European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 14, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Sunday april 14, 1991 the stars and stripes b Pago 3 in the Gulf go Dave listens to refugees tales iraqi native helping with translations by John Millar Middle East Burea checkpoint Bravo Iraq a Many of the thou Sands of refugees fleeing the iraqi civil War have turned to a 1st army div Soldier called Dave with their tales of torture and murder. 1 and for dive Many of the stories have hit too close to Home a his Home in Baghdad. Born and raised in the iraqi capital spec. Do raid a a Dave Najjar and his family left for the United states in 1979. He Waback in Iraq recently As an interpreter for the 501st military intelligence in and talked to ref gecs passing through the division checkpoint about 240 Miles Southeast of his refugees told Najjar of murder torture and Wanton destruction at the hands of Saddam Hussein a army. The pain of seeing starving dehydrated and wounded fellow countrymen and hearing their personal accounts of the civil War stabbed at the soldiers heart. A a in a still an Arab Down inside a Najjar said. The flood of refugees a just tears you Najjar and his family weren to running when they left Iraq at the time Saddam had Only been in Power for a couple of years and a things weren to that bad yet a he said. But As Arab christians America seemed to offer More Freedom than Iraq. The family settled in Detroit where Najjar a father grandmother and several aunts still reside. A there Are 35,000 iraqis in Michigan a he said. A mainly a a a a a a a a a. A when he joined the army about 21/ years ago Najjar never dreamed he would find himself Back in Iraq. A it never crossed my mind that id be fighting my own people a lie said. The Baghdad native enlisted As a Light wheeled vehicle Mechanic and has spent the last two Vears repairing trucks for the 1st army div at Mon Teutli Barracks in Firth Germany. I be also worked for the divisions civil. Affairs office in of his abilities with arabic he was Given military intelligence training and rushed to the persian Gulf for the War. A i was hoping to god that i would never have to shoot another Najjar said. His relatives in Detroit were concerned As Well. A a they re worried about our ancestors Here North of Baghdad a he said a they were worried about what would happen if i Ever got 1 Najjar sprayers were answered however and he never had to fire his m-16 during the Short ground War. But he still had to take precautions when the division manned the checkpoint and he began to translate for the refugees. \ he did no to Wear a Nam tag on his uniform. Instead the name a a Dave was written in both English and arabic on his helmet cover. A i done to want to put my family in danger a he said referring to an Uncle and cousins who Are still in Baghdad. Because there is no permanent Refuge for the fleeing Quot iraqis Many arc forced to return to their Homes and the fighting he said. A for an Arab to fight ail Arab especially an iraqi against a iraqi that will leave a scar on the Arab name for a Long time a he said. A a in a caught in the Middle. �?o1 wish i could help every one of them Quot he said of the refugees. A they ask for advice. There a not much i can a a Quot. T. A. A a. A a a a a. Is amps John Milter Baghdad native spec. Do raid a a Dave Najjar was Back in Iraq recently us an interpreter for the 501st military intelligence in. The last of 1st army div troops leave Iraq Riyadh saudi Arabia a the . 1st army div moved the last of its 17,000 soldiers from Iraq on saturday completing the first major american withdrawal from occupied territory since the . Ceasefire took effect. Military officers said Overall troop strength in the Middle East had fallen to 300,000, Down 45 percent from the Peak of 540,000 at the wars end feb. 28. Departures Are still running at about 5,000 a Day. The 1st army was part of the Vii corps which has been occupying Southern Iraq. Still on the front lines Are the 3rd army div and the 1st inf div each with 15,000 soldiers and supporting elements such As transportation units. The Bush administration appears anxious to get the troops Home As soon As possible to avoid being drawn into the civil conflict in Iraq Bush has drawn criticism that he has done Little to help the rebels after advocating the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. As the 1st army completed its withdrawal the first members of a United nations peacekeeping Force that eventually will replace the remaining americans arrived in Kuwait City. A 1,440-member , Force from 32 nations was established under the formal cease fire that went into effect thursday it