European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 20, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday april 20. 1991 the stars and stripes b Page 3220 filed for co status in Gulf War period by Janet Howell Tierney Washington Bureau Washington at least 220 serv ice members filed for conscientious objector status during the troop buildup and subsequent War in the persian Gulf Pentagon officials say. A breakdown by service a the army had 117 people filing As cos or one of every 7,563 soldiers on Active duty including reservists. A the marines ranked next with 40 people. A the Navy was third with 35 cases. A the air Force had 28. The figures Are similar to those posted for each service during fiscal year 1990. Defense department officials said the Small number of cos out of the 550,000 who deployed to the Mideast can be attributed to the nature of the Volunteer Force. A a a we be always had conscientious objectors a army Gen. Colin Powell chairman of the joint chiefs of staff said during an interview. A a there a nothing wrong with that and i done to see it As a particular  Powell referred to the roughly 18,000 co applications received during the Vietnam War and said a in fact the number this time around was rather Low More so than you would get if there were a  however Complete figures on How Many co requests were received during the persian Gulf conflict Are not available. Military boards have up to 90 Days to act on applications from Active duty troops and 180 Days for reservists. So the number of co applications submitted in the months before combat began will not be added until late Spring or Early summer officials said. Those applying for co status go through a lengthy process to prove they object to participating in War or carrying a weapon because of a religious or moral i conscientious objectors service by service applied approved denied fy91 fy90 fy91 fy90 fy91 fy90 pending fy91 fy90 army As of april 17 117 87 45 66 25 13 421 0 marines As of March 29 40 35 15 19 13 14 12 2 Navy As of March 29 35 65 223 444 4 17 7 0 air Force As of March 2 28 19 21 12 6 2 1 5 total 220 206 103 145 48 46 62 7 1 no action taken in five separate cases. 2 no action taken in eight separate cases 3 two other sailors were Given co status and returned to non combatant duty 4 four other sailors were Given co status and returned to non combatant duty belief. Also applicants must show instances in their personal history such As religious training that support the claim. It usually takes months to Complete the process of answering a 20-question application and being interviewed by a chaplain a psychiatrist and an investigative officer who is not part of the applicants Chain of command. After the interviews Are completed the investigating officer conducts a hearing at which the applicant can present evidence and witnesses to support his Case. Then the officer prepares a report that is forwarded to a military Board in Washington where the claim is approved or denied. Most of the approved applicants Are discharged although some stay on Active duty in non combatant positions. Although actual applications were Low interest in co status ran High during the crisis. Counselor at three private organizations who assist cos said they were Over a 4. �?�1 1 a Bush among thousands giving to kurdish Relief by Janet l. Cappiello associated press writer a flood of americans including president Bush have sent tens of thousands of dollars to private Relief agencies since last week to help kurdish refugees fleeing Iraq officials said thursday. Bush gave $1,000 to Amer cares a new Canaan  Relief group that has sent three airlifts of about 220,000 pounds of food to refugees in Iran and Turkey said Judy Smith Quot Deputy press Secretary at the White House. Another White House source said Bush recently gave $1,000 to the new York based International Rescue committee which has been working to help kurdish refugees in Turkey. Save the children based in Westport conn., collected More than $73,000 in the past 10 Days. Donors sent $50,000 in four Days to the new York based american jewish joint distribution committee. Food for the hungry in Scottsdale ariz., collected $85,000." a in terms of the amount of Money its Normal for disaster Relief food for the hungry spokeswoman Karen Randau said. A in terms of the time that it took to get it in its  John c. Hammock executive director of Oxnam in Boston estimated the Agency would spend $1 million to Send blankets tents and food to the refugees by the weekend. Quot a a we la be about $900,000 in the Hole by the end of the week a he said. As Many As 2 million kurd fled from Nort Fern Iraq through the mountains to Iran and Turkey after their uprising failed against Saddam Hussein. . Troops have begun securing locations in Northern Iraq to build refugee Camps for the kurd who Are barely surviving without food clothing shelter or medical facilities. Relief groups said while donations were slow at first the intense Media coverage of the refugees plight convinced americans to open their pocketbooks. A you see the pictures of the kurdish people on the evening news and it really wrenches the hearts a said Jackie Carlson assistant director of Community education at Church world service in Elkhart ind. Up to 30 checks a Day have been arriving at the new York based . Committee for Unicof said spokeswoman Annie Foster. Norman and others said they feared the american Public would forget the kurd once the Issue moved off the front pages. A people sort of want this thing to be Over with and dealt with a said Gerald r. Andersen chief operating officer at world concern in Seattle. A i think the american Public gets  Michael Weil spokesman for new York based care said he hoped the presence of the . Military s refugee Camps  give the false impression that the kurd so problems were solved. A the numbers Are simply overwhelming even for the military a Weil said. A a v a. A a a a. A amps whelmed by inquiries during the War from Active duty and activated a re serve members. The War resistors league organized in 1923 and based in new York received More than 2,500 phone Falls during the War. A a however not All of the callers asked about co status which is Only one option for backing out of a military contract. Michael Marsh a league Counselor saw his office work Load go from one or two Calls per month before August to 50 or 60 per Day in january. A they All signed a document saying they were not co at the time they enlisted and most weren to Marsh said a but in be conic to understand now that when you re 17 years old you re not prepared to know what it will be like to hold a weapon in your hand and know you might have to kill  from August through March the Philadelphia based Central committee for conscientious objectors sold 1,731 co pies of its 150-Page Book on advice for cos and it is still filling Back orders said spokesman Robert Seeley. Of 1.001 Calls received Between sep tember and March by the military counselling network in Germany about 75 resulted in co applications being filed said Andre Gingerich Stoner a network coordinator. Before the War the office averaged three or four Calls per year. I be said most Calls came from service members prompted by the Gulf War to rethink their decision to join the armed sen ices. A soldiers started thinking seriously about what their jobs were All about a Stoner said. A you re not just a Mechanic Cook or postal clerk but part of the War  a. It. Col. David super of the Pentagon a Reserve affairs office said the military accommodates people whose viewpoints about military service change. Quot co claims Are very human kinds of reactions to the circumstances they found themselves in a super said. However the Counselor said the complicated process of applying for co status often causes their clients to look for other ways out. 1 some were Able to prove that they had a medical condition or that a serious family hardship was a result from their deployment to the Mideast. Others look More drastic action and were charged with unauthorized absence missing a movement or  charged face As Many As seven years in prison and even if they filed for co status the Case is stalled until the disciplinary action is completed. , plans no changes in its policy Pentagon officials say. A will be the first to admit that we Structure the policy to Benefit the army rather than the individual a said one official. A but our reason for existence is to fight wars and everything we do is geared toward accomplishing that  two kurdish refugee boys carry armload of clothes and foods from a distribution area organized by the turkish army