale Fla. In the states the marines have been the strongest supporter of Short Takeoff and Landing aircraft like the harrier. A because we use the harriers for close air support speculation had it that we  use them until the Start of the ground War a Carrasco said. A but we started flying them on the first Day of the air War dropping general purpose Cluster and napalm  More than 50 harriers from Vma-231, Vma-542 and Vma-223 at the saudi base relentlessly bombed iraqi positions throughout Kuwait. A we maintained the same Pace right through the War a said it. Col. Kevin Leffler the executive offi av-8b harrier. A. A amps Gary Miller Marine Chi. Heriberto Morales hands equipment to capt. Richard Carrasco As the Pilot gets ready to ferry a harrier Jet to the Carrier John f. Kennedy. Eer of Vma-542. A based on what  accomplished the sorties flown and the ordnance we delivered. Id say the harrier did extremely Well in the War Leffler said. A we went after w whatever the ground commanders wanted us to get Quot primarily artillery and tanks. Iraqi air defences sometimes put up a Good fight said Leffler 40, from Jacksonville  it was strange a he said. A we would Carrasco Fly into an area and there would be no opposition. Thirty minutes later we would try Over the same place and there would be lots of anti aircraft fire. We never did figure it  the 2nd Marine Wing lost three liar riders one in training and two in combat during the units time in the Gulf Region said staff sgt Lari Bolender a Wing spokesman at Cherry Point . One harrier Pilot died in combat and another in training Bolender said in a Telephone interview. Another harrier Pilot capt. Russell . Sanborn was captured after being shot Down feb. 9. Sanborn 27, returned to Cherry Point on saturday Bolender said. The 2nd Marine wings nearly 50 liar riders left saudi Arabia last week and flew to Rota on Spain a Atlantic coast. After a rest Stop at Rota pilots ferried the harriers to Navy warships which will carry the planes and pilots Back to the United states Bolender said. Wing Span 30 feet 4 inches length 46 feet 4 inches a to it Crew one Max Takeoff weight 31,000 la. Max Speed in level flight. 661 Mph Range with 4 external tanks 2,015 Miles height 11 feet 8 inches some Washington up military officials said thursday that . Postal managers were twice removed from their jobs during operation desert shield and the Gulf War because of delays in getting mail to the troops. Military postal service officials said that once in january and again in february officers were Given other duties and replaced by personnel More experienced at running huge mail operations. The number of individuals reassigned was not immediately available but they included at least one army Captain. An Agency spokesman said the task May have proven overwhelming for those involved and More experienced personnel were called in. A in All likelihood they were to bad officers just in the wrong spot at the wrong time a said maj. Mark Rader. The Agency reported that through mid March it had hauled and distributed about 35,000 tons of mail. Allied planes dropped 88,500 tons of bombs on iraqi positions during the six weeks of fighting. The mail handling was described As the largest concentrated postal operation in military history. The postal service had not been so taxed since the Vietnam War. A mail service was criticized Early on and the Pentagon asked mailers several times to limit postage to first class letters and audio cassettes to reduce volume. In addition to plan loads of mail officials had problems making deliveries because troops were constantly on the move. Col. Patricia Hickerson director of the military mail Agency referred to the replacement of officers during testimony wednesday to the readiness subcommittee of the House armed services committee. She noted that the mail had to compete for transportation with War Materiel. At the moment she said once mail reaches port areas it is flown to the Gulf Region within two Days. It is then sent to Field Post offices for distribution to smaller units and then to service members. Hickerson said most of the postal recipients were often on the go and were supported from 8,000 Miles away. The Peak volume in the period before the holidays augmented by the huge number of a any servicemen Berk letters that were sent saw 600,000 pounds a Day moving to the theater. A during operation desert shield desert storm we were handling up to two to three pounds per person per Day a she said by comparison she said during the Vietnam War records indicate soldiers were getting about one Pound of mail a week. The figures calculated by the military postal service Agency through March 15, showed that the volume enough to fill 650 huge c-5a transports or 4,700 flatbed trailers full of mail. Mail ranged from individual letters and cards to microwave ovens and televisions