will patrol a 10-Milc demilitarized zone along the 120-mile Border Between Iraq and Kuwait. It could take , forces two weeks to get into place but . Sources said that would not affect the a thinning out of american forces from Southern Iraq. A . Military checkpoint just North of Safwan Iraq and another in nearby Qasir where the . Force is to have its Headquarters were dismantled saturday. American troops also have been rapidly pulling out of Kuwait fewer than 2,000 marines remain in Kuwait from a Peak strength of More than 30,001. Fewer than 30,000 marines remain in the persian Gulf about half at sea and half on land. Most of the ground forces Are expected lobe Home by the end of april the 5th Marine expeditionary brigade an amphibious Force of 15,000, is aboard ships in the Gulf. Sources said the Force could provide a Way of keeping Saddam in line a a a a a. A. A. 1 he . Central Conul Headquarters to return to 1 ampa ma., by the end of the month when the Mission becomes one of cleanup and getting equipment Home. Allied military officers met Friday for the fourth time in Riyadh with iraqi officials and members of the International committee of the red Cross to discuss prison. Cars of War and soldiers missing in action. The representatives agreed to set up a special group to account for the missing in action which . Officers said included six americans. Red Cross and . Officials said nearly 00,000 iraqi pos had been repatriated and about 25,000 remain. They would not say How Many refused repatriation. Washington up Gens. Colin Powell and ii. Norman Schwarzkopf architects of the Allied Victory in the persian Gulf War will join a distinguished list of american heroes when they Are awarded congressional Gold medals. Congress awarded the first Gold medal to Gen. George Washington following his capture of Boston in the revolutionary War. Washington however had to wait for his medal since it was not actually made until three years after Congress approved it. No such delay is expected for Powell and Schwarzkopf who will receive their medals from president Bush As soon As they Are designed and minted. Bronze duplicates also will be produced and sold to the Public. The Senate voted March 21 to authorize the two Gold medals and the House unanimously gave final approval thursday. Since 1776 Congress has voted some 100 times to authorize the award of Gold medals honouring the achievements of individuals a military men inventors poets explorers a and in some cases organizations such As the american red Cross. Other military figures honoured by Congress with Gold medals include Gens. John Pershing George Marshall and Douglas Macarthur. An assortment of show business figures have also received congressional Gold medals including John Wayne Bob Hope and George Gershwin. In 1968 a medal honouring Walt Disney was presented to his widow. To Battle kuwaiti Oil fires Kuwait City up Kuwait said saturday it hire More International firms to help Texas and Canadian specialists put out the hundreds of Oil fires set by fleeing iraqi troops in Hopes of dousing them in seven months instead of two years. Oil minister Rasheed a Meeri said new firefighting techniques would be used tested and perhaps even developed but he declined to elaborate and acknowledged that some might not work. The Oil minister emphasized that he wants fires out and Wells capped at a faster rate for financial and Energy reasons As Well As to reduce the potential health risks from the toxic fumes. �?o1 am very much concerned about the Pace of he Campaign conducted by the four North american firms a by red Adair inc., wild Well control and boots amp cools All of Houston and safety Boss of Canada. The four firms considered the worlds experts in Oil Well fires have extinguished just two fires and capped 23 no burning damaged Wells. All were torched or bombed by iraqi occupation troops As they withdrew from Kuwait in late february during the opening hours of 1 he .-led, 100-hour ground War. The . And Canadian firms began arriving a Lew weeks later and complain that their work is slowed by kuwaiti delays in obtaining the needed equipment As Well As water. Al Meeri said the four firms Are a the experts but that a perhaps we will find better ones a a a a a. Kuwait estimates that 801 of its 1,000 Wells were damaged and that More than $100 million Worth of Oil a Day is gushing out much of it in flames and spewing Quot toxic fumes. Fri i m 351 t o 530 n f t h e w e 11 s a 1 c it i n f i r e. Ai Maceri said his office had contacted several firms that be brought in to help Light the names lie refused to name them hut said they Are from Britain France China Germany Iran and the. United states. A
